Welcome back to frustration

Europe went off without a hitch. I encountered no difficulties in travelling without plans, and I had no difficulty dealing with people even when there were huge language barriers. The seven flights I went on were all very easy and quiet and on time. My trip to the US on British Airways in the midst of a high terror alert was on time, I was even upgraded to the comfy first class beds that British Airways has. Two things I had been looking forward to doing when I got home were given to me on the plane. I saw the movie "V for Vendetta" which I had read 2 weeks prior, and I listened to Sigur Ros on the airplane radio, an Icelandic band I was turned on to in the states. (I didn't have my ipod with me on the trip).
Now I am back to travel as I expect it to be. The plane from Philly to Seattle (on the notorious US Airways) was 2 hours late. As is customary, I was seated in front of screaming and kicking children. My plan was to arrive in Seattle, check into a hostel or hotel, and then go out and party, but I didn't get into Seattle until 12:30 AM. The hostel was booked full, as were many of the nearby hotels. By the time I stumbled into a room at 2AM, the night was over.
The next night had me meeting my brother Andy and parents in the Seattle airport to catch a flight to Ketchikan, Alaska. There was a delay in Charlotte that caused my brother to miss his connection from Phoenix to Seattle, so he was on a later flight into Seattle. His flight from Phoenix was also delayed and due to arrive at 7:30 PM. Since the flight to Alaska was boarding, I had my parents hold that plane while I went to see when my brother would arrive. I went to the gate of the airline that Andy was flying and asked them which flight he was on.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm waiting for my brother coming on a flight from Phoenix. We're supposed to be boarding a plane to Ketchikan together and I'm holding the plane for him. I wanted to make sure he was on this next flight coming in so that I can continue to hold the plane for him."

"I'm sorry, due to the new FAA regulations, I cannot disclose any names of passengers" the woman at the gate told me.

"Oh, he's my brother" I replied.

"I'm sorry, I can't release the names of any passengers, it is federal law" she sternly repeated.

"Are you kidding me?" I said in disbelief. "He's my brother."

"I'm sorry, that's the law" she said with no hint of sympathy.

"OK, well, my brother was coming in from Phoenix, his plane was delayed and set to arrive at 7:30, is that the plane that is coming into this gate?" I asked.

"No, we only have one plane coming in from Phoenix. That plane is set to arrive any moment now at 7:05 as scheduled. You said your brother was landing at 7:30?" she asked.

"Yes, his flight was delayed, it was supposed to land around 7 but was delayed to 7:30"

"That is an illegal connection. Even if he was to land at 7, your plane leaving to Alaska is less than 30 minutes. He should not have been able to book that flight. Who booked this connection?" she asked as if she was going to write it down and report the booking agent.

"Well, he wasn't supposed to be on this flight, his original flight into Phoenix was delayed out of Charlotte." I then kept my voice low, "The pilot was probably held up at the gate trying to get information from the agent there." She didn't detect my sarcasm, not even a flinch.

"Ok, well, this is the only flight we have coming in now, it is about to land and will be at the gate at 7:05. I'm sorry, Sir, but you will just have to wait and see if your brother comes off." She was growing impatient with me but she was just doing her job.

"Are you sure this flight isn't delayed until 7:30?" I asked, knowing that my parents couldn't hold the flight to Alaska forever.

"No, it's just about to land" she confidently replied. I walked away. I waited 15 minutes. It was now 7:15. I walked back up to the same agent.

"Excuse me, can you tell me what time the 7:05 flight will be landing?" I said as I tried to pull off a charming smile.

"It will be at the gate at any minute now" She said. I was unconvinced.

"I understand. Look, I don't mean to be a hassle, we're holding the plane for my brother. If it is going to take much longer than expected, we won't continue to hold it. That is why it would be really simple if I knew he was on this plane. You don't have to tell me. What if I just told you my brother's name was Andy Bosley? Then you can look at the passenger list and your eyes can light up really wide if you see his name on the list." I thought I had found a loophole in the system.

"That is the same as telling you." She told me this as if I wasn't the first person to ask her.

For those of you who have been fortunate enough to avoid my complaints about laws and rules, I don't like any of them. I think 99.99% of the laws in this country were poorly and over-complexly crafted by kneejerk politicians with clouded vision. The other .01% of the laws are in the Constitution.

"Look, I understand it is the law. But I think the law was written only as a guide to smart human beings who can otherwise use common sense when necessary. What if I told you I was diabetic and my brother had my insulin shot that I badly needed, and I needed to make a decision between waiting for him and going to the hospital to get insulin?" I was trying to make a point to her and she didn't want to hear it.

"Look, I'm really sorry, the best I can tell you to do is wait for your brother when the plane pulls up to the gate." She was at least being polite when she should have told me to shut my ass up.

"OK, thank you" I faked a smile and walked away. I waited 15 more minutes. It was 7:30. The plane pulled in, Andy walked off, and without even saying a word, I pointed to the right and started running full speed 400 meters as he followed me to the gate. We bumped a few people, and at one point I had to leap over 2 suitcases being pulled by women walking opposite directions across the terminal. The door to the plane closed as we walked in.

I had a well needed sprint to burn off steam from my encounter with the agent at the gate. While I understand her postition as someone who has a job to keep, I couldn't help but challenge her. There is so little importance placed on common sense in today's society that I really honestly fear for our future. I spent all summer trying to communicate in 10 different languages with private home owners I was staying with, bus, rail and shop employees and hundreds of others. In every case, I was communicating with people who also assumed that common sense prevailed, and that was our mutual language. Now in the country of my mother tongue, I can't seem to understand a thing. I picked up Bill Bryson's "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and instantly related to his experiences, especially in airports.