Stuck in the Middle

When you travel very rarely, a trip on an airplane can be fun. I remember some of my first flights. I was excited. I wanted to sit near the window, and I spent much of the flight looking out the window at the sights. Back then, it was cool. [And shouldn't it still be? A blogger can't let this topic go without linking to Louis CK's "Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy" can he?]

Well, I don't want to be part of the trend Louis CK spoke about. I merely want to comment on the situation some semi-frequent travelers find ourselves in.

If you travel for business, you know that after flying enough miles [one might even say too many miles] you reach a special level in a frequent flier program where you become eligible for special treatment by the airlines. I've never been at one of these levels, but I've traveled with a few colleagues who are, and the perks are very nice. Not only are there quiet, comfortable lounges to spend time [with little snacks and coffee and nice restrooms] but these privileged fliers also can be upgraded, or even change flights, without extra fees.

I have absolutely no problem with this. Frequent business travelers put up with frequent inconvenience. Even with this special treatment, airports are like cattle yards, airplane seats are designed for people the size of a typical 10 year old, and only the ultra-privileged who travel first/business class have seats that don't cause appendages to fall asleep. [Oops. I'm complaining. It's Amazing. Really. {Sorry, Louis.}] They deserve their perks.

My situation, though, is that I have been flying pretty frequently this year; far more than I ever have before. But I am not at one of these special levels yet. I am caught in the middle. It's a strange situation. Part of me wants to fly a bit more, so I can finally get some of the sweet treats I've seen. But the more rational side of me realizes that, on the whole, that would still put me in airports and airplanes far more than it would put me in nice lounges. It's like I have these two little spirits, one on each shoulder, arguing about what I should want, and I'm stuck in the middle.

That's why, when I flew home last week from Vegas, it did not surprise me when I had to pay an extra $50 to change flights. Oh, it might seem illogical. You see, I had been asked to move off of my scheduled flight (1:30), to a later one, because my scheduled flight was overbooked. For this trouble, the airline would pay for my ticket and give me a voucher for future travel. Apparently it was worth it for the airline to give me hundreds of dollars of value to inconvenience me. But when I discovered I could get on an earlier flight (10:30), increasing my convenience while also freeing up space on their overbooked flight, not only did I not get compensation for helping them, I paid for the courtesy. Had I been at one of those special frequent flier levels, it would have cost me nothing. Had I been a less experienced traveler, of course, I would not have known to ask. I was stuck in the middle.

And so, when I got on that earlier flight, giving myself a chance to spend 3 fewer hours in the Las Vegas airport, you can imagine where my seat was on the plane.

Yep.

Stuck in the middle.

But am I complaining? No, of course not. It was Amazing! Really. [Really?] {Sorry, Louis.}

I'm just sayin'.

[Well, OK, I guess I have to embed this.]