No Seats, No Schedule, No Remorse, Oh Look a Movie Star!

Last week I took a quickie trip from Phoenix to LA. When I left that morning every flight around me at Sky Harbor was oversold and begging for volunteers. When I went to return from LAX in the afternoon the flight before mine was oversold and begging for volunteers.

As soon as the volunteers were collected, that flight took off.  They then cancelled the next flight (mine), and told me (and the volunteers from the previous flight) that the rest of their flights that day were also all oversold. We would all have to spend the night and fly home the next day. I was stunned, no seats for a very simple flight, on a route that leaves every hour, from one of americas busiest airports, in the middle of the week. Guess this is the future of travel.

I found a seat on a competitor. They also turned out to be late, but at least they flew.  Since I bought my ticket at the last minute, they asked if I wanted to upgrade for $15 and guarantee early boarding. I said sure. When the flight finally came, they asked for volunteers......

Only then did it occur to me that they sold me my full fare ticket on a flight that was already sold out. Think about it, what other industry can sell the same product to multiple buyers, at the same time, without it being fraud? Hmmmm.  They then take the purchased product away from the lower priced buyer.

It is getting weirder out there.

On another topic, I did see an actress (Ali MacGraw - Love Story and The Getaway) in the terminal. I know I'm getting old when I recognized her and realized she went pretty much completely unnoticed by everyone else. Probably a welcome thing, to be able to be famous in one's youth and then move freely later in life.

In my travels I have seen a few famous and nearly famous folks: Tony Curtis (in Hawaii), Hulk Hogan (saw him twice - go figure?), Brian Dennehy (in Nashville), Clint Eastwood (Reno), Tom Hanks (kind of funny spotting him as an adult in Santa Monica, since we were neighbors and played together as kids), Kenny Rogers (Phoenix Airport), Wynona Judd (Nashville), and Jim Nabors (Atlanta). And yes, dear Iniquitosfish, how indeed could I have forgotten Ms. Jameson (LA to Phoenix flight). Spotting celebrities while traveling is always one of those "Is that?" moments for me.

Roadboys Travels © 2008