my pain has a name

I hate air travel.

Even more, I hate the purchase of plane tickets. It takes forever and costs so much and even if I do it online without having to listen to a 'reservation representative' tell you the hundred ways you can't get where you want to go when you need to be there*, I still have to call them up afterwards to make travel arrangements for the kittycats.

Just this morning, I did just that. Or tried to. It couldn't be done. I have to change airlines from Northwest to Alaskaair, as I have done every single year for the last 17 years, as I did not two months ago, but this is the first time they have ever told me that animals can't be moved from one airline to another. So, if I start the trip on Northwest with two cats, I can get to Seattle with them, but Alaskaair won't let them switch planes with me. Northwest pets are not allowed on Alaskaair flights.

I have yet to get a satisfactory explanation for this new policy. And the phone is in use at the moment, so I have time to sit and stew.

The time is fast coming when it will be cheaper and less stressful to just quit my job, leave my home, friends, and neighbors, and move somewhere in driving distance. Because I think I lose a year of my life every time I have to talk to customer service.





*No offense to any of you who have this for a job. I'm sure you're every bit as sick of customers like me.

UPDATE

The situation has been resolved with a minimum loss of life. Though the sweet little doofus I talked to first might want to sleep light for awhile. Grr. She was mistaken about there being a new rule about pets switching airlines. They are in fact allowed to do that. I just have to go get them and check them in with the new airline, WHICH I ALWAYS DO ANYWAY. Oh, and it's $100 less than she told me it would be.

I can only assume that she was some sort of minor phone demon, sent to damage my soul by sending me into such spasms of frustrated outrage. (Oh, Uncle Screwtape, today I actually paralyzed a mortal with wrath. She saw spots!... But it did drive her to prayer... even if it was through clenched teeth. Do you think I'll lose points for that?)

In the meantime, I have a shirt to dye. If you can't bleach the stains white, then I say dye the whole thing brown.