My poor parents.

The phone rang at seven this morning; they are still in Philadelphia (their flight back to England had a connection there). Some mishap with a de-icing machine meant that their plane couldn't take off last night. Since all the hotels were full they ended up spending the night at the airport. And they're stuck there till six tonight when - hopefully - their new flight will take off.

The boredom must be staggering. Not to mention the icky no-clean-clothes factor : all their luggage is still on the plane.

My dad sounded to be in that stage where things are so grim that you take a sort of perverse pleasure in them. Apparently he actually used his last dollar to call us, so we wouldn't worry when we didn't get a call from England later today. Oh, the guilt!

Let's hope that these delays don't end up being the final straw that tips US Air from mere bankruptcy into outright closure. Otherwise they may never be able to get out of that damn airport.