Strategy Pattern: Voluntarily Bumped

I was scheduled to fly out of LAX last Thursday night when a rather intriguing message flashed across the status update screens. The airline was looking for volunteers to take the next flight instead.

I headed up to the customer service counter with several thoughts running through my mind, mostly revolving around the following equations.

1. 11:15pm takeoff + 4 hour flight + 2 hour time change = 5:15am landing
2. landing at 5 and sleeping until 2 = sleeping until 5 and landing at 2

To my great delight, the customer service agent joyfully placed me on the next flight with a couple of bonus compensation items.

• $15 meal voucher
• free hotel voucher
• $400 airline voucher

For the meal voucher I indulged in my favorite ultra-expensive juices

Needless to say I've now adopted a new strategy for my frequent travels: Voluntary Bumping

Note From what I hear, compensation is negotiable and bumps can be chained. Let the fun begin!

Note Odwalla juices are simply delicious. If you've never tried one, I'd recommend the SuperFood

23 Hours

For six weeks, I'll be on the other side of the world for a training course in booming Bangalore, India. Upcoming on this blog is the chronicle of those adventures. This is part 1 of a multipart series.

The trip itself was a rather uneventful 23 hours, but I felt the need to document it for both my own sake the potential interest of future TWU participants. I lost track of how many time zones I flew through. It was sunny when I left Chicago and sunny 8 hours later in Frankfurt. We arrived in Bangalore at 12:20 in the morning.

Most of it is already a blur at this point, but a few things that still stand out:

• wondering if it was just coincidence a flight attendant named "Stickler" who maintained a perfect hairdo and uniform throughout the flight
• thinking the $300 "upgrade" to economy plus is a laughable overcharge when checking in
• thinking the $300 upgrade to economy plus is an incredibly good deal five hours in
• "So you're traveling to India for work? How long have you been with this company?"
  "It's my second day"
• wishing Mercedes would win the bus contract for the Chicago Transit Authority
• admiring the smart and efficient use of the inclined plane in Frankfurt security
• the immigration officer not believing my picture or my signature was me, asking me to sign something in front of him...which I'd gladly do all day, because my signature is pretty awesome.
• Bangalore International Airport isn't much different from O'Hare. This shockingly huge ad appeared in both:
  
  

The real adventure begins on the way to the office from the airport. More on that here soon...