Flight Line

Anyone who knows me also knows that I have bad luck when it comes to booking a flight and then having it happen the way the itinerary says it should go. This trip, the snafu's began at the PS airport before my 6 am scheduled departure. The flight was seriously over-booked and I didn't have a confirmed seat, along with another half-dozen frustrated flyers who were giving the airport employee a loud ration of serious shit. I waited my turn at the end of the line and finally made it to the front of the queue.

I politely asked the employee if I would have a seat on the flight and he stopped for a minute, then leaned toward me and said, "How would you like to leave an hour later, fly through Phoenix, and arrive a hour earlier than your original flight?"

"Sure," I responded, thinking what a deal.

Then he said, "And I'll throw in a $500 free travel voucher."

He had me at the rescheduling of the first itinerary, so I was now elated. The only question I had was would my luggage make it to H'burg, but he assured me that it would.

Flights went off without a hitch, and I was at the luggage pick-up, waiting for the original flight to land and cough up my purple suitcase. Quick trip back to LanCo and all was well in my world.

Until 2 days later, when I received an email telling me that my entire itinerary, all 6 flights, had been cancelled. No way, I thought, as 3 of those flights were the return trip. If those flights were not available, there was going to be a problem, so I called the US Airways help-line and introduced myself to the CSR who answered the phone. She was a bit perplexed, but called a supervisor, and my flights were restored -- with seat assignments -- and I am good to return home if nothing changes in the meanwhile.

Flying is always an adventure for me, and there's always a story to tell. I pity the poor people who sail through their itineraries without a hitch as they don't know how exciting it can be to have to go with the flow and make changes on a moment's notice.