Unexpected gifts

[rivka]

I got home last night to a message on the answering machine. Northwest Airlines wanted to let us know that our flight out of Memphis was overbooked, and they were offering us one free round-trip ticket each to anywhere in the continental U.S., if we were willing to change our plans.

Apparently they weren't getting many takers, because by the time I called, they'd upped the offer to free round-trip tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S., Alaska, or the Caribbean. Especially if we could fly back into DCA (Washington National) instead of Dulles. Given that we'd be taking the subway to the airport in any case, that made absolutely no difference to us, so...

For the cost of (a) shortening our trip to Memphis by eight hours, and (b) a somewhat longer trip (through Detroit rather than a direct flight), Misha and I now have the distinct pleasure of studying Northwest route maps and planning a suddenly-affordable winter vacation.

Jamaica. Antigua. Puerto Rico. Cozumel. Palm trees and beaches and electric-blue water and rum drinks and warm, warm sunshine. Oh, that's going to be good.

Comments

[baratron.livejournal.com]

I love Northwest Airlines. They're consistently cheaper than any of the other airlines that fly from the UK to North America, which is how come I've managed to get to two alt.polycons even though I don't have much money.

I do warn you though, Detroit airport is the most soul-destroying place I've ever been. There is absolutely nothing to do there, except play with broken 15-year-old video game machines and watch various strange American sports in the sports bar. And I couldn't find anything at all for sale that was vegetarian, so I ended up eating nothing but chips (which had probably been cooked in animal fat) for four hours.

Re:

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Baseball season is over, so we'll have no reason to even go into a sports bar. *grin* And I always, always travel with my own food. Because virtually all my American airport experiences have been much as you describe Detroit.

Four hours, erg. At least we won't be there long ourselves.