Infotriever is a fickle friend

Friday, 10. 12. 2007  –  Category: All Blog Posts, HR Technology, Workforce Software

OK – I said I had a passion for technology, but that’s cooled a bit this morning.  As any good BlackBerry addict does, I take advantage of all possible opportunities to manage my life within its cheerful interface.  That includes downloading flight information from our travel agent via Infotriever.  Normally, this works like a charm for me.  Today, for reasons I’ll detail, the ‘Berry failed me.  The good news, however, is that a number of wonderful human beings did not.  I’m sure they feel they were just doing their jobs, but they salvaged me from a potentially very bad day.

Travelogue so far today:

• Get to Dallas Fort Worth at 5:00 am for 6:30 am flight to Philadelphia with connection back to Boston.  Calendar view on ‘Berry tells me I’m on United 2036.  Stand in line for 30″ to self check.
• 5:30 am – Self check kiosk tells me I need to be at USAir, not United.  Having not clicked through to the details of my reservation, I have failed to note important “operated by USAirways” information. 
• 5:40 am – Waiting on curb for airport shuttle – takes a while to come.  Finally get shuttle at 5:55.  Driver tells me 10-15″ to make the loop and get to my terminal.  I explain my situation.  First Angel of the Day: Driver calls his supervisor, tells him he’s going to skip all stops and get me to my terminal asap.
• 6:05 am – Arrive at USAirways terminal.  Hike to ticket counters.  Bypass all fellow travelers and get attention of Second Angel of the Day: Ticket agent.  Mind you, this is all my fault because I didn’t check the complete info on the ‘Berry.  I am polite, but clearly distressed when she tells me there’s no way to get me and the bag on my scheduled flight.  She spends 10″ trying to book me on an alternative flight, with the poor outcome that all alternatives include flying standby.  She is unfailingly polite and truly sorry for my troubles.  I thank her for her time and efforts.
• 6:15 am – Call Third Angel of the Day: After Hours Operator at Travizon.  She hears my tale of woe, and quickly gets me on an American flight back to Boston at 9:00 am (I hope, bad weather in Boston right now).
• 6:30 am – Got Starbucks and wireless access and hoping for the best.

Lessons learned:

• Read the fine print on the Infotriever download.
• Terminal Link at DFW, USAirways, and Travizon should be proud of the great customer service I received from their employees today.