Final Destination

05 June 2025

"This is your captain speaking, we have begun our descent into SeaTac. Please put your seatbacks and tray tables in their upright and locked positions. The local time is one-thirty-seven in the morning, and the temperature is fifty three degrees. Looks like we should be expecting rain today, hope everyone brought a jacket. For now sit back and relax, we'll be on the ground shortly."

It's been a long, relatively boring flight -- as trans-pacific air travel tends to be. Fortunately, no babies spent the entire trip crying. Attendants had been by to pick up any trash for the last time about twenty minutes ago. The flight was packed, and most passengers had been asleep. The announcement roused them, and attendants made sure to wake anyone who needed to put up their tray or seat (as if they made the difference between life and death).

Minutes tick by. The more perceptive notice the plane seems to bank lazily. The more experienced with this flight know that's atypical. Still, never know who could be in the way.

More minutes tick by. It becomes notable that the plane is circline the airport. No announcement though, and the attendants aren't talking. Passengers are beginning to murmur amongst themselves as the circling is notuced. For those with the vantage point, the head flight attendant answers the phone from her jump seat, and after hanging up unbuckles herself and heads to the fore of the plane. A minute later she rushes to each other attendant and whispers something, before returning to her jumpseat and strapping in. She seems to pause a moment, then picks up the phone.

"This is your captain again. We do apologize for that delay, we were having a bit of a communications issue with the flight tower. We're good to go now though, and we'll be on the ground presently. Thank you again for flying with us today."

The plane does, in fact, seem to finish its bank and then descend. Minutes later, that familiar and reassuring bump of the landing gears contacting the tarmac jostles everyone and the plane slows as it taxies to the terminal.

Eventually the plan stops completely, and the "fasten seatbelt" sign is extinguished. A bunch of people stand, others aren't in a rush. But the doors... don't open. The head attendant rushes around, and after a few more minutes the door opens and they deploy the emergency slide. About half the attendants exit the plane, the other half staying near the doors to assist passengers in their egress.

This flight has certainly taken a turn.

There isn't much you can see through the little windows. The lights are certainly on in the terminal, and you think you can catch movement, but you just don't have an angle conducive to seeing much.

It takes a bit, but the attendants are able to get everyone off the plane and keep them together. The pilots will debark last, and once they're standing on the tarmac one will address the 248 passengers.

"We apologize for using the slides. We haven't gotten a reaponse from the tower or the terminal. We aren't sure what's going on, but we're working on accessing the terminal and should have everyone inside shortly. We ask you to be patient, and stay together."

The murmur in the crowd is notable. After a few minutes, in which different members of the flight crew will attempt to radio the terminal and open an access doorway, everyone will hear a weak, higher pitched horn. Coming around a corner, there are a trio of passenger shuttles heading towards all of you. Each is driven by someone in a TSA uniform. Two of the agents will begin loading people into the carts, starting with the very old, the very young (and a guardian), and anyone with a disability or injury. At the same time, the third agent pulls the pilots and head attendant to the side and talks with them. Towards the end of the conversation, the agent pulls out a tablet and a moment later the head flight attendant turns away with her hand held to her mouth.

They're able to load up about 60 people between the three of them. As they depart, the pilot will announce you're going to make your way to the front of the airport.

As you walk, there is a lot of low tones and whispers. It's the loudest quiet in recent memory. And the walk will take a bit... SeaTac isn't small. One pilot is at the front of the group, the other pilot is last in the line.

After a bit, the same three TSA agents roll up in their shuttles, this time with a fourth agent and shuttle, and will load up the next 80 or so people.

The energy is bad. There is a general air of tension and uncertainty, but the crew from the plane are doing their best to reassure everyone.

As you all walk, eventually the four shuttles return and cart off another 80 passengers. The group left walking is small (about 25 passengers, the two pilots, and the 6 attendants), but you're rounding the end of the terminal. It's been a healthy walk, but it's finally coming to an end. Two shuttles return, and one of the agents apologizes that your group ended up last as they load you up to drive you the last leg of the journey.

The first thing you notice is the city buses lined up in the pick-up zone. The second thing you notice are people -- TSA agents? Guards? You can't tell from this distance -- who seem to be watching... the automatic doors to the terminal itself? Sure, a few seem to be watching the road in both directions, and across the street where the parking garage is, but most of them are focused on the terminal itself. It even looks like someone used a forklift to line up some jersey barriers in front of the doors.

You also notice some shuttles coming in from the other direction, and the people are being loaded directly onto the buses.

The one thing you're not sure of... is what the hell is actually going on.