It's something I haven't done in a while to run through the airport. The most recent instance when time was critical was in late 2017, when a cancellation to a work trip meant that I had to run through the airport and speed the 270 miles to SFO. The flight was completed in less than 2 minutes. It was so close.Things have been great since then. I don't like to be late. It is almost never necessary to go through the airport. It was a great decision that I made at McCarran this week. It saved me a lot of time and money.Mad Dash to Mild DespairAfter visiting the Resorts World casino, and the Las Vegas Hilton hotel that it houses, I enjoyed a relaxing morning at the Linq Promenade before heading to McCarran. I had hours before my evening flight so I wrote from Concourse D.I found the Delta app and pulled up my flight. It took me about half an hour to get there. It was already a very tight connection to Seattle so this would have left me with only 13 minutes between my arrival and departure times. I would be miserable if things didn't go as planned.All of the options Delta offered for rebooking were not reasonable. All of them had me arriving in Medford on the next day. With no other flights available that day, I decided to take the original flight and risk getting stuck at Seattle. I would be closer to my destination.I had just finished putting my phone down when the last call announcement was made over the PA. It was the last call from Delta Flight 1057 to Seattle. Delta. Seattle?! This option was not available in the Delta app. It was probably because the flight was already being boarded. My question was, could I make it to the airport on time?I grabbed my belongings and ran. Although Concourse D may not be very large, it is still quite a distance from Gate D4 and Gate D43. I was out of breath when I arrived. I gasped for air, my chest rising and my request to be placed on the flight. Initial hesitation from the gate agent was that she didn't believe they could make the switch. After explaining my delayed flight and the tight connection, she began to work tirelessly to reissue me my ticket.The ending is good. I flew and spent the evening at the Delta Club, near Concourse B in Seattle. The aircraft door was closed shortly after I boarded. I'm very grateful that I was able to make the flight. I arrived in Medford as planned that night.Last ThoughtsIt begs the question: Was it necessary to run through the airport? It was in this instance, my gut says so. Between these gates, it is approximately 1,000 feet. Running saved me about 2 minutes, assuming I walk 2.5 MPH and jog 5MPH. It's impossible to know how much 2 minutes could have made a difference. But I flew!Although it might sound silly to mention, this was an instance where I had to make a decision: Take immediate action to remedy the mishap or wait and see. I would rather act than wait. Indecisiveness can be fatal. The worst thing that could have happened to me is that I would have reached a closed gate. The best scenario is that I fly. That's exactly what happened.Did you ever have to quickly make a decision in order to avoid your travel plans falling apart? Please share your story with me below!
