Making Connections

I've been to Amsterdam, but I've never been to Amsterdam. I fly KLM, which is a reliable and affordable airline to Europe, and make my connection in Schiphol airport. I know the airport well, once laying over there for 11 hours.  Nowadays I am able to avoid those long layovers, but I don't mind making connecting flights. They make the ticket cheaper and, when flying half-way across the world with kids, are a welcome break to stretch your legs. In the US they are necessary to stock up on food since the airlines stopped this service.  But flight connections can be very stressful and there is an awful lot that can go wrong.

I was feeling a little smug as I sipped my coffee while waiting to board my plane. But I was about to be reminded how vunerable you are mid-trip, still miles away from home.
When still in the air, KLM made an announcement for a certain passenger who had a tight connection in Amersterdam. This passenger happened to be sitting beside me, and they were moving her to business class so they could get her off quickly when we landed. She must have been stressed because she left behind her reading material and a window seat.  I was glad to have a view of Amersterdam and the surrounding fields as we landed. And as we taxied up to the terminal we passed a group of mothers and children wildly waving at us. I don't know if they were meeting someone on our plane, but it was a nice greeting! It reminded me of the days back in Brasilia or more recently in Kwajalein when we went to meet friends and family. We would watch the plane land and then wait for them to emerge and walk towards us on the tarmac.  I miss that because now I am likely to take a taxi home or rent a car and not give anyone the bother of meeting me.

During my two hour stay in Amsterdam airport I managed to leave my bag with boarding pass and passport in the toilet stall; then discover that I had also left my Kindle e-reader on the last flight. This is where KLM and the airport staff came to the rescue, twice. The cleaning staff had discovered my bag and locked the stall, keeping it safe until I returned to the toilets. And the flight crew of my leaving flight radioed the crew from my last flight, located my e-reader and delivered it to my new gate. I am sure this was just another day for them, but for me it was like a warm hug.
I started to think of all the stress of travel experienced by all the passengers swarming the airport trying to make a connection: lost luggage, fatigue, delays, cancellations, missed appointments and restroom needs. It gave me some empathy for those that pushed and shoved their way through, made no eye contact or ignored the usualy pleasantries.  Fortunately the airline and airport staff in Amsterdam understood that we are all just doing our best to make a connection.