Every airline traveler has a horror-story of being held captive in Coach awaiting departure. Some are 15 minutes late, some spend hours. My personal horror story involves 8 hours of my life that I will never get back waiting at the gate in Chicago as they seemed to rebuild the entire plane.

Well, he might not be able to get us universal health care, but President Obama will be damned if us Americans have to wait on the tarmac. The Transportation Department ordered new 3-hour restrictions enforced on all domestic airlines where they have to either take-off or return to the gate.

Of course, a three hour wait on Air Force One is probably a little nicer than the middle seat between this guy and McScreams-A-Lot.

Front page of ChicagoTribune.com right now focusses on the weather… primarily on how much it will suck the next couple days.

Apparently this morning’s rush-hour snow was just a “taste” of what Mother Nature has up her sleeve as the Holiday week continues. Starting midday Wednesday, Chicago will be hit by storm system boasting “every kind of bad weather”.  Sleet, freezing rain, snow, locusts… Chicago will see it all as we attempt to be ‘jolly’.

Tonight, we’re looking at as much as 3 inches of the white stuff. Thursday, expect rain. And when you’re packing up the car to head to Grandma’s on Friday, expect uber-cold temps changing to snow as the sun goes down. Talk about awesome!

We just hope Santa doesn’t experience the same delays you’re sure to see at Midway and O’Hare over the next couple days.

[Picture from ChicagoTribune.com]