In praise of small stuff
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The woman next to me on my flight this afternoon really bugged me. Her “crime” was minor, but it really irked me today: She found reason to complain about the slightest things, enough to almost make me pity the airline.
We taxied too long (twenty minutes before taking off). We circled too much before landing. The flight attendant didn’t have the diet soda of her choice. The lack of free hot meals was shocking. The sudoku puzzles had already been filled in. The overhead bins weren’t as large as others she’d seen. And on and on. Her mood was in distinct contrast to mine. I was feeling oddly chipper about today’s rather unremarkable travel experience, which went without a hitch. (A five-minute delay, notwithstanding. Probably due to that twenty minutes of taxiing, if you you ask my seatmate. Ma’am, if you want long taxi times to/from the runway, I have one word: Schiphol.)
So, in a moment of charity, or zen, and in lieu of the occasional descent into nitpicky whining that I admit this blog can devolve into every now and then, I offer you this feel-good praise of travel minutiae. Snark begone!
Five Small Things That I Appreciated While Traveling Today.
1. US Airways online chat
The travel agency that booked my ticket (for a hefty $38 fee) failed to enter my United Mileage Plus number into my reservation, so I just needed to add it. The customer service rep on the live online chat took care of it in under 2 minutes this morning. Faster than the phone tree.
2. $3/day long term parking at Charlotte
That’s just stupidly cheap for airport parking. Especially since the lot is really not meaningfully further from the terminal than the parking deck — which requires the use of a shuttle, too.
3. Free wi-fi in the CLT terminal
Free wi-fi is good wi-fi. ‘Nuff said.
4. The Sheraton’s free bottle of water
Again, really not a huge deal, but the small bottle of water “compliments of Starwood Preferred Guest”? Nice. Thoughtful. Sure beats the “Enjoy this water, which we’ll bill you for” tag that often adorns the bottled stuff.
5. The Radisson’s free wi-fi
Sure, I’m staying at the Sheraton. But they want $9.95 a day for internet access. Feh! Why drop a Hamilton, when the signal from the Radisson across the street comes in just fine? Sure, this could be a complaint about Sheraton cheaping out on their guests. But tonight, the glass is half full.
Half full of complimentary water, I might add.
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October 17th, 2007 at 11:36 pm |
My group shares a T-mobile account. Five guys, $15/month. Bite us.
-TF
October 18th, 2007 at 10:21 am |
Good idea to share connection. (Want a 6th?)
The billing costs must be about equal to the revenue for most commercial wifi. Might as well make it free and get the public goodwill.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:14 am |
When I use t-mobile I have internet sharing turned on as “Shared T-Mobile” so if you ever see that, I’m w/i 75 feet of ya!
-TF
October 19th, 2007 at 9:22 pm |
I’m not sure why you’re praising the U.S. Airways chat function - every time I’ve tried to use it I get told that there is not an agent available and to try again later…how is this better than being on hold on the phone?
October 20th, 2007 at 6:50 am |
Why am I praising the US Airways chat function? Simple: I’ve used it once. It worked great. Maybe I just got lucky, but in the spirit of the post, it was a small thing that I appreciated.
October 21st, 2007 at 6:04 pm |
Great post! Too often in today’s modern world people get bogged down focusing on the negatives. There is ALWAYS a silver lining. I hope you enjoyed that free water
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:04 am |
Yea for the small things!
And I’m not sure, but I think I may have have your seat partner on one of my flights.