Storm Heroes -- Now with Updatiness

Note to self -- ALWAYS triple check your flight reservations before buying. ALWAYS.

I’d thought our return flight from Western Pennsylvania was for 6 AM. Early yes but good as this would put us back in Valhalla before the storm began.

Nope, lift off was for 6 PM. Doh. That’d have us, if the flight wasn’t cancelled, landing in Boston at 8:30 PM at, potentially, the height of the storm. Joy.

After our stressful day in Indiana (PA) we figured we’d clock some rack time, then go over to the Jet Blue counter and beg for mercy. ‘Get us on an earlier ride PLEASE!’

Why the hard day? We were visiting my father who is not the strong, healthy, young bull of old. Nope, my poor Poppy is suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous aging. In a perfect world we would become, as The Amazing Bob puts it, free form floating, sentient entities -- liberated from the tyranny of these all too often, inadequate, malfunctioning skin suits.

In lieu of that lovely free floating, cloud-like state of being, we’re stuck with these low tech, glitchy carcasses that seem to pick the worst moments to shit the bed...so to speak.

Let’s just say that Jen and I are now scarred for life //snark...sort of//, required great infusions of the grape as well as dark chocolate covered cherries. We’ll leave it at that, K?

So, there we were, next morning, waking up at our fabulous airport hotel (which I booked thinking that our flight was at six in the morning not evening). OK, I was up, Jen was still dead to the world at seven. I wanted to hit the Jet Blue counter ultra early in order to, if possible, snag berths on the 11 AM Boston boat. I figured we’d be outta luck but had to try.

The wonderfully helpful, pleasant and efficient Emily Burman and Amanda Felton saved the day. They got us rebooked and didn’t charge us for the switch either -- how kind and fab is that, eh?! One thing though, they needed Jen’s ID as well as mine to complete the deal. Thank Bast for text messaging, Jen being a light sleeper and fleet footed as well. She tossed on some duds and joined me at the counter within five minutes.

I only mention it but the graciously competent service that we received from Emily and Amanda is just one reason why I fly Jet Blue when I go to Pittsburgh. They’ve got more non-stops and better prices than most other carriers too. I’ve flown US Air (previously known as Allegheny Air, AKA Agony Air) and United both of which had adequate leg room only if you’re no more than five feet tall. Plus, their customer service folks would be more at home at Walmarts or Comcast.

Interestingly, Business Insider rates United as the worst airline regarding customer satisfaction with US Air fairing only slightly better.

As ACSI's commentary points out, "high ticket cost and poor service are not a winning combination."

So then -- YEA US, we got home before the worst of the storm.
Heroes -- Bowie

UPDATE!

I emailed Emily to thank her once again. She wrote back with this wild news:

'The 6:00 flight you were originally on canceled right around 11:45am. Just around the time you were taking off.'

 WOW! Jen and my worst fear was that the flight would be canceled and we'd be stuck sleeping in the airport last night without our warm cats and husbands. If not for Emily and Amanda (and my stress induced inability to sleep) that's where we would have been.