airline reservations for dummies

Assuming you are all caught up by now, (and if you are not please proceed promptly to last night's post before going any further), "airline reservations for dummies" is NOT a book I am currently reading, nor do I believe it exists. But quite frankly, it should.

I truly did not want to have to do this tonight. One, because American Airlines has stolen far too much time and sleep from my family in the past 36 hours and two, because I really didn't need any more aggravation from them. But, no, they go and force me into another late night rant. Grab a glass of something strong and take a seat. This, my friends, is good.

When I left you Sunday night we were preparing for bed. Scott & Gage were to arise the next morning at 6:10 and depart out of Miami, via LA and arrive safely back home by 1:00 in time for Scott to make his conference call and presumably ensuring their ability to catch their 10:30am flight back out of here tomorrow morning. Zuzu & myself would leave three hours later and travel the same route, our arrival not quite as dire as we're not leaving again tomorrow.

Now, I left a few minor details out of the story last night because at the time they were really just clutter and I was trying to make a simple point. Some of them, however, now become more relevant and this post is full of clutter.

There were actually six people involved in this mess as Grammy & Poppy were also booked on our original flight. Fortunately, Poppy is the executive platinum member that I mentioned earlier and received far more information from the airlines than we did. When we re-booked our flights through LA Poppy was to fly with Scott & Gage and Grammy was coming with us girls on the later flight.

After I blogged last night Scott & I went to bed. It was about midnight. The one room that we were all sleeping in was actually a carriage house that sits behind Grammy & Poppy's house. The kids were towards the front of the structure. Our bed sits directly adjacent to a small kitchen which sits at the far rear of the property. There is a back door in the kitchen that exits into the yard. No one EVER uses this door. Ever.

Out of a sound sleep I was awakened by the sound of someone coming through this kitchen door. So, what do I do? Do I wake Scott? Do I grab a sharp object? Nope. I swiftly roll out of bed, throw on my specs, and approach my intruder crawling in through the bottom half of the barn door face to face and half asleep.

In hindsight I am blown away that I didn't even consider what I was doing. I was terrified but I just charged. Thankfully, it was only Grammy. Now, what in the world was Grammy doing waking me up at 1am, not to mention scaring the you-know-what out of me? You'll never, ever guess.

Poppy had received an e-mail from American Airlines and was on the phone with them upstairs. I have no idea how it was worded but it was promptly explained to me that our original flight, yes, the one that we booked three months ago, paid full fare for and were callously booted from 8 hours earlier, had been reinstated. But not only that. It had been reinstated ONE HOUR after it had been canceled.

Now this is not hard math. It took us at least 90 minutes to re-book our tickets. This means that our original flight was back in the system before we were ever re-ticketed on the new flights. Not only that, but if the flight was reinstated at 4pm then it makes perfect sense that they notify him at midnight. Um, not. And, the only reason he even gets notified is because he is a preferred customer. Me, I get nothing. Nada. Oh, but wait, it gets better.

When Poppy calls to get us back on that flight he gets something like this, "I'm sorry, Mr. Executive Platinum, flies with us at least once a week dude, but you and your family simply can not get back on this flight. You already re-booked. We have no seats left."

I can only imagine what when on during that call. Fortunately, I was getting my only hour of sleep in the carriage house at the time. And fortunately, Poppy was able to get all six of us back on the flight (that departed in 6 hours). And, understandably, Scott & I gave away our two rows of A & B seats together for separated center seats. Because that makes sense.

But does this? Not so sure. I'm sleepy. Will need to go back and read tomorrow.

Needless to say, when we arrive at the airport ticket counter we request seat changes so that Scott & I can each sit with one child. Not asking for all four together (LIKE WE HAD IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE), just for two and two. The woman looks at us like we're crazy and after we both nearly lose it she obliges but we are each stuck with a center and aisle and Scott's is the last row of the plane next to the bathroom. Yum.

Oh, and did I mention that the flight is oversold, there is a standby list AND they are taking volunteers to be bumped for cash vouchers. I'm sorry, why would you pay to bump people just to pick up new people who could just fly on the flight that you're bumping the first people to? What am I missing?

But, there's more.

We proceed on board and take our seats. The doors close and the last four passengers straggle on. I recognize the woman in the group. She was ahead of us in line at the ticket counter. Yeah, ahead of us. She and I both know it but I'm sitting with my 2 year old and guess where she's supposed to be sitting? Uh-huh. So she throws a fit that someone is in her seats but my baby girl and I ain't goin' nowhere. And we don't. They happen to find four seats scattered throughout the plane. Yeah, the overbooked, bumping people from the plane, plane has four open seats. She complains at little more that her family (of four capable adults mind you) can't sit together but finally they take their seats.

We take off, land, and here I sit. Wondering how we've allowed people to treat us like this. Truly. My mom says I should write a letter to the CEO. She says it in jest but I know she's serious. The sad thing is, I know the effort would be futile. These nightmare travel experiences happen to people every day. How many, I don't know. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands? And many I'm sure much worse than ours. The question is how did we get to this point, where the airlines have such control that is just expected that they will act with stupidity and disrespect?

Will I fly American again? Do I really have a choice? Therein, lies the problem. And it's still not OK.