My hometown is in Alabama and I went to university in Chicago. My first semester began on September 5th, 2001 and ended about December 5th. I had a round trip ticket. Certain events took place that semester, and the airports had a few issues figuring out how to safely accept passengers.

For anyone who never flew before 9/11, you should know that all you needed to get a boarding pass was to show up with a photo-ID. They would pull up your flight details and print your boarding pass.

My classes had ended and the dorms were shutting down for the winter break. I had to be out of my dormroom that morning. I packed my shit into a giant bag that would be considered too big to fly with today. I took a cab to the airport which cost me around 50$ and took over an hour to get there.

Upon arriving at the airport, the place was just insanely crowded. Zillions of travelers were all dealing with the new security rules. The various employees of O'Hare Airport were just as clueless as the passengers. Nobody seemed to know what the actual rules were, but we all knew that security was a serious ordeal.

So, over an hour before my flight boarded, I casually approach the counter and present my drivers license and say I am on flight #whatever and I'm headed to Birmingham. The lady then says "where is your ticket?".

I was totally shocked and lost and panicked. I HAD to leave Chicago that day because I didn't know anyone in the city and I couldn't stay in the dorms. I was a broke college student and just spent almost all my cash on the cab ride over. The lady at the counter was completely unhelpful and unreasonable. I tried to explain over and over my situation, but she was like a brick wall. I realized that my return ticket was possibly buried in my desk in my dormroom, but I might have tossed it because it was just another generic printout. Besides, I had taken airplanes dozens and dozens of times before and all I ever needed was a frigging ID.

I demanded to speak to her boss who came over and repeated word for word the same generic reply the first lady had. I realized my only chance at making it home that day was to get another cab back to my dorm, find the printout, and return to the airport, but there was no way I'd make my flight.

I remember asking them "can I at least check my bag so I don't have to drag it back to the school?" and instantly they both looked totally shocked. Obviously the answer was 'no' because I might be a terrorist with a bag full of C4 or whatever. I had never been so mad in my life. I had to hold it all inside because it was clear if I even raised my voice they'd have me arrested. Again, this was months after 9/11 and EVERYONE was still extremely nervous about air travel.

Anyway, I did the only thing I could. I left, grabbed another 50$ cab back to my dorm, BEGGED the security to let me into my dormroom, and by some miracle found the fucking printout. I grabbed a third cab back to the airport and went to check in. There was a new attendant at the desk who, of-fucking-course, did not need to see my ticket and told me an ID would be sufficient. He then lectured me about how I was late for my flight. I was seething with rage.

I was too late to catch a flight to Birmingham, and had to fly to Atlanta and buy a bus ticket to Birmingham which took about 4 hours.

I take airplanes about a dozen times a year and I have never run into such incompetence since that day.