I wouldn't like to think airline employees go home at night and think of ways to screw me over, but I have no choice

Last Friday, I did not wake up with any intention of yelling at an old man. That just sort of happened. What I did intend to do was get to New Orleans, and this is how I will start this long(ish) tale of woe, and by far, hands down, the worst travel experience I have ever had yet.

As some of you know, I went to Mardi Gras last Friday to celebrate the start of Lent. Because 40 days and nights of self-deprivation calls for some celebration. Since I was leaving from O’Hare, I KNEW I was going to be late. So when I noticed I was dragging myself through 6 inches of snow to get on the train to the airport, I didn’t really worry too much about probably being late, because, guess what! It turned out my plane was delayed a mere 5.5 hours at O’Hare.

I knew I wouldn’t be making my connecting flight at Charlotte, since I left the airport at about the time I was supposed to be getting on that flight. But I was REASSURED that I would be put on stand-by for the next flights out of Charlotte, and that I was number 6 on the stand-by list. And that if I didn’t make one stand-by flight, I would automatically be rolled over to the next flight as a stand-by passenger, but most likely higher on the list because SOME of the stand-by people before me would presumably be able to board the flights I didn’t make.

When I boarded the flight at O’Hare, I was asked to surrender my luggage. Which I was loath to do, since I wouldn’t have time to get my stuff from the baggage claim and try to make the first of the several stand-by flights. So with a jolly “Well then we’ll just send it all the way to New Orleans!” and me saying “But I HAVE NO FLIGHT THERE,” my baggage was cruelly ripped away from me. The only feeling I can compare this to is that scene where Dumbo’s mom is separated from Dumbo in that classic Disney movie. It sucked that badly. I was sure that was the last time I’d ever see that suitcase again.

(Why they didn’t ask people who were only going to Charlotte to move their things from the overhead bins to the hold under the plane is beyond me. The airpline probably didn’t ask them to do this because THAT WOULD BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.)

I got to the Charlotte airport just as the first flight I was on stand-by for was rolling out. For the next flight I found out I was number 7 on the stand-by flight. Does this make sense? I was number 6 for the 4:30 flight, and then number 7 for the 6:10 flight. When I found out that I was number 17 for the 9:50 flight, I was absolutely livid.

Customer service was not enlightening. When I went to talk to the old man, all he said was “Someone made a mistake.” Duh. I wouldn’t have been at customer service had everyone done their job like they should have. And upon the suggestion that we find this person to rectify this slight oversight, his only response was, while languidly gazing into space behind me, “I can’t find him. The only confirmed flight to New Orleans I can get you on is on Sunday.”

The long and short of this is that I eventually decided to try to go to Jackson on stand-by so that me and a few other people who weren’t making the New Orleans flight could rent a car and drive to New Orleans. While waiting at customer service to be put on THAT standby flight, three gentlemen just barely holding it together were talking to the old man, explaining how they missed their connecting flight in Charlotte because their first flight took off a few hours late because a plane in front of them broke down on the runway and they had to wait for the plane to be cleared away. The old man was saying that delay was put down as weather related and that the airline didn’t have to do anything for them, and that’s when I started to yell, still completely pissed-off that this man was not willing to help me:

“Don’t expect ANYTHING from ANYONE at this airline. No one is willing to take responsibility for any mistakes, when you should be bending over backwards to help me because you even ADMITTED someone at this airline made a mistake and you’re not DOING anything”

Yadda yadda yadda. Boring. With no reaction from him.

The result was that I didn’t get on the flight to Jackson (SURPRIIIIIISE!), and I ended up waterworking my way onto the 9:50 New Orleans flight because I was lucky enough to end up finding THE ONLY employee with a soul in Charlotte. When I was getting onto the flight I gave her a huge hug and kiss and she said “This is why I love my job!”

I think she might have been the only person there who did.