I had just finished preaching four times to several hundred teenagers at a harvest rally in Norfolk, Virginia. The youth pastor drove me to the airport where I was to catch a plane to Baltimore, Maryland. I was scheduled on US Airways, Flight 4476, to Philadelphia and then on to Baltimore. The airport in Norfolk was easy to find. When I arrived, there were no lines at the ticket counter, whatsoever. I proceeded to the kiosk where I checked in without a problem, and then I headed for Gate A-11. The terminal was amazingly desolate. I breezed through security in about fifteen seconds! Gate A-11 was at the end of the terminal, and when I arrived, the flight was scheduled to leave in about forty minutes at 7:50 pm, but there was not a soul in sight! After checking my emails and phone messages, I made my way back down the terminal to see if I could find someone—anyone.

At about Gate A-6, I spotted a US Airways agent and asked her about my flight. She quickly checked the computer and said, “Oh, yes, that flight is on time, and you are checked-in and ready to go.” I made my way back to the gate and was pleased to see that another passenger had arrived—a college-aged young lady, who smiled and said: “It doesn’t look like many people are going to Philadelphia.” I jokingly remarked, “Well, I just checked, and they said that you were flying the plane and I’m serving the peanuts.”

An agent appeared about ten minutes before our flight was to leave and called us to the gate—both of us! We were the only two passengers on a plane that easily could seat over one hundred people. We walked through the gate and outside where three baggage handlers were waiting for us. Because neither of us had checked-in any luggage, I handed my carry-on to one of the three men and humorously said: “Here put this in the back. You guys need to earn your pay.” Read more »