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TWA HAD BEEN MY FAVORITE AIRLINE SINCE 1984 FLYING ME SAFELY BACK AND FORTH TO MAINLY EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS.
IN 1995 I SETTLED IN NEW YORK CITY AND BECAME MY OWN BOSS - WITH THIS CAME THE LIMITATION OF GOING ON VACATION. ON A GREY AND COLD JANUARY FRIDAY IN 1999 I DECIDED - LAST MINUTE- TO FLY TO LAS VEGAS. I WENT TO A TRAVEL AGENCY AND BOOKED A RT/FLIGHT WITH TWA WITH DEPARTURE ON FEB 01 (THAT IS WHAT I THOUGHT) VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING OUT OF NEWARK. I WAS TOTALLY EXCITED, HARDLY SLEPT THAT NIGHT, ARRIVED AT THE CHECK IN COUNTER IN THE BEST OF MOODS ANYBODY CAN HAVE AT 6AM AND ASKED THE GENTLEMAN WHO CHECKED ME IN -JOKINGLY- THAT I WANTED A SEAT NEXT TO A GOOD LOOKING MAN.
THE YOUNG MAN ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO FLY TODAY - AND I RESPONDED SOMEHOW SURPRISED WITH "...WELL - IF NOT - I WOULDN'T'T BE AT THE AIRPORT AT THIS TIME OF THE DAY". THE AGENT KEPT ON LOOKING AT MY TICKET, THEN BACK INTO HIS COMPUTER, WHILE HITTING ALL THE BUTTONS - UNTIL HE GOT MY ATTENTION AND I ASKED: "YOU ARE NOT SAYING THAT YOU ARE OVERBOOKED, ARE YOU?"
HE SAID: "NOT REALLY, BUT YOU ARE BOOKED FOR A DEPARTURE ON MARCH 01 NOT FOR TODAY!" I GRABBED MY TICKET AND THERE WAS THE DATE, I HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE - THE TRAVEL AGENT HAD INDEED BOOKED ME FOR ONE MONTH LATER!
I FELT LIKE DEFLATING - HERE I WAS - TOTALLY EXCITED TO FINALLY GO ON A MINI-VACATION TO SEE LAS VEGAS - WHICH I HAD NOT SEEN SINCE 1985 - WHILE EVERYTHING SEEMED TO FALL APART. NOT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO SEATS, THE RATE FOR A LAST MINUTE BOOKING/TICKET LIKE MINE WAS TWICE AS MUCH AS I HAD PAID.
WHEN THE CHECK IN AGENT SAW MY DESPERATION, HE SAID 'TO JUST WAIT A MINUTE HE WOULD CHECK ON SOMETHING'. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HE CHECKED, FACT IS THAT I DID DEPART THAT MORNING TO LAS VEGAS VIA S.PAUL (TWA HUB) AND THE BIGGEST PRESENT OF ALL - I DID NOT HAVE TO PAY MORE FOR THE ARRANGEMENT.
I WAS SO HAPPY, THAT I HUGGED THE AGENT RIGHT THERE AND THEN, NOT CARING WHO WAS WATCHING AND WHAT THEY WERE THINKING OR SAYING. THIS IS HOW SPECIAL THE TWA - PEOPLE WOULD MAKE YOU FEEL.
I AM SORRY TO SEE YOU GO - AND IF YOU EVER COME BACK, I WILL BE YOUR LOYAL FF AGAIN - THE BEST OF LUCK TO ALL TWA MEMBERS. |