Old School?

The older I get, the more I realize that I am a dinosaur. While I'm not anti-technology, I just like things a certain way. For example, earlier this year, I wrote about a Verizon commercial where people have difficulties using their phone as a boarding pass, and how it seemed like the perfect ad for me. I'm probably one of the few people who still use paper boarding passes when flying. This was confirmed to me last week. When checking in to a United flight at Washington Dulles airport, the screen asked me if I wanted my boarding pass sent by text, by email, or other. When I selected other, the screen again gave me the option of sending the boarding pass by text. email, or other. After picking other again, I was given the option to print the boarding pass. The screen/United reluctantly allowed me to print.

When I got on the plane, I reached into my bag and brought out a book. Yes, a physical book. I'm currently reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weil, which is nearly 500 pages long. Reading on a screen would be much lighter, but I like a physical book.

Finally, at the hotel, there was an option to scan a QR code to give a tip to housekeeping. Pass. Still giving/using cash.

Sean = Dinosaur

The Travel Voucher

This blog has been pretty heavy lately, so here's something a bit lighter. A lot lighter.

For years, I have hoped to have the opportunity to help the airlines. Let me rephrase this. You know how airlines sometimes oversell flights? I don’t understand the reason behind this, but they do. Anyway, when this occurs, airlines will ask for volunteers to give up their seat to go on a later flight in exchange for some type of travel voucher. Every time this has happened to me in the past, either I had to be on that flight (for something work or family related), it would be frowned upon if I took the later flight but let my young kids fly alone, or the airline already had enough volunteers.

Traveling to Charleston earlier this month, United Airlies asked for volunteers to get put on a later flight as well as a $700 travel voucher. I was apprehensive since I didn’t think I could do this, but two people I was with encouraged me to go for it. One even used the “you waited in line for burritos” argument and said I was the king of getting free things, so why wouldn’t I do this? It was a very persuasive.

By the time I approached the desk, the voucher was up to $800. I was sold. The flight boarded, and I waited at the gate to make sure it was full. It was. I had to wait at the gate for another 20 minutes after the flight departed from the gate, but at the end, United gave me a $1000 voucher. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The next step was the airline giving me a voucher to take a shuttle from Dulles to National for a flight on American Airlines. I'm not sure how United got me on an American flight, but I wasn't going to complain. I took the shuttle with another woman who also took United's offer for the voucher and later flight. We talked about our families and how the voucher would help us visit family living in other areas. Oh, I also received a $10 food voucher. It didn’t cover my entire Five Guys meal, but it was close.

Of course, it turned out that the woman who shared the shuttle had the seat next to me on the plane. At that point, we had nothing else to say to each other. Hooray for books and headphones! I made it in Charleston in plenty of time and now I have a $1000 to spend on United! With three kids, that might (might!) cover one family flight next summer.