Missed flights, multiple layovers and surprise stops: My journey from Chennai to Vegas and back

The Hindu

04-07-2025

I stop midway through a surprisingly great breakfast mid-air and try to make sense of what I am hearing over the intercom. Did the pilot just say we are turning back? Are we actually going to land in Chennai again?
A flight attendant soon steps out, eyes us apologetically, and attempts to explain to a sea of glaring passengers in front of him that airspace tensions over West Asia mean we will have to turn back. I sink into my seat. This unprecedented U-turn is not the start I envisioned for my first trip outside of Asia. What will happen to my connecting flights? Should I continue eating my excellent breakfast or will the plates be cleared to prepare for landing? This is truly an emotional roller-coaster.
In the two hours I spend on the runway after we land, I am given multiple reassurances by friends and family to allay the fears I have about missing my connecting flight. 'The airline will figure out a way to get you to your destination, don't you worry,' I am told. My destination, Las Vegas, now seems very very far away. And while we surprisingly do take off and land in Heathrow many hours later, I have of course, missed my connecting flight.
For someone who has extensively but only travelled through Asia, all of this feels unfamiliar. Heathrow thankfully seems to have more desis than the average Indian airport, or any other Asian airport I have been to for that matter and it is not long before I am sent packing to an airport hotel for the night. I take a minute to soak in my surroundings; I am here in London, a place I had only ever dreamt of visiting thanks to Enid Blyton and the Harry Potter books. I am excited of course, but also alarmed, largely at the lack of pounds in my wallet, and how blindingly bright it is outside at 9pm.
Having found an ATM and thanking my stars for having packed at least one extra set of clothes in my carry-on luggage, I am convinced an adventure awaits the next day. I have six hours until I need to be at the airport and am at least an hour away from Central London. Friends in London are taken aback at my sudden arrival but waste no time in giving me multiple itineraries for what I can do in four hours excluding travel time. I play it safe; I set aside at least three hours to figure out how a combination of frighteningly expensive taxis and the extremely efficient tube system can take me to and from where I need to go.
Unexpected travel adventures: How to be prepared
1. Have at least two extra sets of clothes + night clothes in your carry on bag
2. You will be surprised as to what essentials hotels will refuse to provide for free: pack that toothbrush!
3. Ensure international transactions are enabled on your debit cards
4. Download the apps of the airlines you are flying on and enable notifications for updates on flight cancellations and re-routings
5. If you have a long layover and wish to head out to explore, check for public transport routes, if you need travel cards and more before you opt for a taxi
6. Invest in airtags for your checked-in suitcases to be able to track your luggage
While I warily ask ChatGPT for a walking route to maximise tourist efficiency and all, I soon abandon all of its suggestions when I reach Piccadilly and spot an exit that says Shaftesbury Avenue. I find myself walking through a street of theatres and my English Literature student's heart is thrilled to spot The Harold Pinter Theatre. Not too far away I see that Trafalgar theatre is showing a production of Clueless. I severely regret my limited time in London.
My mostly random walk, guided of course by Google maps, takes me to Parliament Road, the Westminster station, and soon enough, Big Ben looms into view. If I was shy about asking strangers to take a photo for me by the many iconic red telephone booths I pass, I soon abandon all hesitation. I take multiple photos, near Big Ben and by the London Eye when I walk along Victoria Embankment.
On my way back to the airport to catch my connecting flight, I think of how all of this has been an unexpected treat and yet hope for enough excitement for the rest of the trip. Of course, when I land in USA, I find that my checked-in luggage has not made it. I am now down to no clothes for the next day thanks to my London detour, and regret not having packed another set of clothes in my carry-on. Lost luggage however means my first stop is obviously America's Instagram famous Target. I soon discover that Marshalls and Ross for Less score bigger points. Yay for discount stores!
While the rest of my trip goes without a hitch, I land at the airport only to get a taste of what it means to have flights rerouted across a country I know barely anything of. What was supposed to be a trip to Vegas now includes stops at the Phoenix airport (a friend insisted that the Four Peaks brewery there was not to be missed), and the glitzy yet overwhelmingly complicated Los Angeles airport. After further delays and the rejection of kind offer by the airlines to route me via Tokyo and Hong Kong to reach India, I decide to stay back in Los Angeles and catch a flight the next day with a less exhausting route.
I now feel like a pro. I brace myself for the exorbitant taxi costs, look at a host of itineraries online for quick tours and decide Hollywood Boulevard is the place to go to, and am doubly prepared with essentials in my hand baggage. An hour away from my hotel by the airport, I am gaping at the milling crowds and the facade of the iconic Chinese Theatre, all while trying not to walk carefully and spot stars dedicated to my favourite actors on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Did you know even Winnie the Pooh has his own star? I also encounter the nicest Uber drivers through the trip; all of whom vehemently tell me to skip the touristy spots, about how they've always wanted to visit India, and how they have to try authentic 'curry'.
When I make my way back to the airport for what is hopefully my last connecting flight before I head home, I discover that I have a clutch of boarding passes with me; of delayed flights, missed connecting flights and more; all very indicative of the time I have had. I have to remind myself that travelling, more often than not, is an adventure, and it is this truly unexpected adventure that led me to exploring two new cities, wholly unprepared but fun nonetheless. Am I a pro at handling contingencies now? Probably yes.
I land in Chennai and realise that my checked in bags have once again, not made it. Time to put my newly acquired skills to test.