Stranded

It's 10:07 pm now, and I'm sitting in a hotel room, still staring at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which looks like a giant cocoon lit from within.

First Air China told us that the flight was delayed, arrival time unknown. Then it directed everybody on that flight to Shanghai Airlines, who agreed to take us in on its 7:30 pm flight to Chengdu. We had only thirty minutes to check-in, pass the security and board the plane. Immediately, there were people sprinting frantically all over the place. By the time my turn came, I had only twenty-two minutes. The agent took my passport, typed on the keyboard, and looked up at me blankly: "You are not in our system." "What?!!" I felt my fingers turning cold. "We don't have your record. Go back to check with Air China."

I left my luggage behind and raced to an Air China's counter.

"Yes, you are in our system. Here's your ticket number. Go back to Shanghai Airlines."

I raced back to Shanghai Airlines.

"No, we still don't have your record."

Finally, I brought an Air China agent over to a Shanghai Airlines counter. Ten minutes was left. The two spent five minutes conferencing, and they figured it out.

The Air China agent told me because I booked my flight in the US through the United Airlines, which has a "Star Alliance" agreement with Air China, I can only travel with Air China, not anyone else. The United Airlines could have cut a deal with Shanghai Airlines, but the United had closed their operation two hours ago.

All other Air China 4502 passengers successfully boarded the Shanghai Airlines flight to Chengdu, but me.

Since there's no need to hurry now, I started asking Air China agents what's happening to the delayed flight. Here's what's going on.

The Chengdu Shuangliu Airport—the only one in the city—is being used primarily for military flights for earthquake rescue efforts. All passenger flights have to wait in line for intervals between military flights, which are ten minutes openings every several hours. Right then, there was no telling when the Air China flight would be able to get an opening to fly back to Shanghai, so technically, the flight wasn't canceled, but "delayed indefinitely." In addition, two if Air China flights during the day were already taken away to transfer medical and other emergency supplies.

And because all those situations were above the control of Air China, the company would not pay for my hotel room tonight!

I started calling the headquarter and Chengdu contacts, sputtering mad. Air China's duty manager walked up to me and said: "We decided to put you on a Sichuan Airlines flight and we will work out a deal with United Airlines tomorrow. You should be able to leave at 9:30 pm." I was ecstatic. The manger took me to another terminal and handed me over to Sichuan Airlines's manager. "We are delayed indefinitely, too." She said, looking amused, "We are in the same shoes as you guys are and our flight is still stranded in Chengdu." My hope was dashed again.

So here I am, in an Airport hotel room, hoping to catch the earliest flight to Chengdu tomorrow.