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“Never Buy A Plane Ticket When You’re Not Wide Awake” By Arlene O’Neil. Author of "Broken Spokes" available at www.amazon.com.
As someone who has the absolute worst sleep patterns in the world because of my work schedule, I enjoyed reading your articles on sleep. I’d like to share my own “sleepy time” story.
Here it is:
I usually work the third shift which means that I go to sleep at 10:30 in the morning. I try to remember to shut my phone off so I am not disturbed because I don't sleep all that well during the day anyway.
One day I forgot to turn the phone off. Just after I drifted off to sleep, I heard the phone ring. It was my son, Tanner, who is in the military. He was calling to give me his Christmas “vacation” dates so that I could book his flight home and email the itinerary ASAP so that his leave could be approved. His ticket home was to be my Christmas gift to him.
Half asleep, I stumbled to the computer. I found a travel website that seemed to have the best deal. I charged on my credit card what I thought was the perfect flight time-wise for $359.00, then emailed my son the details. I shut the phone off and went back to sleep.
Upon awakening at 5:30 pm, I saw my answering machine light flashing. There was a message from my son telling me that I booked the wrong flight. I had him arriving in Connecticut at midnight instead of noon. Panic set in when I remembered that I did not buy the flight protection and the ticket is non-refundable.
I found the travel website’s phone number and was eventually connected to someone in India, who told me that I can change the flight for an additional $200.00, or cancel it for a fee of about $50.00 and they will credit back my credit card in 30 days.
I realized that I didn't have an additional $200.00 left on my card to make the change, and my credit card will not receive the credit back in time for me to book another flight. Even after I explain the entire situation to the young man at the other end of the line, he says that the best he can do is ask the bank to credit my account in 3-5 days, which still doesn't help because my son needs his paperwork that evening.
I decide to cancel the flight and take the $50.00 loss and will have to wait however long for my charge card to be credited.
Now I still have to book a flight. I go to another travel website and find a flight for $383.00. This time I am careful to make sure that it is FOR THE CORRECT TIME. I end up using my Debit Card and buying the flight insurance just in case I am less awake than I think.
Total cost of loss from the first travel website is $50.00 (plus a month's interest possibly on my credit card)
Total cost of new flight through second travel website - $400.78 (includes flight insurance protection. The $400.78 comes out of my checking account immediately and in one lump sum!
Total value of seeing my son the day after Christmas this year.....PRICELESS!!!!!
Please learn from my example. Never book a flight when you first wake up, especially if your sleep is interrupted!
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