Her husband kept his flight waiting while shopping at duty-free — when the airline called his wife in New York, her response taught him a lesson
Not everyone travels by the clock. While some passengers make punctuality a priority, others are happy to take their time, even when a flight is involved. Blogger and content creator Shayna Macklin experienced this when her husband's shopping trip at a duty-free store delayed his flight from leaving the UK. In an Instagram video posted on September 13, 2026, under the handle @shaynamack, she shared how the airline contacted her while she was already back in New York. Her story revealed a familiar disagreement between the couple over airport timings, but this time, his relaxed approach left her dealing with an unexpected call.
Macklin explained that she received repeated calls from the UK, with airline staff asking to speak with her husband, Mr. Lewis. When she identified herself as his wife, they mentioned that they had been waiting for him for 15 minutes so they could close the gate and depart. She clarified that she was no longer with him and told the staff, "Go ahead and close the gate and take off. It's okay." The employee laughed but said they would try calling him once more. Macklin joked that the airline could leave him behind rather than expect her to solve the problem. Her response suggested she was not about to take responsibility for a delay caused by his own choices.
In the caption, Macklin revealed where her husband had been all along: "The duty-free shop... not a care in the world." She explained that she always wanted to reach the airport at least two hours early, while he preferred arriving just 30 minutes before the gate closed. Despite their different approaches, she said he somehow always made his flights. "My anxiety could never," she wrote, making it clear that his relaxed attitude was very different from hers. Travel can test anyone's patience, especially when one person's confidence leaves the other worrying about what could go wrong. Macklin ended by saying, "I could simply never," capturing her disbelief at how calmly he handled the situation.
Missing a flight can be a lesson in planning for some travelers and an unfortunate incident for others. This is what happened in another story when a family's travel plans took an unexpected turn because of something packed in their child's bag. The parents were traveling from Singapore to Guangzhou, China, with their two children. They had already cleared immigration when security officers found a toy gun in their young son's luggage. The parents admitted they had forgotten to check their children's bags before leaving for the airport. The discovery meant they had to complete an additional security process before they could continue their journey.
The procedure took more than 30 minutes, and the family missed their scheduled flight. They then had to book new tickets. The mother accepted that airport staff had to follow the rules, explaining, "To be clear, everyone was simply doing their job and following protocol." However, watching their departure time pass left the family feeling helpless. She later described the experience as "an unexpected $3,000 lesson." Their children were upset and felt guilty, but the parents reassured them that it was not their fault.
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