Mystery Flight

Have you ever heard of a “Mystery Flight” ?

A number of years ago Northwest Airlines had a “mystery flight” out of Detroit.  You had to get up way before daylight and go wait in line to purchase tickets.  There were a select amount of tickets that were sold and many people were not able to purchase them.  I was one of the lucky ones! My husband’s secretary went and waited in the dark, and cold early morning hours to purchase 2 tickets for us.

Before I go any farther I just want to say that the reason I’m writing about this mystery flight is because it took place on my birthday. Today is my birthday once again and as I was reflecting on past birthday memories there were 2 that  struck chords, one good and one not so good.  The one that wasn’t so good was that my 16 year old dachshund who was totally deaf was run over by a car in our driveway.  It was incredibly sad.  My other poignant memory is the mystery flight.

My birthday falls on a day that in Michigan is not a good day to celebrate a birthday.  The following day is “opening day” and to a deer hunting family this is a holiday! The hunter must prepare all of his hunting clothes and go to bed early to go sit endless hours in the cold dark woods! This does not bode well for the birthday girl. Oh well, I have learned it’s really just another day on the calendar.

Back to the mystery flight! It took place on my birthday, a very exciting gift. We went to the airport the morning of the flight having no idea of our destination. You literally didn’t know where you were going until you got to the ticket counter!  It was hard to anticipate how to dress since it was November and bitter cold in different areas of the country. Your destination could be anywhere within the continental United States, and you would return that day also.  I remember the couple in front of us found out they were going to Florida. That sounded really nice on that cold blustery November day. Then I calculated the hours actually flying and it didn’t seem so appealing!

Finally it was our turn. Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota! Visions of blizzards, massive icicles and snowplows roaring down the street filled my mind as I bravely took our tickets from the agent. I looked at my husband and saw the skepticism in his eyes also. Since Minneapolis is an hour behind us and its a relatively short flight, we arrived at the same time we left! We rented a car and really having no idea what to do with our day we drove the very short distance to the Mall of America. I’m sure it has changed a lot since that time but we had a blast that day exploring the stores and numerous attractions.  I was fascinated with the aquarium and of course I really loved the skating rink. There was a map store that held our attention for quite some time.  This was before the time of cell phones and gps.  We actually consulted maps on our trips! The day was wonderful and a very special memory.

The mystery flight was an awesome idea and so much fun!