I have flown over 100 flights in 2007. During that entire time I have never missed a connection or been stranded without being able to get where I was going. That is, I have never been stranded until last night.
There have been a couple of close calls. Once I was trying to get from NYC to Chicago to give a presentation and O’Hare shut down. I never got to Chicago, but instead I went home a day early and gave the presentation over WebEx and a speaker phone. There was another time that I wasn’t able to fly home for some reason, but I was able to get to Atlanta and drive home.
Yesterday was frustrating, mostly because it was completely avoidable. It all started when I tried to check in over the internet and couldn’t find my flight. I called customer service and it took a few minutes to realize that I had booked my flight home on Tuesday instead of Thursday. Opps! Shit! Uh-oh! etc.
The ticket agent informed me that because it had been 48 hours since I missed my flight, my old ticket had a zero dollar value and could not be used to get me home. The good news was that I could purchase a new ticket for $748. WHAT?!?!?
That obviously wasn’t going to work. Unfortunately kindness, charm, and pleading were not working with this ticket agent. What was I going to do? I could charge my client damn near $800 for my mistake, but that sure seems like a waste of budget dollars that could end up in my bonus check. I could just stay the weekend in DC, but I really wanted to get home and see my wife and kids. We were going to have to come to an understanding.
Now, when I say that we needed to come to an understanding, what I really meant was that they were going to have to give me what I wanted. All I had to do was to figure out exactly what I wanted and let them know it in the clearest terms possible. Surely that would get this whole matter resolved. Here goes nothing…
“Ok, let me tell you what I want. I want you to fly me to Nashville tonight without charging me anything. If we can’t make that happen then I am not going to fly American ever again.”
The key to this strategy was to tell them exactly what I wanted and then shut up until they gave it to me. I had done my part by making it clear what I wanted. Now the ball was in their court and they had to weigh their options and make a decision. Ballsy? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely.
After placing me on hold for a few minutes the ticket agent came back and let me know that they could accommodate me. They were going to fly me home via St Louis. I tried to get on the direct flight that they were trying to sell me a ticket for, but they were not giving up that seat. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to press my luck. Sure, I could bring the pressure again, but was I really willing to stop flying American b/c my free ticket had a layover? Probably not. I wasn’t happy, but this was my error to begin with.
When I checked in for my flight to St Louis I learned they had put me in First Class. At least I was going to get a bite to eat and a few free drinks on the way.
Luckily a couple of hours in First Class helped me relax a little. Otherwise I would have been irate when I landed in St Louis only to learn that I had missed my connection home. Last flight out. Weather delays. Etc. Shit!
I hopped the shuttle to the closest Marriott. When I got there I told the front desk it had been a long night and that I just wanted a room. The woman behind the front desk informed me that American had given me a voucher for a $58 rate (a ridiculously low price for a full service hotel, and above and beyond for American). What’s more is that she was able to upgrade me to the concierge level (i.e. free snacks). Sweet. After I had my room key she asked me if I wanted a toothbrush, toothpaste, and shaving kit. I hadn’t even thought of it. Above and beyond.
It had to happen eventually. I am amazed it took all year. Luckily, it happened after I had spent tens of thousands of dollars (though not my money) with American and Marriott. Otherwise I would be spending the weekend at a cheap hotel in DC.
