Delayed - Not Defeated (Yet)

10 hours in the Edmonton airport… and I’m still not home yet. Delay after delay!

What a day.

I arrived at the airport at 8:15 this morning to massive lineups and flight cancellations due to the weather. At one point, I received a test from Air Canada telling me I was booked on a flight through Calgary, but it was on Saturday. today is Thrusday and my flight to Copenhagen is Friday. That was not going to work. That would have completely derailed the trip.

Thankfully, I made it to the front of the line and one amazing Air Canada agent worked some magic and got me onto a flight that had been cancelled… and then suddenly “un-cancelled” (which absolutely should be a real word).

My flight was supposed to leave at 3 p.m.
Then 5 p.m.
At this point, I’ll believe it when we’re in the air.

Airport adventures definitely teach patience.

There were also a few bright spots in the chaos. I met a fellow traveler who tried to get me into the WestJet lounge when I couldn’t access the Air Canada lounge because I didn’t have my pass with me. It didn’t work, but the kindness meant a lot. There are still really good people out there.

Was speaking to a man who just happened to be from Copenhagen and he was telling me all the good places to go. He did say my hotel was interesting - you go out one door and you are in an elaborate part of town and go out another door and its not the best. Should be intersting to say the least. He has had friends stay there - so feeling a little better about the hotel.

Eventually I was able to find it hidden in my email and managed to get into the lounge, and after spending an entire day watching stressed travelers, delayed flights, and endless updates, I’ve decided airports are basically a great way to observe human behaviour. That could be another Blog Post.

So now the plan is:

• Land in Vancouver around 6 p.m.

• Go home and do laundry

• Repack everything

• Hopefully sleep a few hours

• Head back to YVR before 6 a.m. tomorrow for my flight to Copenhagen

At this point, I’m just hoping luck is finally on my side.

About Jackie
For more than 30 years, Jackie Kloosterboer has helped communities prepare for disasters and support people through some of the hardest moments of their lives. Now, through “Jackie Doing Jackie,” she’s sharing a different kind of journey - one filled with travel, reinvention, meaningful work, theatre shows, coffee shops, solo adventures, and learning how to fully live again. Because preparedness matters… but so does saying yes to your own life.