When you lay an egg.....

...you might as well sit back and take a good look at it.

Yesterday I took a phone call from an angry customer. He was understandably angry about his poor seat assignments on his flights to an upcoming Hawaii cruise.

Now, seat assignments on scheduled carriers are a pain. Especially on flights to Hawaii. Especially when we didn't know what specific flights these customers would be on until 30 days prior to the trip. (When you purchase air through the cruise line, flights are usually not assigned until 30 days prior.)

It is quite likely that the seat situation was every bit as dismal on the day the flights were booked as it was yesterday when the customer discovered it.

However, we'll never know! We didn't take the proactive step of inquiring as to the seats before the client ever got the documents.

Why?

Well, it really doesn't matter why. Any "why" would, at the core, be an excuse.

The fact of the matter is that we didn't. So, as a result, I find myself monitoring these flights to look for any movement in the seats. It's likely that we won't see any movement until right before the flight, which will cause worry for the customer.

Another fact of the matter is, we are constantly identifying ways to make things easier and nicer for the nice folks who trust us with their vacations. So, I find myself implementing procedures so that this doesn't happen again.

The great Walt Disney once said: "You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

...and so it goes.