Thanks, Irene...

/

Thanks to the 90+ mile an hour winds hurtling toward my house currently, I'm stuck a few extra days in the UK. This has been a special trip for me for a couple of reasons: It's my last trip here with for my current company. (I start a new gig later next month). And I brought the Critter along with me for the ride. Even after 3 years away, she's maintained her best friendship with one of her old classmates here, and it's given her the week to enjoy together. It was heartwarming to see them pick up like they had never been split up. 

We were supposed to head home tomorrow (and I wasn't really looking forward to the expected-teary-breakup). But Irene has different ideas. All flights headed that way cancelled. 

Ok. No problem. Lemme call BA. 

Oh. You can't. BA customer service in the UK closes at 6pm. So sorry. Call back tomorrow morning! 

What the hell? Can you be a global carrier and not have a 24/7 service line? Really? OK... fine. I can work around that. I've got their US call center number. 

...cue the hold music for 30 minutes or so, since everyone else is doing exactly the same thing...

Me: Hi! Next flight to Boston, please? 

BA: Hmm. Thursday. 

Me: ..sigh... fine. Go ahead and book me. 

BA: No problem sir. 

Me: Can you pleas confirm that's for me and my daughter, right? 

BA: You're the only one on this reservation. 

Me: Hmm. Oh yeah. I think her reservation was added later. 

BA: I need her booking number. 

Me: Urk. I don't have it with me. Can you hang on for a minute or two while I go find it? 

BA: Sir, I can only hold for two minutes, and then I will disconnect the line. 

Me: Do you know how long I was on hold, waiting to talk to you? 

BA: Don't know. Don't care... Sir. 

I might have paraphrased that last bit. But not by much. Clearly, miss BA had been having a busy evening, and making me smile wasn't top of her list of things to get done before she went home tonight. 

On the bright side, that's a few more days to enjoy a proper Indian takeaway. And maybe a meat pie.