Brandon Tucker: Flight oversold? Getting rebooked can mean travel cash and a better itinerary

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- The next time your flight is overbooked and the airline asks for volunteers to give up their seat for travel vouchers, tell them you're interested. That's the lesson I learned this week in Vancouver, returning home from a brief golf trip to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and some Sunday golf action at the RBC Canadian Open. While waiting at the gate for my connection to Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines, the gate agents announced an oversold situation by SEVEN seats and offered $400 travel vouchers to those with flexible travel plans willing to be rebooked. Since my current itinerary had me arriving home in Austin at 11:30 p.m., I didn't bother going to the counter. I didn't want to be stuck on a flight that would keep me in Los Angeles overnight. But the agent kept getting on the PA every five minutes or so pleading for volunteers. Finally, they just needed "one more volunteer!" For some reason, they called my name to scan my passport, but while doing so, the agent asked if I wouldn't mind getting bumped for the voucher. They didn't have to scan my passport at all... I rationalized, believing they had some evil plan up their sleeve. "I really have to get home tonight," I pleaded, nervous my willingness could become involuntary if I showed even the slightest hint of flexibility (it's happened before). But apparently, the agent saw a glimmer of hope in my please-don't-make-me-stay-in-an-LAX-hotel-tonight eyes. She called over to American Airlines and found me a seat on a flight an hour later to Dallas with a quick transfer to a plane headed to Austin. In fact, this itinerary would get me home at 10:20 pm, over an hour sooner than my original itinerary. Not only that, Dallas has an inter-terminal shuttle that is secure, so there is no going through security for an annoying second time like the unsecured terminal system at LAX. And to boot, she still wrote me up a $400 travel voucher for the "trouble." The whole process felt like stealing. The kicker? As I boarded for Dallas an hour later, I noticed the Alaska Airlines flight to LAX was now delayed. Click here to leave a comment for Brandon Tucker

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two Naked Pics Of Holly Sonders. The Big News To Emerge From The 2013 PGA Show

Image
The media centre at the 2013 PGA Show was buzzing yesterday.  Not because of anything that happened at the show.  God forbid! When I rocked in, several men (and one woman) were gathered around an iphone ogling and sharing  two pics of who they claimed were Holly Sonders naked. Now I have to hold my hands up and say, I had to google her to find out she’s from The Golf Channel. I don’t watch the Golf Channel because I don’t have an erectile dysfunction problem or need to rent a car from National.  I’m told adverts for both are all that’s on that channel. How they knew for certain it was her, I dont know.  Unless the cheeks of her ass were on her passport photo and they recognized them from there, but I doubt it. The First Pic The first pic is taken from behind. No pun intended.  The media guys say it was taken by her fiancee (?) and shows Holly in a white thong which has disappeared a dangerously long ways into the bummage.  I’m talking two aerial liquitabs and a hot whit
Read more

Sarah Stirk Nipple Gate: Navy Top Leaves Viewers Disappointed

Image
London: Sky Sports management this morning issued a statement  apologizing to subscribers after Sarah Stirk wore a navy dress live on air.  It is believed up to 60,000 horny golfers were left limp after they tuned in to final round coverage of the Valero Texas Open in the hope of getting a glimpse of the legendary Stirk starter buttons. “I pay my subscription, I’m bloody well entitled to see Sarah’s Wimbledon strawberries” said factory worker Paul Manning 52 from Hereford. “I even missed the ten minute freeview, coz my mate Derek tweeted that Stirk was going into the shot centre for ten minutes at 11pm”. The Sky statement read: We apologize unreservedly for the navy dress Sarah wore during last nights broadcast, through which no nipples were visible. This was due to a wardrobe malfunction. However we do intend to rectify this during our US Masters coverage and assure viewers that plenty of bridge rivets will be on show, both from Sarah and special guest Colin Montgomeri
Read more

Holly Sonders Quits Golf Channel After Contract Talks Fail. Moves To Fox.

Image
Tissues at the ready guys as this will come as a shock to you all that Holly Sonders , the female face of the Golf Channel, has quit and reportedly taken a job with Fox Sports. According to  reports Sonders, who appeared regularly on “Morning Drive” since 2011, could not come to an agreement on a new contract deal with the Golf Channel and was quickly snapped up by Fox Sports where she is expected to work on golf and NFL. Related: Holly Sonders Does The Ice Bucket Challenge We've had some fun with Holly over the last few years ( was that really her in those nudie pics? ) but now it looks like we'll be crying into those tissues. Join the GolfCentralDaily community on Twitter for loads more comment on and off the course. Follow @golfcentraldoc
Read more