Airline Travel...

Airline Travel...

Sometimes when I travel by air I feel like I should start mooing. It starts with the line through security. Tuesday it intensified to a fever pitch thanks to a weather delay that stretched out nearly four hours.

I know the airline can't do anything about the weather. But they could do a much better job getting ready for and managing the situation; they had forecasts of bad weather approaching hours in advance. Why not have extra staff on hand for this kind of situation? They could help with rebooking flights, seating stand-by passengers, prepping planes for turn-over as fast possible. They could have handed out cookies or little bottles of water! There are dozens of things they could to.

The kicker, however, is when I see United offering to upgrade to an aisle seat for only $14. I suppose I just need to get used to it, but as recently as a year ago if you had a middle or window seat you could go to a gate agent and be told that there were no aisle seats available. At least the agent would make an attempt to look like he or she was checking, and pretend they would love to help you even if it wasn't true.

Now, however, you can check the availability of seat changes through a convenient unattended computer terminal. You get a picture of the available seats and for only $14 you can upgrade. For a #@*$#&!@ aisle seat. I have to say that pisses me off.

Here is what I have to say to airlines: treat me like a human being and give me a reason to become a loyal, delighted customer. Then when it comes time to book a flight, I'll come back to you and you'll get multiples of that stupid $14 everytime I fly. Right now I put up with your crappy service because I need to get to Minneapolis and all your competitors are just as bad.

In unrelated news, my house loan has been approved. Whoopee!

Now I wait until the seller finds a house. My realtor says I will probably close on my July 15th deadline. I can wait. After sleeping in hotels for 7 of the last 10 nights, as I dropped into bed last night I found myself saying 'its so nice to be back home in my own bed'. Only to realize that that is true only in a relative sense.

The girls HS track and field sectional is going on at the GHS field behind me. The announcer is coming in loud even if not quite clear. Elkhart Central is in first.