Boarding was always a mad house. People scrambling around under cheap fluorescent lights. Gate agents turned into cattle herders in a matter of minutes. Not to mention the silent passive-aggressive line-cutting disagreements and the woman hollering at the counter because she had to check a bag. You can always count on a row of standby passengers watching from a safe distance.

Henry had taken his place at the back of the line. He figured he had his best chances there of not getting into any...