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Home » Travel » The Good Samaritan: Onboard Charging Edition
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The Good Samaritan: Onboard Charging Edition

Matthew July 26, 2017 5 Comments

My seatmate literally saved my day on an 11hr flight from Frankfurt to San Francisco last week. While my carelessness almost cost me eight hours hours of productivity and great aggravation, one kind gesture spared me that misery.

I use a MagSafe to MagSafe2 converter to plug in my Apple laptop, a tiny rectangular adaptor that is required to plug in the electronic device. Without this, my charging cord and laptop cannot be connected.

Somehow, between the security checkpoint and boarding, I lost the converter. Trouble is, I didn’t even notice it until my battery drained down to about 20% (3hrs into the 11hr flight) and I reached for my power cable and saw the little converter was missing.

I scoured the floor with my cell phone flashlight, hoping it had just dropped. Nope, it wasn’t there. I scrupulously examined my laptop bag, hoping that it would it be in there. Nope.

And now I felt the like the biggest fool in the world. 8hrs left in the flight, I had a ton of work, had already paid $36 for internet, and now I’d have to sleep or watch movies for the next eight hours.

But I noticed my seatmate was typing on exactly the same Apple laptop. The exact model. He asked me what I was looking for and I explained. He nodded in agreement, commiserating that he had also lost a MagSafe converter before.

I waited for his offer to help…but he didn’t bite.

Finally, I asked, “Do you think I could borrow you power cable for a few hours?”

Judging by his facial expression, it looked like he was not expecting the question and clearly did not want to. But after hesitating a moment, he said, “Of course”. He reached into bag, fished out his cord, and handed it to me.

Hallelujah! We were back in business.

CONCLUSION

Even if I had to coax it out of him, I’m incredibly grateful for my seatmate who helped me. He literally saved my flight from despair. He later said that he doesn’t like taking out his power cord during flights because he ends up losing it. I made sure he did not lose this one. If only I were so careful in the first place…

Would you ever loan your seatmate a charging cable?

image: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons

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About Author

Matthew

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 120 countries over the last decade. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera, Toronto Star, and on NPR. Studying international relations, American government, and later obtaining a law degree, Matthew has a plethora of knowledge outside the travel industry that leads to a unique writing perspective. He has served in the United States Air Force, on Capitol Hill, and in the White House. His Live and Let's Fly blog shares the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs and promotions, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel. His writings on penandpassport.com offer more general musings on life from the eyes of a frequent traveler. He also founded awardexpert.com, a highly-personalized consulting service that aids clients in the effective use of their credit card points and frequent flyer miles. Clients range from retirees seeking to carefully use their nest egg of points to multinational corporations entrusting Matthew with the direction and coordination of company travel.

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5 Comments

  1. Steve Reply
    July 26, 2017 at 9:05 am

    Ridiculous reason for not taking out power cord. And I would not be too I impressed by his kindness. Not the same if you have to suggest it.

  2. Why Reply
    July 26, 2017 at 10:35 am

    There was absolutely no reason for this blog post.

  3. Alan Brint Reply
    July 26, 2017 at 11:09 am

    I would say that was his good deed for the day, no question. Matthew, if it were me, I would not have asked him to borrow, I would have sucked it up and waited until I got to SF. Seat mates really don’t like to lend things to you, and they won’t say “no” because they’re being nice. Also, what if that little gesture on his part was the perfect way for him to take advantage of you in another way to “call it even?” Don’t be that trusting with others, and don’t let others be that trusting with you. Its not the end of the world, just something to think about. Have a great day.

  4. Alvin | Young Travelers of Hong Kong Reply
    July 26, 2017 at 2:37 pm

    Matthew, I suggest you do yourself a favour and get a MagSafe 2 charger. Otherwise, you’ll probably lose the adapter again at some point.

  5. Ivan X Reply
    July 27, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    I can suggest a MagCozy, which will keep it attached to the cable even if it falls off. Also proves useful by creating a single cable that can be used on either MagSafe 1 or 2. (Which, admittedly, has more application to me as a Mac consultant.)

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