Written Tuesday afty in the airport:
As I entered the teeny Akron airport, I noticed the line for my airline was much longer than normal. Ok, not a huge deal. I had 20 minutes leeway before my bag HAD to be checked. Then, a hassled airline woman called, "Ladies and gentlemen, systems are down!" Well, shit. The poor airline people had to write everything out by hand (which, when I think about it now as I'm waiting to board, is a huge security risk...)
But still, at least now everyone was in the same boat check-in time wise, and it was the airline's fault. As I got toward the front of the line, a woman who had just arrived in the separate "Elite" line went up to check in before the people waiting. The man in the front of the line politely informed her that we'd all been waiting for awhile (it's never actually polite though), but she blew him off. "Sir, I'm an ELITE passenger." Ugh. Do you want a cookie, lady?
After that, Hassled Airline Woman came over and closed off the "Elite" line so no one else could cut. But it was to no avail -- a couple minutes later, two women tried to re-form the previous "Elite" line. When Hassled Woman told them that they would have to wait in the long line, they got all huffy and indignant.
I finally got to the front and got my bag checked at exactly the right time, although I'm sure they didn't care at this point. Also I didn't even have to pay for it! Nice.
But then I hear the woman who had been in line behind me fighting with Hassled Woman at the check-in a couple stations to my right, yelling, "I was on line the whole time!!! You think you can treat me this way just because of the color of my skin???" (She was black, and the women who had tried to use the "Elite" line but were told they had to join the normal line were also black.) Being me, I obviously wanted to jump into this fight. I mean, come on. I live in Harlem. It's a little different than Akron/Canton, Ohio. However, I decided to hold back and attempt to mind my own business.
But behind-me-in-line lady had other plans. She pointed at me and yelled, "Ask her! That girl! I was behind her the whole time!!!"
And everyone in this giant line was staring at me. "Ma'am, she was behind me in line the entire time," I explained to the (seemingly) racist bitch of a Hassled Woman.
Hassled Woman practically screamed at me, "I just asked her for her ID!"
Oh. Well. Whoops. My b. How was I supposed to know that this was not a case of racism, but random crazy angry yellingism?
Now that I think about it, I don't see the crazy angry yelling behind-me-in-line woman here at the gate at all. I wonder what happened.
Later note: at least my seatmate did not go through any life-altering experience on this flight. But seriously, does weird shit like this happen to everyone?
