AAmerican Airlines ScAAre

You know me. I mean, I have been flying for years! I have been all over the country, and also out of the country countless times.

What you may not know about me is that the first time I flew, I was 16. My mom was taking me to visit a college and hang out in Tucson for a few days. I was TERRIFIED. She literally had to drag me down the jetway. I planted my feet and said "NO WAY" and started sobbing. When I flew to Chile in 1989...it was an overnight flight...and I sat forward the entire trip - didn't sleep or even look out the window!

I didn't fly for business until about 1995. Then began a long standing career that involved travel. At first I was one of those people who gripped the armrests and stared straight ahead the whole trip. Don't talk. Don't move. Don't breathe! It might upset the balance of the plane! And, heaven forbid there would be turbulence...

It has been many years since I just decided I am not really in control anyway. I handed it over to God to take care of. Though I have had some scary moments, bad storms, horrific turbulence, and one incredible drop through the sky (coming back from Boston)...I have been blessed to arrive safely. Albeit, often with a significant delay, but nonetheless...in one piece.

It took me a long time to get to where I could do anything on the plane. Reading was out of the question since I got motion sick. Couldn't sleep since I had anxiety about the whole thing. Relax? Out of the question!

When I think about that now, it's such a different feeling. I welcome the experience now. I love to see the cloud formations and the views of the various cities. To see the sun when all I have seen is gray for days. I catch up on magazines and books I don't otherwise have time to read. I connect with others and meet some neat people! I miss flying when I haven't. But there is always that tiny little doubt. The thought that something could possibly go wrong. Mostly, we just shove it into the dusty corner of our mind and try to forget it.

Long story short...headed for NYC last Wednesday. Good day for flying, but cold. Had to be de-iced. Other than that, off we were for an on-time departure - a rare thing into NYC!

I was sitting with my new manager, chatting away about business and other things to look forward to on the trip. We began our ascent and I began to notice a peculiar odor. Sometimes that happens and you have to just ignore it - but this was putrid. I said, "WHAT is that SMELL?"

My mouth had barely shut on that last word, and then began a loud, anxiety producing...SMOKE ALARM!!!!! Oh my gosh. Everything stopped for a minute as we all just looked at each other!

The flight attendant just looked around. Eventually, she picked up the phone to the captain. She turned around and had a look of "I know I am not supposed to show emotion on my face but truly I am petrified"!!!

After what seemed like forever, she grabbed the fire extinguisher and made a beeline for the restroom. The plane was still ascending. She kicked open the door and I am pretty sure the haze in there was smoke, but she couldn't see a fire.

She returned to her jump seat and sat down. The alarm finally stopped. My heart was racing, I was praying and trying to just find a way to let God continue to be in control.

We all sat and waited, and suddenly took a quick dive. Was this the end, I wondered. Nobody was telling us anything!

After what seemed like another hour, the captain came on and told us they thought everything was fine, but they were returning to Port Columbus to be sure. I continued to pray, and talk my boss's ear off, likely out of nervousness! All I could picture was the jet engines on fire! We really didn't know what was going on.

We landed in record time, and they had us deplane with all of our stuff. After checking it out, they still didn't know the cause, so we all had to take later flights.

After having time to let the adrenaline catch up, I realized how weak in the knees I felt, and that this one had indeed scared me a bit!

I have now officially been part of an emergency landing. Yikes!
And so....here is the letter I received today!:

February 29, 2008
Dear Mrs. Cuevas:
Our manager in Columbus was concerned and asked us to follow up with you regardingyour flight with us on February 27. We can understand how frustrating that trip musthave been. We are very sorry for all the difficulties you encountered when flight4870 unexpectedly returned to the airport.
As our personnel indicated at the time, due to the detection of a haze in theaircraft's lavatory, the decision was made to return to the airport so our specialistscould take a look at the situation. Upon evaluation, it was determined the aircraftwould need to be taken out of service for repairs. While our personnel made thesubstitution as quickly as possible, we realize your important travel plans weredisrupted. I am truly sorry.
In appreciation for your patience, we've added 5,000 Customer Service bonus miles toyour AAdvantage® account. You should see this mileage adjustment in your account verysoon, and you can view this activity via AA.com at http://www.aa.com/AAdvantage. Ihope this gesture of goodwill helps restore your confidence in us.
Your loyalty is important to us and I would like to assure you that we are committedto getting you to your destination as planned. Sometimes, as on February 27, flightswon't operate as planned but our goal is to keep those times to a minimum. I knowyour next trip with us will go much more smoothly than this one did. We will lookforward to welcoming you on board soon.
Sincerely,
B. J. RussellCustomer RelationsAmerican Airlines