There is no reason to think that a woman in her 40s cannot wake up on time or do a flipping Google search to find out the basics of how to navigate an airport. I just searched "going to airport" and got 457,000,000 results. It was a totally reasonable assumption on OP's part that a gainfully employed person should have possessed at least one ounce of the common sense necessary to navigate an unfamiliar situation. She knew she didn't know what she was doing, so she failed to give herself any extra time, ask any questions, or seek out any additional information? Um, no. She must be a horrible employee with that seeming lack of basic skills, which are way more widely applicable than just for navigating an unfamiliar airport.

I can't believe some people blame op. Amazing. OP clearly took reasonable steps to ensure a competent adult would manage.

The only thing I don't agree with was OP not just getting on the flight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Now you're being ridiculous, OP. You travel frequently. You know what to do and you very well know the basics. What you failed to do, when you got the assignment to babysit your coworker, was to have some conversation with her about the basics and where she could find information on checking in, security and what not. You didn't think it through beyond having her arrive early. It wasn't enough.

Someone who travels 150,000 miles a year cannot possible put themselves in the mind of someone who has never flown. It's second nature when you are an expert at something.

BS. If you are an expert at something, you should absolutely be able to articulate the basics to someone new.

Anonymous wrote:Good Lord, people. The assignment was ridiculous. The manager's expectation was ridiculous. The OP's being taken by surprise by the coworker's depth of cluelessness is totally forgivable. This sounds like an incredibly dysfunctional workplace.

Agree. Also, I think I'm good at taking a total newbie and dumbing things down, but I wouldn't have thought to tell the coworker not to wear hooker heels. Even if she wears hooker heels to the office, it wouldn't occur to me that anyone would ever think it's a good idea to wear them to the airport.

It seems as though the newbie isn't just short on information, she also seems seriously short on common sense and responsibility (sleeping in). Thorough planning can't fix these problems.

Good Lord, people. The assignment was ridiculous. The manager's expectation was ridiculous. The OP's being taken by surprise by the coworker's depth of cluelessness is totally forgivable. This sounds like an incredibly dysfunctional workplace.