A delayed flight and what it’s reminded me about our work lives and careers

It never hurts to have spare pants in your bag

Two weeks ago, I went through the experience of a flight delay. We’d arrived at the airport around 4pm for a 7pm flight, only to be told we’d fly at 3am. We finally flew at 10pm the following night - by which point I’d become so delirious I was taking selfies with plastic camels.

But back to the night before.

Patience was easy at first with our 40 Euros from the holiday company to spend on food and drink. We had a few beers and a browse of the duty free. I felt positive, because even though I knew the plan was a challenging one, there was a plan. We would fly at 3am. 3am came and went. Around 4, we began to begin boarding. But then, a pause. Some shouting from the gangway to the plane. And we were hearded back to the departure lounge. The pilots came out and told us we would not fly that night, and instead would go to a local hotel.

There were shouts and angry sighs. People began filming. The pilots had no tannoy to use so we all had to try and grab their attention one at a time. It was chaos, a bunch of tired, expectant people let down, deflated at the removal of the promises that had been made.

I wanted to cry and scream - I was so ready to go home, and by that point, I was also tired and frustrated. My patience had definitely flown away elsewhere.

We had to get taxis to a hotel, where we arrived at around 6 in the morning, after dozing half the night in an airport waiting to board a 13-hour delayed flight that then never took off. Shattered, we collapsed into bed, with nothing but the promise of an email to tell us when we’d fly the next day.

The next morning, the email pinged to tell us that we’d fly at 8pm that night. A whole day with no luggage, not back at our all-inclusive hotel but in a hotel in a town where most shops were closed because it was Sunday.

(We found out that evening there was a pool on the roof!)

I set about finding supplies, including a small shop selling some very suspect underwear.

And then we waited. I began plotting this Substack. We slept. We had lunch and I had a long shower before donning the new, unusual knickers.

There was nothing to be done. The delay was our master. No amount of kicking and screaming would change things.

And so it is in work, sometimes, too.

We face delays in so many areas of our careers. The delay of waiting to hear back from a job application, or the delay of a client who said they would come back to us and then pauses or even ghosts us.

There is of course, for freelancers and the self employed, often the delay of being paid - notoriously in journalism people are paid on publication, so if a paper or magazine chooses to not publish for a while, the payment is held. It’s shocking, and there are calls for change. Sadly, it’s been that way as long as I can remember.

There might be a delay of something promised or expected - like with the flight. The delay of a promotion or of something new at work that we feel ready and prepared for.

And there are also the delays we put in place ourselves. The stalling or the procrastinating we do that delays our progress without any outside ‘help’.

Another thing I learned while in the airport was about losing our cool and whether it’s ever worth it.

As the pilot told us we wouldn’t be be flying, people began to shout, and to film. The kerfuffle, the filming and the panicked noise got me thinking about how we react when we are under pressure. I can see why people got upset. There was a feeling of abandonment and it’s the same when a promise from an employer or client falls through or is postponed.

I was the same, inside. Just because I didn’t film didn’t mean I wasn’t frustrated or angry. You see, I was so ready to go home. I had that feeling of being done with holiday, and keen to get back to real life. So so ready to be reunited with our dogs! I was in my going home outfit, all holiday stuff packed and sitting in the hold of the plane. Mentally, I was ready for the next stage. A delay wasn’t part of the plan, and it was a curveball to deal with. But getting irate and even calling out a person for a career delay is something I’d advise against. Nobody wants to look back at their LinkedIn feed and think ‘why did I post about that client/job/manager’.

I’ve also had a privilege check on my work, and work/life balance. Many people I spoke to on the same delay had shift work to return to, cleaning for example. Landing early Monday morning yes, I had to log in and work, but that was a much less laborious day than it was going to be for some.

And most of all, in future, my hand luggage will always have an overnight kit in it. Pants, toothbrush. Maybe even my work bag now. You never know when you might need a freshen-up to face the next delay or challenge that’s coming at you.