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My best friend of 25 years got married last weekend in our hometown in Iowa. Deciding to fly from Charleston, South Carolina where I live after working a full day the Thursday before, I was booked on the last flight of the night into Dubuque, Iowa.

Now I must say that the Chicago O’Hare Airport is notorious for delayed flight schedules, and that Thursday was no different. My first flight was a bit delayed and upon landing in Chicago, airplanes were lined up outside the gates, impatiently waiting their turn to park and unload. So as luck would have it, I missed my flight into Dubuque.

Fortunately I was able to re-book myself on a later flight to Moline, Illinois, a city only an hour or so away from my hometown. Switching flights, however, required that I leave the secure area, check in with a new airline, and go back through the security line. I now had exactly one hour to navigate my way clear across the airport and wait in several lines or I’d find myself spending the night snoozing on the airport floor.

Let the great airport dash begin.

Now I consider myself to be quite skilled when it comes to dodging people in a crowded space while quickly moving forward. I guess this comes from the months I spent working in the Herald Square Business District in New York City. And as a frequent flyer, I have no problem making my way through large airports, especially since they do an excellent job of hanging custom plastic signs throughout the airport directing even a first-time flyer to their proper gate with ease. There are plastic signs everywhere! They point to restrooms, food courts, airline gates, cell phone charging stations, baggage claim…they point the way to everything except where I needed to go! (Because think about it…how often in an airport do people actually need to exit through the entrance?)

Because of the lack of signage, I found myself desperately searching for an airport employee that I could speak with without waiting in line. When I at last found someone, they pointed the way out of security to where they claimed check in would be. With a quick thank you, I nearly propelled myself through the gate only to find that the check-in lines were nowhere to be found. I had been mis-informed, and since I was now outside the security gates, I would have to go out of my way and navigate myself to where I needed to be outdoors at the airport.

Darn it! Where was a custom sign when I needed it?!

There I was, sprinting through the humid summer heat and making my way around the outside of Chicago O’Hare. “What a joke” I thought to myself. “Had there been plastic signs, I wouldn’t have been misled!” Plus, time was ticking! My chances of catching my Zzz’s in an airport terminal with a hard suitcase for a pillow was shaping up to become my reality.

But I finally made it to that United Airline check-in desk. And there I waited. And upon receiving my new boarding pass, I made my way to the security line. And waited. And with a quick dash to gate F10, I made it just in time for final boarding call.

Homeward bound at last!

While I am well aware that leaving through the entrance at an airport isn’t the most traveled path, I am positive I am not the only one who’s been in my shoes. I certainly could have been spared a whole lot of sweat and tears (literally!) with just a simple sign.

In my next life as an airport manager, I’ll be sure to display a plethora of new custom signs, you can count on that!