Groningen, Netherlands
I am on the ground, in a land below sea level. Time for blogging is limited.
Seattle to Amsterdam via Washington, DC on United Airlines.... I usually fly SAS to Europe. I'll stick with them from now on for reasons too complex to go into. But there was one incident on United that I must report.
The airline has just started charging 5 dollars per drink for all adult beverages on their international flights. In the past, drinks have been free, to compete with the standard practice on European carriers.
Fair enough. Times are tight in the travel industry. But when I handed the flight attendant a ten dollar bill for an airplane-sized mini bottle of wine, he asked me if I flew United often. I thought maybe he was going to just give me the drink for free. When I answered yes though, he asked if I would like a voucher instead of the five dollars change he owed me.
"A voucher for what?" I asked.
"Another drink."
"Huh?"
"Some people like to have two drinks."
The incident reminded me of the time when I was about six years old, and my mother gave me 50 cents for an ice cream sandwich from the Good Humor Man. Instead of giving me my change as he should have, the ice cream man kept asking me, "What else do you want?"
I learned from the Good Humor incident. I learned that if I accepted something I didn't ask for instead of my change, my mother would be very angry at me. And we can't have that. So on my flight to Amsterdam, I did what my mother taught me. I told the flight attendant I did not want a voucher, and to please give me my damn change, and no I did not want fries.
Next thing you know, they'll be trying to sell you an extended warranty to go with your drinks.
Comments