It’s just par for the course these days, isn’t it?

I just spent way too much time on the phone with an airlines agent who told me no, when I tried to upgrade our coach tickets to first class.  “You can only upgrade with miles or money when you get to the airport, if seats are available then.”

She was new at her job and was reading the same rules to me over and over again. So frustrating! “You told me that already,” I said.  Finally, after trying a few suggestions that were going nowhere, I asked if she could get me to someone else with more authority who might be able to help.  If we weren’t getting an upgrade on this particular flight, we weren’t going at all. Sure enough, someone else fixed the problem.

It took about half an hour.  But I finally got what I wanted.

And the first agent I talked to?  I guarantee she is not climbing the ladder very quickly at her job.