Getting stuck in an airport is not something new, as thousands of passengers have been forced to spend more hours between their flights at airports in different parts of the world. When you get stuck in an airport, it becomes a bit difficult to work around there, since you do not have access to appropriate resting places, which may force you to rest on the waiting chairs in the passenger lounges. This is not a pleasant experience, by any means, especially if you get stuck for at least 32 hours.

Bauru-Arealva Airport

The Bauru-Arealva airport is a major airport that serves Bauru and Arealva, and this airport is a major transport hub for most folks who frequently travel by air from and to this region. I use this airport when making forays to Bauru and Arealva, and I did not find it smooth this time around. There were flight delays which forced me to spend 32 hours in an airport, and given the nature of many airports, that experience could not have been good by any standards.

The Experience at the Airport

The experience was not smooth, to be honest. There were no definite resting places, and this forced me to use the seats that are in the passenger lounge as resting places. This was tiring, but I did not have any other option to pursue but to wait for the delayed flight. A flight delay is something that happens now and then in many airports, and this could be because of system failures, downtimes, or even errors in scheduling on the part of the airlines. However, in most cases, it is the passengers who bear the brunt of these inefficiencies, as was with my case.

Apart from having to rest uncomfortably, the issue of food was another quagmire. Staying in an airport for 32 hours without food is impossible. Well, some folks could, but not a majority, and certainly not me. I had to purchase food from the restaurant in the airport, and shops that were in the airport. Meals at the airport are a bit expensive, but since there are no other alternatives, there is not much of a choice that you can make here but to buy food from these restaurants.

For the 32 hours that I was at the airport, I had to go to the restaurant a couple of times to grab meals as I waited for my flight. This in itself is an inconvenience, since foods and drinks at airport restaurants are at times expensive compared to foods in other restaurants. However, there is not much of an option, especially if you get stuck in an airport.

Boredom and Fatigue

Since airports are stations where passengers stay in short periods awaiting their flights, a significant number of airports do not have facilities designed for accommodation purposes. If they exist, then they are not many.  Bauru-Arealva Airport is such an airport, and I experienced prolonged boredom and fatigue firsthand when I was stuck for 32 hours at the airport. More often than not, passengers stuck at airports find it hard to rest appropriately. This is boring, and when you have to stay for a lot more hours, then you can be quite sure that you will be up for a very dull experience.

To sum this up, getting stuck in an airport is the last thing one would want when traveling. Air travel has its advantages, which include short hours of travel, but it also has its disadvantages, lags, and inefficiencies which can set you back in a huge way. Getting stuck in an airport is among the downsides of air travel, and when you get stuck in one, then you might find yourself in a very unpleasant situation. I did not like the whole experience, and any other individual who has stuck at an airport for whatever reason can attest that getting stuck in an airport is not only dull but also time wasting. It eats up your time that you would have used attending to other important activities.

However, it is worth noting that there are circumstances that lead to flight delays that are beyond the purview of passengers, the airport management, and airline management as well. Vagaries of weather, technological malfunctions are at times unforeseeable, and these could lead to flight delays. While it is not in anybody’s interests to get stuck in an airport, you ought to learn how to survive in one, so that you can adjust appropriately when you find yourself in such a situation.