There's tons to talk about. The local from Massachusetts, Aly Raisman, getting a bronze and a gold medal for individual talent. Misty May and what's her name getting their third straight Olympic golds; me getting sick the day before travel and coughing up a lung last night; attaining gold status and the perks that are supposed to go along with it...
Unfortunately, all I can think about are travelers that don't have a clue. I almost feel sorry for them. I say almost because they should know better. My 86 year old grandfather can move faster through security than a lot of knuckleheads that I've seen. But security isn't the only reason I feel sorry for the average traveler.
What if I were to book a flight with my wife and we didn't have any status...would I get to sit next to her? I tried to book the same flights I am always on, only 6 weeks in advance. There should be enough lead time to be able to select decent seats. I was wrong. The only seats I could book were middle seats in the back of the plane. The only way I was going to sit next to my travel companion was if I were to shell out the extra fee to have the better seat. This is where I start feeling bad for those who don't have a clue. They don't know the system. They don't know how to work it in their favor. Sure, they may think that since it is once in a blue moon, they'll fork over the dough. I'm a bit disappointed. Travel companions should be able to sit next to each other, regardless of whether it is a regular seat, preferred or preferred plus. Let them sit together in the back of the plane at least for the normal price of the ticket. They probably checked luggage, so you are at least getting $25 each way for 1 piece of luggage, maybe $50 if they decide to bring tons of shoes.
I attained gold status after flying on Monday, so I should be able to select any seat I damn well please. I got over 5000 Qualifying Points. I logged in on Tuesday to make sure it reflected online, which it did not. Of course I had to call and speak to someone to make sure I crossed the threshold, which I did. Within a few minutes, next to my name was the word "GOLD" in a golden box. LOVELY. After that, I thought I should take a look to see if I can get myself into a better seat without having to check in. All of a sudden, I see the blue normal seats (in the middle of course), the green seats (preferred, cost anywhere from $14-$24), and then I saw purple seats (preferred plus). None of these seats cost me anything now. Nor do my first 2 checked bags. I was pumped. The only problem was every time I tried to secure one of those seats, it said there was something wrong with my itinerary and couldn't book me those seats. Odd. After trying to figure out the system, I said screw it, checked in yesterday, and I'm in a middle seat at the front of the plane. Whatever. I'll try to get another seat later.
ONTO THE TRAVEL!!!!
I know. I have been speaking about travel already, but let's talk about my personal travel, ok? If you didn't realize, it's all about me.
I'm waiting in line early on Monday morning, and some donkey is acting like he has never flown before. There is only 1 aisle for people to go through the metal detector. There wasn't one of those controversial full body scanners up and running. 2 aisles for bags, 1 aisle for people. It was a cluster. To top it off, this donkey walks through the detector, and it beeps. Did you forget that you had a belt on? Oops. He walks through again. BEEP. Oh, I have to take everything out of my pockets too? I wanted to strangle this man. One thing I will say is that the TSA Agents that I have been in contact with so far have been extremely pleasant. One TSA agent was advocating for people waiting in line because another TSA agent was not acting efficiently. Bravo to you ma'am.
I didn't get any sleep Sunday into Monday, flew Monday morning, worked all day, went to Target to pick up soup because I felt miserable, checked into my hotel, had the shakes all night, didn't eat anything, passed out at 7pm. Traveling while sick is the worst. Plus, you can't drink any of the local stuff. I mean, you can, but just expect to stay sick longer.
I look forward to writing this blog next Thursday. I will have flown 1X on American as a Gold member. I'll let you know if I get through security faster, get on the plane faster, and whether it was truly worth the investment for the AA challenge.
Also, I was planning on being remote next week, but I need to be on site. The prices for American shot through the roof being so close to the departure date, so I'm flying Jet Blue next week. I'll let you know how that is, although I'm sure the 1 or 2 people that actually read this blog have already flown on it, and therefore could teach me a thing or two.
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