Travel day 2
Elapsed time: 30 hours.
Back in the airport (ORD) again, waiting for AA 1341 to SFO (on time thus far). I'm looking forward so much to seeing my wife and my little girl! :-)
The airline put me up at the Holiday Inn overnight. It was a bed--all that really mattered. I did not want to wait over an hour in the cold to get to my hotel last night (as some people waiting for them to bring 100 people to the hotel in a small van; ugh!), especially with so few hours to sleep, so I paid for a taxi to take me to the hotel.
The taxi driver was a scumbag. First he told me it would be $20. $20?! I told him "Forget it, I'm not paying $20 to go from the airport to an airport hotel". He starts driving anyway and says, "Then just pay whatever the meter says."
Then, when we got to the hotel, the meter said $11.65 (after the idiot driver took a wrong turn). I handed him $15 because that's what I had. After back and forth about receipts, he still hadn't handed me any change and seemed to be waiting for me to get out. The following exchange ensued:Me: "Uh, you haven't given me change"
Him: "You don't want to tip?!?"
Me: "Not that much!" (especially with that disgusting response!)
Him: "Normally a tip for a ride from the airport is at least $5."
Me: "On a $30/40 ride, perhaps, but not to an AIRPORT HOTEL."
Him: "What do you want back?"
Me: [fuming] "Uh, just give me $2."
[he did so grudgingly, and then proceeded to make no motion to get out to help with luggage]
I should have demanded all my change and not given him a penny. The guy was obnoxious. I'm annoyed that I only demanded $2. I *would* have given him a tip anyway, in spite of his earlier stupidity, and not felt too bad about it, but the attitude over tipping? Gah! And then I was too nice to leave his trunk open so he'd have to get out. Damn.
Back in the airport (ORD) again, waiting for AA 1341 to SFO (on time thus far). I'm looking forward so much to seeing my wife and my little girl! :-)
The airline put me up at the Holiday Inn overnight. It was a bed--all that really mattered. I did not want to wait over an hour in the cold to get to my hotel last night (as some people waiting for them to bring 100 people to the hotel in a small van; ugh!), especially with so few hours to sleep, so I paid for a taxi to take me to the hotel.
The taxi driver was a scumbag. First he told me it would be $20. $20?! I told him "Forget it, I'm not paying $20 to go from the airport to an airport hotel". He starts driving anyway and says, "Then just pay whatever the meter says."
Then, when we got to the hotel, the meter said $11.65 (after the idiot driver took a wrong turn). I handed him $15 because that's what I had. After back and forth about receipts, he still hadn't handed me any change and seemed to be waiting for me to get out. The following exchange ensued:Me: "Uh, you haven't given me change"
Him: "You don't want to tip?!?"
Me: "Not that much!" (especially with that disgusting response!)
Him: "Normally a tip for a ride from the airport is at least $5."
Me: "On a $30/40 ride, perhaps, but not to an AIRPORT HOTEL."
Him: "What do you want back?"
Me: [fuming] "Uh, just give me $2."
[he did so grudgingly, and then proceeded to make no motion to get out to help with luggage]
I should have demanded all my change and not given him a penny. The guy was obnoxious. I'm annoyed that I only demanded $2. I *would* have given him a tip anyway, in spite of his earlier stupidity, and not felt too bad about it, but the attitude over tipping? Gah! And then I was too nice to leave his trunk open so he'd have to get out. Damn.