This summer, I flew back to the US to attend a family wedding. As a frequent traveller, I had prepared accordingly:

iPad?

✔️ Charged and ready

Netflix?

✔️ TV shows downloaded

Spotify?

✔️ Playlists available offline

Yet, I made a mistake I’ve done already one too many times before: connecting the iPad to the airport Wi-Fi during my layover.

After my connecting flight took off, when settling myself down with my iPad ready to watch a little TV, I realized my error.

Most of the shows I had previously prepared had now disappeared. Those that remained displayed the error, “Download not available in this country.”

I started mentally kicking myself.

Fool — you should have kept it on airplane mode until arriving.

Groaning and resigning myself to the airline's offering, I looked up at the seat console TV to browse the in-flight options. Then I noticed a little sticker on the back of the seat, reading “free high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi available”.

Instantly my brain oscillated from “Hallelujah!” to complete skepticism.

I bet it’s expensive and slow as hell.

I tried connecting to the network and, as expected, I was met with…not much. After waiting a little while, an orange error message under the Wi-Fi network appeared that read “No internet connection.”

I tried forgetting and reconnecting to the network a few times and eventually, I did manage to get a connection — and, incredibly, it seemed like it was indeed for free! (I had assumed there would be tiered plans.)

But, I couldn’t get a single webpage to load, it was just continuously buffering.

Now, the frustration I had with myself for connecting to the internet prematurely was displaced onto the airline.

I felt it was a classic case of over-promise, under-deliver, and it left me feeling even more irritated than before.

Full blog available on Medium.

Credits:

Read aloud by the author.

Image credits:

Photo by Aerojet on Unsplash

Music credits:

True Feelings: Relaxing Lofi by The Turquoise Moon

Relaxing Lo Fi Chill by Sondé

Sofa Sleeping by Jon Presstone

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