Racing to the Airport – 4/29/18

Everyone at my school seems to avoid flying out of Domodedovo International Airport (DME) in Moscow. With the amount of traffic they say it is not worth the time, even if they have to pay extra to fly out of Sheremetyevo International Airport. The previous time I flew out of DME I actually arrived at the airport quicker than any other time. So clearly I knew more than all these other people that have lived here for years!

Not so much! At 11:50am I opened my app to book a taxi to the airport for my 2:35pm flight. It said it would take one hour and 50 minutes. Let me tell you, in case math is not your strong suit, that would leave about 55 minutes at the airport.

Needless to say I was extremely nervous that I would arrive at the airport and be able to go through all the pre-takeoff hassles in time. My taxi driver was a former Nascar race car driver, or would have been if he didn’t live in Russia, so we made up an incredible amount of time. In the moments between the stop and go traffic we zoomed in and out of traffic and constantly switched lines. I wasn’t sure if I was more scared that I would miss my flight or if I would survive until my flight. With those alternating anxieties it was one of the longest, but eventful taxi rides of my life.

Let’s be honest the feeling of missing my flight is not a new one for me, but this time I had my mom meeting me in my destination and depending on me for our future plans.

As I usually do I arrived at my gate just in time for boarding. This time I didn’t even get a chance to purchase any sustenance. On-board when I saw the food trolley going down the aisle with free meals, I was overjoyed!

In a little over the time it took me to get to the airport I arrived in……