Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Travel Tales

This falls into the "I should know better" category. Yesterday, I made a trip to Chicago for a meeting this morning. Since I booked the ticket less than two weeks out, Delta, American, and Airtran all wanted about $600 for the roundtrip.

Being closely related to the original tightwad, I thought I could do better. An internet search turned up a $375 fare, with one stop in Charlotte. We left Atlanta on US Air, and changed planes and airlines to United in Charlotte.

Since the Atlanta to Charlotte trip is only four hours by car, US Air was using a puddle jumper, a bus on wheels, for the journey. My standard carryon is a rolling briefcase with a telescope handle. You've seen them.

The flight was full and there wasn't room for my briefcase either overhead or underfoot. So, I grabbed my laptop, ac cord, and mouse, and released my bag to the workers on the bridge. I've done this many times before, and when the flight has landed, the bags are available as we walk across the bridge from the plane to the terminal.

This time, however, the flight attendants and orange vest guys said the bag would be checked to Chicago. I released the bag with some reservations, since it hadn't gone through the formal checkin process at ticketing. Three minutes after I released it, I realized I had left my cell phone in it.

That was the last time I saw my briefcase until 6pm today. It didn't arrive with my other checked bag Tuesday evening. Since I didn't have my phone, I had the opportunity to look for pay phones (they still exist) and to hunt for quarters to plug them.

It's interesting what we get used to. With cell phones and other PDA's, we become used to the everpresent ability to communicate. I like that ability, and the option to turn the phone off when the day is done.

It was a different kind of day, as I didn't spend the day on the phone. Rather, after the morning meeting, I invested the afternoon attempting to determine the status of my bag, and deciding how and when I was going to get home.

If you travel much, you have your own set of travel stories. The lesson for me? I won't be releasing carryon bags to connecting flights again. I'll find a better way.

What's your travel story?

Until next time...

Randy

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