The Hometown Airline only charged $150 to carry my bike to France this year. That's a savings of $150 over past years and, whether it was because the check-in lady appreciated my 3-hour-early-arrival or my good-natured chatter or simply made a mistake, I will never know. More theories: could a high-level Hometown Airline exec have given up his golf clubs for a bicycle, and then decided to re-look at the $300 each way policy? Or could it be that, as Hometown Airline's customer service ratings continue to fall, employee training or morale is collateral (or causative) damage--that is to say, she just picked a big number and didn't know better?
Whatever theory you choose, my delight has been short-lived. I'm in France and my bike isn't. Apparently, the $150 "deal" doesn't get your bike on the same flight as you. ATLANTA-DUBLIN-PAU, only to find out the bike stayed in Atlanta. Hmmm. It is now Day 1, with Day 0 being Arrival Day, and several of The Boyz put in a good hard 50 km warmup while I called the airport and hung out with later arrivees and helped Rich assemble his bike.
The word is Ol' Blue made Dublin last night but there are no flights to Pau today so Hometown Airline, with Air France's help, will fly it through Paris to Pau. If all goes perfectly, it will arrive at my hotel before 8 AM tomorrow. This could get serious....
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