Act II: Chicago to Hong Kong

The plane was incredible! Business class is sooo great. While we didn't have pods like First class, there was tons of room and the seats were like actual recliners, you know, with the foot rest. And they reclined a tad bit shy of completely horizontal! They gave us toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, socks, a mask for sleeping, and hand lotion) and champagne when we took our seats. They also gave us a menu (which I kept so you can see it) so we could choose our dinner. So, I'm thinking, 'this is going to be great!'

Well, we had an unexpected incident. About four hours into the flight, the attendant comes on the PA and asks if there's a psychiatric doctor or nurse on board. Lori and I just kind of looked at each other and laughed about how odd that was. About an hour later, another announcement comes over the PA and says we're landing in Anchorage, Alaska because a passenger has to be removed from the plane! Once we landed, our flight attendant gave us the details: a young man (about 20 years old) with a "mental problem" (most likely Autism) became agitated when we experienced some semi-rough turbulence. Neither the flight crew nor his mother could calm him down and he actually started hitting his mother! So, now he's a danger to other passengers. They found a nurse who sedated him, but FAA regulations state that you can't keep a person sedated for an entire flight, so they had to drop him (and his mother) off at the nearest airport, which was in Anchorage. We landed and were on the ground for like 2 hours! And the last thing anyone wants is to make a 15.5 hour flight even longer!!!

Once we got back in the air, we continued on without any other incidents. We landed in HK, retrieved our bags, and there was a man waiting for us holding up a really nice sign that said "Welcome Ms. Lori Georganna and Ms. Donna Lockhart" - how cool is that! He grabbed the bags and took us to the Disneyland Hotel.