No Means Try Harder

Haven’t blogged in a while and figured it was time to put my thoughts from the weekend online. I went to Indianapolis for the weekend to hang out with Monte and take in one of the greatest racing events in the world, the Indianapolis 500.

I booked the flight only about 2 weeks ago and American’s flights cost way too much, so I flew Delta.  Delta’s hub is Atlanta, so I had to route MIA-ATL-IND. Thursday evening, pretty much the entire southeast US was experiencing rain and thunderstorms and Atlanta was no different. Couple that Atlanta International Airport being the busiest airport in the country and I knew I was bound to have some delays, but what I experienced I have never expected. I got to the airport at 5:00pm for my 6:45pm flight hoping to go stand by on the 4:15pm. Went to the Delta Sky Club, courtesy of my AmEx Platinum card, and was able to get on the 4:15pm….which was delayed til 5:40pm. Got on the plane, sat for a little while, then the captain told us that we were delayed, but couldn’t tell us until when, so I got off the plane and headed back to the Delta Sky Club. Flight was delayed til 8:45pm. Finally made it to ATL and my flight was delayed til 10pm. Got on my flight to Indy, taxied out to take off……taxied back to the gate. Mechanical issues, flight cancelled. Went to the Delta Sky Club to see what they could do for me and they put me on the 10pm flight to Indy that was delayed until 12:00am…then 12:40am…then 1:00am… (I think you see where this is going)….CANCELLED! Back to the Sky Club. After about 10-15 minutes of seeing what my other options are, fly to Cincy then drive, fly to Chicago then drive, fly to Indy Saturday 3:35pm (yes, this was the next available flight to Indy with seats on it)…. Magically, the agent has an epiphany when she sees that my ORIGINAL flight to Indy got a new plane and was actually flying tonight! 5 Terminals away, the flight had just started boarding. I make it to the gate with about 5 minutes to spare before they close the door. The only silver lining of the flight was when the gate agent came to my seat and gave me an upgrade to first class. Thank you Platinum Medallion status match.

I finally make it to Indy at 5:05am and take a cab to Monte’s place and sleep on the couch since Aiden was sleeping in my (okay, really his) bed. After about 4 hours of sleep, Monte wakes me up and we head to Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Carb day is the last day that the drivers can get on the track and fine tune everything about the car.

Sunday rolls around and we head down to the IMS for the Indianapolis 500. Now I’m from New Jersey and I’ve never been to a motor sports race. Not NASCAR, not Indy Car, not GP, not F1..nada. Not really a fan of watching people make left turns all day. I’ve watched a little on TV, but never really understood the intricacies of racing. Monte explained the strategy on passing, pitting, peeing yourself in the car, etc. 3 things really stand out to me being at the track and not watching on TV. First, the sound. You can’t possibly imagine how loud it is when just 1 car zooms by let alone all 33 cars on a restart. Secondly, how fast the cars are. 2.5 mile lap. 225ish MPH. About 35 seconds per lap. From where we were sitting on the start/finish line, we really only saw each car about 4-6 seconds. Finally, how much strategy comes in to play with the drivers and their teams and how one tiny mistake, like taking a corner too high, can cost you the race.

Monday, I call Delta to see what they can do about getting me on a flight that night so I don’t have to get up at 4am for a 6am flight. The lady was very polite but told me it would cost me $800+ to change. I told her about all the troubles I encountered on the way here and she said she would have to check with a manager. She spoke to her manager who said she would waive the change fee, but I would still need to pay the fair difference and that was the best she could do and wouldn’t speak to me. Yes, you read that right….the manager REFUSED to speak to me. The agent told me this, I told her that was unacceptable and she should contact another manager. After about 5 minutes, she came back and told me that since the first manager refused to speak to me, the second manager would waive all charged and allow me to travel Monday night.

Rule #1 of professional traveling: No Means Try Harder. If someone gives you an answer you don’t like, ask to speak to someone else or hang up and call back.