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I'm down to one trip to Coz a year these days. I still love traveling, but slowed down on scuba trips so I could explore other places. Anyway, I like to go in late August for my birthday and to avoid families with school kids (it's challenging enough to travel with my own grandkids!), and it's always a game trying to pay the airlines as little as possible on reasonable flights and connections while accumulating FF-miles that seem impossible to use at the 20-20K rate advertised. Gawd, I miss the 1980s when FF-miles were fun.
Long range planning works best for both sides I think, so I can make sure I take the trips I want, and so the airlines can know well in advance how much business they will do - as well as using my money prepaid for the flights over those months. I'm often tempted to wait and see what they'll put on sale a month in advance as they start liquidating unsold seats, but then I end up arguing with myself. If I find an appealing fares several months in advance, I'd rather book & plan - but I know all too well from experience that regardless of how nice the flight times and connections look when I do, the airlines can and will change my flights to whatever works best for them.
I don't want to give up and stay home tho, so I keep telling myself this is part of the adventure of travel, like all of those weather and equipment delays that have left me in airports for many hours longer than planned. It was bad when I took the kids on a trip starting in Death Valley when we realized that we could have driven faster. My sweet daughter amazed me a couple of years ago flying to South Dakota, as our Lubbock-Denver flight was delayed leaving for weather, our connecting flight had already closed the doors - and that's never negotiable, and my studies had showed no good backup flights. I thought we were stuck, but our connecting flight was delayed taxiing away, and she talked them into reopening the doors! I really thought that was impossible, but it was good for both sides as they didn't have to deal with us.
So, last December I started searching flights and on a lark - tried using FF-miles to book my trip at the lowest mileage possible. Amazingly, I found flights I liked and danged sure booked them!
Haha, right. Then in March, they notified me of my real flights...
I have been waiting to see what else they'll do to my trip, but now we're on the final two month countdown, I guess it's time to call them, play dumb, and tell them I just noticed my flights are different. If I have to leave the house in the dark and be at the airport at sunup, oh well - I might as well leave the house at an earlier dark hour for a dark departure.
I am in a position to negotiate, but I can't see anything I want to ask for. They changed my return, too. The 3 hour connection I had was more than I wanted, but now they have me bored in DFW for 3-¾ hours.
What else can I ask for that they might agree to...??
Long range planning works best for both sides I think, so I can make sure I take the trips I want, and so the airlines can know well in advance how much business they will do - as well as using my money prepaid for the flights over those months. I'm often tempted to wait and see what they'll put on sale a month in advance as they start liquidating unsold seats, but then I end up arguing with myself. If I find an appealing fares several months in advance, I'd rather book & plan - but I know all too well from experience that regardless of how nice the flight times and connections look when I do, the airlines can and will change my flights to whatever works best for them.
I don't want to give up and stay home tho, so I keep telling myself this is part of the adventure of travel, like all of those weather and equipment delays that have left me in airports for many hours longer than planned. It was bad when I took the kids on a trip starting in Death Valley when we realized that we could have driven faster. My sweet daughter amazed me a couple of years ago flying to South Dakota, as our Lubbock-Denver flight was delayed leaving for weather, our connecting flight had already closed the doors - and that's never negotiable, and my studies had showed no good backup flights. I thought we were stuck, but our connecting flight was delayed taxiing away, and she talked them into reopening the doors! I really thought that was impossible, but it was good for both sides as they didn't have to deal with us.
So, last December I started searching flights and on a lark - tried using FF-miles to book my trip at the lowest mileage possible. Amazingly, I found flights I liked and danged sure booked them!
Lubbock @ 10:22am to DFW @ 11:35am
DFW @ 12:15pm to CZM @ 3pm.
How nice, not having to leave the house in the we hours of the night to catch a 6am flight, a tight connection but usually doable instead of hours bored laying over, and arriving later than I like but surely early enough to get my pony to my Op, enjoy supper, and get ready for the next day.DFW @ 12:15pm to CZM @ 3pm.
Haha, right. Then in March, they notified me of my real flights...
LBB @ 8:15am to DFW @ 9:35am
DFW @ 12:15 to CZM @ 3pm
Great, now they want me there more than 2 hours earlier, and to spend almost 3 hours chilling in the exciting DFW airport. Yeah, right. The boring part of the adventure.DFW @ 12:15 to CZM @ 3pm
I have been waiting to see what else they'll do to my trip, but now we're on the final two month countdown, I guess it's time to call them, play dumb, and tell them I just noticed my flights are different. If I have to leave the house in the dark and be at the airport at sunup, oh well - I might as well leave the house at an earlier dark hour for a dark departure.
LBB @ 5:04am to DFW @ 6:16am
DFW @ 7:20am to CUN @ 10am
Get an earlier start, a short but reasonable connection, should be easier to sleep on the boring plane rides, go thru Cancun, ride the bus to PDC in time for lunch, arrive in Coz around 2pm. Well hell, I'm not gaining much - and it may not go that well!DFW @ 7:20am to CUN @ 10am
I am in a position to negotiate, but I can't see anything I want to ask for. They changed my return, too. The 3 hour connection I had was more than I wanted, but now they have me bored in DFW for 3-¾ hours.
What else can I ask for that they might agree to...??