March 17th, 2007
Thanks for all your kind advice about my predicament. But I think I’ve got a plan. I was going on vacation on Thursday anyway. An actual vacation, something I haven’t done in years. So I’ve decided to just go early, and fly to New Mexico directly from North Carolina on Monday, without going home first. I spent the whole day on the phone. It’s costing me a pile of money to change my flights, but then it’s costing me a pile of money to just stay put. So why not?
I’m sorry to have dragged you through my little drama.
March 17th, 2007
After getting a busy signal for five and a half hours straight, I finally got a human at US Airways. I was on the phone with him for an HOUR–that explains the long wait times, if it’s taking a #*$@ hour to re-book each of thousands of stranded passengers.
Maybe those weren’t computer keys I heard clicking, but some kind of abacus-based flight reservation system. At last the guy tells me, placidly, that the next flight out is on Tuesday. TUESDAY? I shrieked. Isn’t US Airways adding flights, or increasing plane size, to accommodate the backlog of stranded travelers? No, replied Mr. Placid.
I can’t quite believe this. I really can’t get home until Tuesday. I would rent a car in a second and just hit the road, but apparently everyone else thought of that before I did, and there are none left. I suppose I could start walking, but I left my coat in my car at the Burlington airport since I was going to Miami.
Oh, god. That reminds me. I also left a burrito in my car. I meant to bring it to eat on the plane, but forgot it in the last minute craziness. Now on top of everything else, I’ll have to fumigate my subaru.
March 17th, 2007
I’m still stranded in NC. I heard drums outside on the street and thought maybe it was a local anti-war demo, but it was just a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Thanks to Aunt Soozie for letting me know about the peace rally in Fayetteville, NC. I couldn’t get there even if I had time, because there are no rental cars to be had in Charlotte, for love or money. Amtrak is sold out too.
US Airways is still not answering the phone. And it’s hard to focus on anything else because I have to keep re-dialing them manually on my primitive hotel phone. What are the stranded people doing who can’t afford hotels? As it is, I’m spending all the money I made going to Florida in the first place. I just booked my room for another night, and did some laundry in the sink. Maybe I should start pricing real estate.
