Charleston, South Carolina: Part 1

Hi Friends! Before you say, "New phone. Who dis?" Let me apologize for my absence. I wasn't feeling very "bloggy" as of late and I also hadn't traveled anywhere in true #independentpam fashion. Until now!

I was all set to fly to Charleston, South Carolina on Friday. 

I drove to my besties house, excited AF to get to the airport and chill/people watch for a few hours before my flight. No. Such. Luck. As we piled into her car, I received a text saying my flight had been cancelled. What. Why. Seriously? Confused and a little mad, we went back inside to find out the scoop. Turns out all flights from neighboring airports to Charleston had been canceled due to "Air Traffic Control Issues" Great.  After awhile on the phone with customer service, we were finally able to reserve me a seat on another flight. Not to Charleston, but to Charlotte, North Carolina with the promise of a car voucher so that I can rent a car and drive the rest of the distance. Back in the car we go. I'm getting pumped again. Things are looking up. On the plane I was seated next to the best seat mate I've ever had. He's an up and coming author with a book out soon. We had awesome convos, lots of laughs, and a genuinely good connection. Be sure to check out Tanner Lutheran's book Detached when it hits shelves next month! 

Upon arrival in Charlotte, I made my way to the ticketing booth to pick up my car voucher and mentally prepare for the 3+ hour drive ahead of me. No. Such. Luck. I get to the counter and they tell me they don't give out car vouchers. Not only that, but there was nothing in the system saying that anything that I said had happened! It was at that moment that I started to cry. I felt helpless and a little scared too. I explained, through tears, that none of this was my fault. I hadn't cancelled my flight. I hadn't planned on being in North Carolina. They needed to make this right. I was told to call customer service. Pissed, I did  just that. They told me I could rent a car, submit my receipt and maybe I would receive a refund. Getting more pissed, I said no dice. This wasn't my fault. The airline had told me to do all this. Seeing that I was upset and probably worried that I was going to go into hysterics, the supervisor that had been helping me took my phone and talked to Customer Service. Almost 2 hours later we had a solution. There was a flight in an hour to Charleston they could get me a seat on. Success! It was then that I started to cry again. This time tears of happiness. Vashti (the supervisor) had really stuck up for me. And hooked me up too, travel credits and something else I'll reveal in a bit too!

I rush through security for my surprise second flight of the day and see that my plane is delayed an hour. Ok. That's fine. It's still coming. I can handle this. A half hour later it's delayed another hour. And we were all moved to another gate. 

Another half hour goes by. Another gate      change. At the third and (spoiler alert) final gate, I approach the counter to get my seat. Much to my surprise and delight I was seated in First Class!!! Score!! 

Feeling happy, I sit back down and get ready to board soon. No. Such. Luck. Delayed again. The good news was that the plane was there it just couldn't get to the gate. At least it's not cancelled. First class was cool. Free booze and some snacks! Too bad it was only a 53 minute flight! I enjoyed my popcorn and Gin & Tonic. 

After a pretty boring, albeit quick flight, I arrived in Charleston. 

Stayed tuned next time for Charleston, South Carolina: Part 2!