I arrived at Dulles over an hour early for my 8:20 am flight and walked into chaos at the United Airlines ticketing area. What the heck is going on? After eavesdropping on a family clad with children, diaper bags and strollers, it dawned on me why the lines were so long. It's spring break and a holiday weekend. Way to go- I'd picked one of the busiest weekends of the spring to fly to a sunny destination.
A few weeks back, when I was planning my trip out of the US, I was shocked at the ticket prices for flights to southern California. The cost of a one-way ticket (at that time) was $400. Ouch! That wasn't going to fly with me. I began to use my personal network to find a cheaper way to fly out. I ended up getting a hook up from my friend, Dave Martinez, who recently secured a job in Chicago at United's headquarters. He secured me a ticket on his buddy pass for early this morning. Flying on a buddy pass means that you fly for cheap, but do not have a reserved seat (i.e. standby).
Back to the airport. Because this is a such a busy time and because I'm flying standby, I've seen three flights pass me by. It is now almost 5 o'clock in the afternoon and I'm still at Dulles. Cue the pity. The 8:20 flight, the 12:30 pm flight and the 2:43 pm flight were all oversold, plus each had a bunch of other standby passengers. What's worse is each time, my ranking on the standby list has gotten lower- from 7, to 16, to 21. I asked the gate attendant how United determines the ranking and said, "Your ranking is due to a variety of factors, including why you were put on the list, what type of fare you paid for and your United Rewards membership level". Basically, I'm screwed. I'm flying on a buddy pass and my Rewards membership level is nonexistent. When I called the car rental place to update my reservation in LA, they said they were only open to 3 pm. What kind of car rental company is only open until 3 pm?
Let me be clear that I am not blaming United. I knew the risk in flying as a buddy (stand-by) passenger. In the end, my long wait at the airport still beats paying $400 - 600 for a one-way ticket, especially now that I'm jobless. However, it still sucks that there are no open seats and the algorithm United uses doesn't help me.
As of right now, I am on the standby list for the 5:25 pm flight to LA. If I don't get a reserved seat on this flight, don't be surprised if you hear on the Capital news stations about some guy who went crazy at the Dulles airport. Cross your fingers that I get a seat.
Below is a little preview of what I'm feeling today. It's a bit like Tom Hanks in the movie, The Terminal, but with more frustration.
Look out for an update later.
Justin
