Since many of us are about to fly to Disneyland, I felt this was appropriate.
As a road warrior, especially before covid, I’ve had plenty of travel mix ups. This is one of my favorite stories that while it didn’t actually happen to me, I got to swoop in and save the day.
My business partner, Karl, had been in Norfolk, Virginia all week, supporting a client, and counting the hours until he could get back to Denver. Our company’s travel agent handled all the flight details, Karl didn’t bother to double-check his itinerary. On Friday, he just showed up at Norfolk International Airport, strolled through the doors and got in line for security, and then things went sideways.
“Sir… Where Are You Flying From?”
Karl handed over his boarding pass and ID to the TSA agent. But instead of waving him through, the agent frowned at Karl, then back at the screen.
“Uh.. here?”
“You sure?” he asked.
Karl, now slightly nervous, nodded. “Uh… yeah?”
The agent turned the screen around.
Flight: Norfork, NE → Denver, CO
Now, Karl ain’t no aviation expert, but he was pretty sure Norfolk, Virginia, and Norfork, Nebraska, were not the same place.
“Sir,” the TSA agent said slowly, “this ticket is for a flight out of Nebraska.”
Karl blinked. “Yeah, but… I’m here. In Virginia now.”
The agent just shrugged. “Then you got a problem, because this airport doesn’t have a flight to Denver for you.”
Norfork, Nebraska is very real. A little town in the middle of the Midwest, roughly 1,200 miles away. Somewhere out there, in a small airport surrounded by cornfields, there was an empty seat waiting for a man who was very much not there. Turns out not only was he in the wrong city but also that airline didn’t fly out of Norfolk, VA.
At this point, Karl had two choices:
- Cry, and call me and complain about our travel policy.
- Find a way to fix this mess himself.
He chose the former.
I called the airline that I had all my points/status, bypassing my own corp policy.
“So, um hey, uh we screwed up... the company’s travel agent booked an employee's flight out of Nebraska, but he is in Virginia. How do we get to him to Denver?”
The agent and I laughed for a while, then she was able to use my airline points to help him out.
She found him a seat on a direct flight to Denver, and she put Karl on it.
Just like that, he went from being denied entry at security to getting:
- A better flight
- A nonstop trip (his typical flight home normally had a layover)
- A slight upgrade, think it was e-plus or something
Your Turn: What’s Your Best Travel Goof?
Ever had security refuse to let you through? Showed up at the wrong airport? Found yourself stranded somewhere you didn’t mean to be? Tell us your best travel mess-ups—I promise to laugh with you, not at you. Well… mostly. Drop your story in the comments!
(Publishing this a tad early so I don't forget twice)
