and finally, speed by numbers
I arrived at DFW Dallas only to find all the flights to Austin were canceled, because of the weather/storms. The best American could do was to confirm me on a flight for 10:30 in the morning, getting me in at 11:20 - they also gave me a distressed passenger reservation at the Best Western Arlington.
I tried, and tried to get in touch with the Best Western to find out how to get there. Their number though just went from "If you know your parties extension please dial it now, otherwise press zero for an operator" - press-0; ring, ring, ring, "If you know your parties extension...", ring, ring, ring. After 15-mins of this madness I called HHonors, the best they could do was $120 at the Hampton Inn. I thought about it for a while, it would cost me between $100 and $150 to get to the hotel, have dinner, stay, get back to the airport and get home at lunchtime the next day.
The alternative was to book a Hertz car and drive back to Austin. I called Hertz, cost was going to be approx $152. I booked. As I walked back through the airport to get the Hertz bus. I came across a very slight, elderly English woman I'd stood next to in the massive DHS/Immigration line at Dallas DFW. She was traveling on her own to Palm Springs to stay with friends for a month. She'd been told they couldn't get her on another flight for 2-days and hadn't offered any help with hotels. Wow. I gave her my distressed traveler voucher and gave her $5 for phone calls.
45-mins later, diet Pepsi and Peanut M&Ms, dinner of champions, I was in a Toyota Camry and on my way. I got home a little after 11:30, unpacked, showered and was in bed by 00:30, probably a full 11-hours before I'd have got here otherwise. A good use of $135+$20 gas... good job Hertz don't charge by average speed ;-)
I tried, and tried to get in touch with the Best Western to find out how to get there. Their number though just went from "If you know your parties extension please dial it now, otherwise press zero for an operator" - press-0; ring, ring, ring, "If you know your parties extension...", ring, ring, ring. After 15-mins of this madness I called HHonors, the best they could do was $120 at the Hampton Inn. I thought about it for a while, it would cost me between $100 and $150 to get to the hotel, have dinner, stay, get back to the airport and get home at lunchtime the next day.
The alternative was to book a Hertz car and drive back to Austin. I called Hertz, cost was going to be approx $152. I booked. As I walked back through the airport to get the Hertz bus. I came across a very slight, elderly English woman I'd stood next to in the massive DHS/Immigration line at Dallas DFW. She was traveling on her own to Palm Springs to stay with friends for a month. She'd been told they couldn't get her on another flight for 2-days and hadn't offered any help with hotels. Wow. I gave her my distressed traveler voucher and gave her $5 for phone calls.
45-mins later, diet Pepsi and Peanut M&Ms, dinner of champions, I was in a Toyota Camry and on my way. I got home a little after 11:30, unpacked, showered and was in bed by 00:30, probably a full 11-hours before I'd have got here otherwise. A good use of $135+$20 gas... good job Hertz don't charge by average speed ;-)