Stranded Flight NW20 Dilemma

I woke up Sunday morning feeling surprisingly indifferent about going home after a full year of living abroad. I expected to be agitated and sporting a never ending smile. However, this was not the case. I had been impatiently waiting for this moment for months now, my anxiousness growing ten folds every day. Oh well, I thought…I’m sure it’ll hit me once I land on US soil.

All started well. I waved farewell to the place I called home for a year and enjoyed the flight to Japan. Barely three hours later, we boarded another NWA aircraft this one set for Minneapolis, USA. The Boeing 757-400 is a monstrous aircraft with an upstairs cabin. I made my way to my seat and soon fell asleep. The captain’s voice ripped me from my dreamless sleep, announcing a problem with the aircraft. The landing gear was non-responsive, or at least they were not retracting, therefore we had to backtrack to Narita Airport. Once there, service crew members would inspect the aircraft and a decision would be made whether to start again or switch airplanes. I must have still been dazed from my sleep for I was in no way worried. The captain then insured us that there was nothing to worry about and that we would be able to land normally. But before being able to land in Narita, we had to dump fuel---lots of it! We circled the sky for about an hour and a half before finally landing. We were welcomed by a small army of fire trucks, ambulances and NWA service crew members—standard procedure, we were told.

After a quick inspection (so it seemed from my window seat), we were instructed to de-board the plane. Passengers onboard flight NW20 would board another aircraft and leave from Gate 24 at 6:00pm. However, it was 6:30pm and we were still sitting around the airport lounge. The flight information screen indicated that our flight had been delayed indefinitely, although hilarious to me, it was not something I was looking forward to. A few minutes later, NWA finally decided it would be wise to let us in on the happenings of the moment. Our beloved flight NW20 had been delayed until 10:15am Monday morning. Crew members distributed food vouchers while others hurried about getting approximately 400 passengers ready for entering Japan as well as organizing sleeping arrangements.

It was not until another hour that we were finally bussed over to various hotels near Narita Airport. I was exhausted and appreciated the cozy room at the Radisson Hotel. We received dinner and breakfast vouchers and free internet usage. The bed in my room was the softest and most comfortable bed I laid on in an entire year! I slept like a baby and the night felt everlasting, to my liking since I needed the rest. Still, I could have kept on sleeping or just laying in bed for a lot longer than the six hours of sleep I got.

Right now, I am onboard another NWA plane about three hours into a nine hour flight. We are having exceptional tail wind which has cut down on the flight time. I pray we will arrive to our destination with no further drama. I pray that everyone will be able to transfer hassle free and that they will get home to their loved ones sooner rather than later. As for me, I have become ecstatic at the thought of being reunited with my family.