TWO FOR THE PRICE OF NONE MONDAY!
I’ve made it to Boulder, where I’ll be living for the next few weeks. And as it always seems to be the case now days, the trip was maddeningly crazy. I fly out of the Flint, MI, regional airport, which means I always need to connect somewhere. Today, that somewhere was in Chicago. The flight to Chicago was scheduled to take off at noon. At 3 minutes til noon, the plane was still not at the gate, and in fact, I knew from the status board it was still in the air. So, I called American Airlines. See, I only had 45 minutes between flights in Chicago, and since I knew we would probably be taking off 30 – 40 minutes late, I wanted to see what other flights were available the next day.
Now, here is a dirty little secrets that the airlines never really share, but if you travel a lot on business, it’s invaluable. The airlines can double book you on two flights, so that if you miss one, you have a seat on the other. As soon as you realize there is going to be trouble, call the airlines, and get them to book, before it’s too late. Trust me, the rebooking line is for people who don’t have a clue how to travel. So, yesterday, I called, and the guy booked me on a later flight. But here’s the kicker…the flight was full, except for first class! I’m pretty sure you can see where this is going. I got in to Chicago, rushed to my gate, only to find, like I anticipated, that I was 5 minutes too late. The harried gate agent was busy closing the flight out (what ever THAT means), and kind of brushed me aside, and told me to go to the rebooking line. Like I said, that line is for suckers.
I politely told here that I had already been rebook on the 3:40 flight. That changed her tone a little, and she asked me to wait, and she would help me. Second secret. Treat these people like humans, and they will do everything in their power to help you. After all, they are just trying to do their job, and it’s not their fault that the airlines suck now days. So, when she was finished, I smiled, asked her how the day was going, and listened for a minute while she vented a little. When she was done, she typed in my info, and out came a first class ticket…even though she could have given me a gate pass to get a seat as one came available, probably in the back of the aircraft. Trust me, first class is a LOT better than coach.
So, here I am, and here I will be for the next two weeks. I’m going to do my best to post every day while I’m here, but if I don’t, just know that it’s because I’m working, and hit a busy day. Either that, or I spent too much time at the Left Hand Brewery! Enjoy.
- Pixies – Levitate Me
- Pixies – Ed Is Dead
- Elvis Costello – High Fidelity
- Elvis Costello – Accidents Will Happen
- Generation X – Untouchables
- Generation X – King Rocker
- Beastie Boys – Girls
- Beastie Boys – Paul Revere
- David Bowie – China Girl
- David Bowie W/Queen – Under Pressure
