Recently I had an experience that could have been out and out awful, but it really wasn’t. I thought I’d share a few thoughts as to why. Last week I got the first toothache I ever had in my life. I worked a few days through it to see if it was something that would ease with time, but a few days into it I realized I need help. So I went to a local dentist who informed me that A) I needed a root canal on a back tooth and B) she didn’t do them. So…she referred me to an specialist who would see me….in about 2 and a half weeks. I relayed that news to an old friend when he called to shoot the breeze, and he reminded me his father was a very experienced dentist…near Cleveland, Ohio. Hmmm…. “could he help me” I asked? It was 8:30 a.m. on a Thursday. A short phone call later the answer was “yes…he’ll see you at 4:30 tomorrow”. I then called his dad who changed the appointment to “whenever you get here…” Nice to have good friends with good dads! (We cannot control those things---that is NOT the moral of this story. Keep reading…)

Now…trying to figure out how to get 2 hops offline in 18 hours to get somewhere isn’t impossible, but its daunting. However…as this is going on…we are starting a two day rain storm that will start with a tornado warning and end with 14 inches of rain two days later. For the first time in almost 10 years at this address, my oldest daughter and I cleared out our “safe closet” and stood ready to dive in if we heard a tornado. There were funnel clouds overhead, but none (thankfully) touched down. Once the all clear sounded, off to the airport I went hoping for a flight to go through ATL to CLE on mother Delta. No such luck…the ASA flights were cancelled. But my friends at Pinnacle were delayed and still boarding. I needed some luck, and some help from a hometown gate agent, to get through security and get onboard in time, but made it into MEM that evening. A gate agent actually had to go back to security to let me in…there was nobody at the gate to do a boarding pass. (Lucky break # 1—due to a kind-hearted gate agent). Got to MEM and BS’d in the hub with some FDX folks, then hopped an A300 to CLE. Figured flying in the middle of the night into the snow to go to get a root canal was about as bad as you could have it, until I found out another 727 F/O jumping on the same flight was off to a grandmother’s funeral. The weather at both MEM and CLE had us very late, and I had changed my appointment (too optimistically) to 0830. However, that same guy took me in his car to the rental car center saving me time, effort, and a long wait in the cold. What could have been a miserable half hour was a lot easier…again…with the help of a friend.

Off to the dentist…35 minutes away. Mapquest rocks, and rolled in only :05 late and got to work. I am starting to understand why people hate aging. You do what you think is right…and you still fall apart. The doctor “killed off” a dying tooth and covered it in some plastic. It doesn’t hurt…but it ain’t living anymore either. I guess all our pieces and parts eventually follow suit.

A nice post op lunch with the doc afterwards, its time to cruise towards CAK airport for my exit out. Airtran offers a seat, but there’s an ASA or Comair flight leaving about 2 hours prior that MIGHT let me connect home. The flight is grossly oversold, as several flights have canceled. My sleep total in the last 24 hours is about 2 hours, so I quietly doze as the gate agent calls for volunteers. He is hounded, pestered, and is obviously upset he cannot do more to get the flight off on time AND take care of the passengers. And he’s solo…for about 2 hours. Eventually…he makes a party of four give up their seats. After the last passenger boards, I ask him about the next flight—if it is also oversold. He says “yes”…but then says “wait one second”. With 4 pax gone, his weight restriction is now okay, and he say “GO!”. I haven’t said one word to this guy prior—not “have a nice day”, “how you doin’?, or anything. I’m a sleep deprived zombie with Novocain wearing off, and probably look like hell. But—I’m an airline guy—and he is trying all he can to help me out. So off to ATL I go…shocked to be on the jet and out of the snowy north.

Next its Atlanta. Anyone who’s been on the D gates knows that asking for favor there is sometimes not so easy. I show up at a gate for PFN…my hometown. The ASA/Delta gals working the gates are swamped with folks…I sat in a chair for over an hour and never saw them get to move away even for a moment before the next customer was there pleading. The same rain system that pummeled my hometown had ATL a mess. I really thought I was good for 24 hours there or a rental car…no chance of flying home. When I approached the agent during a lull, she researched about 5 flights for me, informing me that this flight was a low chance of having a seat, but there were 3 flights to VPS that night and even listed me on one with no other jumpseaters. She was busy—didn’t have to do it—but I was an airline guy—and she really tried to help. When I went from D to C by the time I got there I was bumped off the jumpseat by a DAL captain. He was there, and quite apologetic, as was the agent. I told them (in all seriousness) not a problem—take care of your own—I’ll get home eventually. We made some small talk and shared a few tales of our last few days dealing with the weather and why we were here. The agent told me there were some missed connections…so I had a chance at a seat and she’d list me as a standby. Considering how hard it had been just to get this far on the trip…I was thrilled. I brought one of the gate agents a coke, took a seat, and tried to sleep. Then the Delta captain came up and said he had been able to list himself as a jumper on the next flight, and said I could take this one and get home. He knew I had to drive to PFN, and he said he had someone picking him up when he got to VPS. I was blown away by the generous act, but before I could even offer anything he wished me well and went to another gate. The flight boarded…I ended up with a seat in back…and got home that night. So…instead of being a tired, miserable commuter with a toothache when I got home, as I was driving back I thought about how many people had gone out of their way to help me in the last 24 hours. And I was incredibly grateful. I was also inspired. I had so many people reach out to help me with tiny little acts of kindness that might have seemed like not a big deal, but the cumulative effect was I got out and back home in 24 hours and won’t suffer with a toothache for the next fifteen days. It reminded me both as a pilot and a person how much a little gesture can mean to weary traveler. And it reminded me to do my very best to help out my fellow travelers, especially my airline friends, whenever I have the chance. So—thanks to everyone. I’ll do my best to take care of you when I get the chance. I was very, very happy to be an airline employee this week, and reminded how wonderful our job can be--when we help each other just a bit. (That's the moral part...)