More Air-Travel Joy!

I made it to Colorado in one piece.

No thanks to United, though.

United delayed my flight for no good reason. I'd made sure to leave work early to give myself plenty of time in case of traffic and other potential problems. Of course, this meant once I got to the gate I had tons of time to kill. So I took a seat at the bar right across from my gate, which had no information even displayed yet about my flight. I got to chatting with some girls at the bar who were going to the same place as me. At one point, a gentleman nearby mentioned to us that our flight had been moved to the next gate over. No big deal -- 83 to 84 is not a huge walk in LAX.

I glanced again at the screen on 83, which said San Antonio. When it was time to board, I looked at the departure board, which said my flight was boarding out of gate 84. I walked to the gate and asked the woman there if the flight to Colorado Springs was boarding yet. No, she said, they're going to board the San Diego flight first. I noted that the departure board said my flight was boarding. She shrugged and said we weren't boarding yet.

I took the opportunity to duck into the ladies' room. When I emerged, they were nearly finished boarding people for San Diego. The woman announced that they would shortly be boarding Flight 6496 to Colorado Springs. I had a moment of panic.

My ticket is for Flight 6494.

I rushed back to the departure board, only to see that my flight was listed as "closed," having boarded at gate 84. Confused, I ask the woman at the gate what's happened. She looks at my ticket and tells me my flight boarded at gate 83.

Excuse me??

My plane was literally sitting out there doing nothing and they wouldn't let me on. Bastards! The agent at gate 83 even had the audacity to say she'd told us they were boarding and that it was my fault for getting a drink at the bar. Right. I'm so irresponsible that I get here HOURS early for my inexplicably delayed flight and don't want to sit around in perpetual boredom, opting instead for a less boring location a whole 20 feet from the boarding area.

I started to panic. I've been kicked off of United flights before and it wasn't an experience I cared to repeat.

Fortunately, the gate 84 agent was nicer. I think she felt bad because she realized she'd made a mistake when I asked her if my flight was boarding. She got me a seat on the next flight to Colorado Springs, leaving in about 45 minutes. So, instead of getting home at an early enough hour to spend some quality time with my family, I got home late and went straight to bed.

At least I don't have to hound them for a free ticket this time. Last time it took them like 6 months to give me one.

I want a transporter beam.