But someone else had apparently given him a reason to be waiting for me.
And that person might have been more dangerous to Northstar's future than the executive who thought he could decide who belonged in first class.
The next two hours were chaotic.
Northstar's airport management team arranged a conference room away from the gate. A senior customer relations officer apologized for the disturbance and offered to rebook me on a later flight.
I thanked her.
Then explained that I wanted an accurate record of what happened before accepting any settlement or signing a release.
She nodded.
I could see how uncomfortable she was.
Her name was Grace Lin, and she had worked in airline operations for sixteen years.
She wasn't responsible for the manual seat override.
She hadn't ordered security.
But now she was trying to resolve the consequences of decisions made by people far above her.
I asked whether Flight 408 would be delayed because of me.
Grace shook her head.
“The captain is completing the necessary review. Once the crew is satisfied the aircraft can depart safely and the passenger issues are properly resolved, the flight can continue.”
I nodded.
“Please don't hold an aircraft full of people merely because someone wants an executive to apologize to me personally.”
She looked surprised.
“Mr. Cole?”
I continued.
“Handle the safety and operational issues properly. But don't use me as an excuse to inconvenience every other passenger.”
For a moment, she stared.
Then smiled faintly.
“Understood.”
Several minutes later, the captain called through the airport team.
The original duplicate-seat issue had been corrected.
Martin Ellsworth accepted his previous seat.
The crew reported no unresolved safety threat.
And the aircraft was cleared to continue boarding and depart after the necessary checks.
I was offered my original seat.
I declined.
Not because I believed I should surrender it.
Because I needed to meet with counsel and provide my account without creating additional complications for the crew.
I asked Northstar to arrange equivalent transportation when the situation allowed.
The airline agreed.
Flight 408 departed later that morning.
Nina Alvarez remained aboard, traveling with the protections and counsel coordination already arranged for her.
She would reach New York before I did.
And she was carrying information that Leonard Pike desperately wanted to keep from the independent board committee.