Last night I took the red eye from HNL to SFO, on my way to Santa Fe for a client presentation (via DEN and ABQ). It was a last minute decision, as the virtual method of persuasion was not working. What was I thinking anyway? Asking a non-techy on a Friday just back from vacation with an attention-craving inbox to take a first look at her not quite finished totally new web site while holding the phone with one hand??
Fortunately I came to my senses! I managed to find a ticket for next day travel at a good price (a mini “you never know!”) although I would be flying into ABQ (Albuquerque) instead of SAF (Santa Fe.)
Until, in Denver, I decided to just ask. I saw there was a flight to SAF an hour b4 mine to ABQ. I pulled up my smile, my sweet receptive energy and “I know this is a long shot…” Turns out the ABQ flight was over-sold. Turns out the SAF flight was only half full. Turns out the agent had just returned from the birth of her grandson (she showed me the pics and I felt her bliss), and so it turns out that she re-booked me on the flight to SAF as an “involuntary re-route” or something like that.
Final Result? I get home 2 hours earlier. I get reminded that even something as large and inflexible as airline travel can bend. For me. With no struggle. I guess that is the real reason why I could not find anyone to pick me up in ABQ and why I couldn’t reach the shuttle service to make a (required) pre-paid reservation. When I saw that SAF flight, I just decided – That’s the flight I wanted be on! Who would have guessed I could do it and for free? What would you have guessed?
