I enjoy traveling. I’m not someone who minds getting on a plane, or having connections. I like experiencing new places and I LOVE HOTELS (just one reason I LOVE writing for Uptake). But this Sunday, I hit my limit.
For some reason, flying from Boston to Houston is expensive. Both times I traveled to Mom 2.0, I booked flights with two stops on the way home. While this totally and completely sucked, it did save some money. Flying direct was almost $500, and with my connections it was $350.
I was sick. I was tired. My daughter was home crying that she wanted her mommy. My husband had a fever and had reached his limit. I was at BWI Airport, and my flight was delayed. The borderline rude Southwest gate agent had no mercy, doling out flight updates in bits and pieces …. nuggets like “delayed an hour for now, but not looking good” and “it says the flight is leaving at 9:30, but that’s not even possible”. Nice. Nothing like withholding information from a tired, sick, mom with a family to get back to. Whatever.
The flight finally left after 10 pm, and I got home after midnight. But I’m not so sure I left with a favorable reputation of Southwest. Delays are unavoidable, but communication and information can make a world of difference in customer service.
I’m home for less than two weeks, then I fly to Orlando for the half-marathon. This time on Delta thankfully, where I rarely have a bad experience!
Photo credit: Jen DeCesari
