The Airlines: Love ‘em or call Greyhound!

I have been waging a one man vendetta against an airline, of which will remain unnamed, due to a morbid fear of being sued, for about 15 months now.

This unnamed airlines, which flies non-stop from Portland to Amsterdam (PDX to AMS) and from the Twin Cities to Portland (MSP to PDX), has been the bane of my existence for longer than I care to admit.

A bit over a year ago, as I was attempting to spend something like $2,300.00 to buy round trip tickets from Portland to Amsterdam, but their on-line system was having problems and couldn’t confirm my flight. They suggested I call to make the reservations. So I did. I called and waited on hold for 30 minutes, only to be informed that I would be charged a surcharge for talking to a live person. I remember it being $25.00 per ticket, but that may be an exaggeration. I was flabbergasted!

Their system doesn’t work, so I have to pay more money… ludicrous. After a number of days of haggling, and many hours on the phone, I finally got the tickets, without the real-live-person surcharge by talking to a supervisor’s supervisor, who could track all my attempts on her computer, and admitted that it seemed odd.

It was a bitter victory, but a victory. (Figuring the hours I spent, on-line and on-phone, it was like $3.50 per hour.)

So, now I am trying to get a ticket from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Portland. I checked Travelocity, and they didn’t have great prices, but the only non-stop flights they listed were through this unnamed airlines. I thought I would check their website and see what I could get. Holy frickin’ Toledo, they got great prices. I swallow my pride and try to buy the ticket.

Well, as stunning as it may seem, I can’t . Seems my legal name is Robert M. Cornelison, and my credit card is R.M. Cornelison. Obviously, I am different people, with the same address. I have to call. Been there, done that.

So today, I went online to Travelocity… I’ll do what I can. There is another airline with non-stop service from Minnesota to Oregon. Hot damn. I jump to their website buy the ticket (for $9.40 more than then unnamed airline) and strut around like I have beaten Goliath. I am so proud. I am a demi-god.

Then I get the ticket confirmation. I am flying the unnamed airlines. Seems Delta and the butt-plugs have merged.

At best, a hollow victory.