Trying to Get to Greece

In an initial effort to save some money, we make a couple of decisions in mid-summer.

1. We will fly standby using buddy passes provided by Bird’s father who works for the airline.  Buddy passes are $450 each and the cheapest tickets I could find were $900 each.  So we’ll be saving almost a thousand bucks right from the start.
2. We decide to go in the shoulder season of October hoping that a) tourist season will be pretty much over so hotels will be offering their low season prices and b) we have a better chance of making standby flights also because tourist season is over.

The obvious benefit of flying standby is the savings.  The problem is you don’t know for sure if you are going to make the flight you want, so it’s hard to plan the rest of your trip because you can’t make hotel reservations or ferry ticket bookings ahead of time.

So the question is:  Is saving $900 worth it when it keeps you from planning the rest of your trip and you factor in the potential anxiety of not knowing which flight you’re actually going to get on?

Friday, October 1

We are scheduled and assigned to catch an early morning flight from Minneapolis to NYC and then to catch a connecting overnight flight to Athens.  To make a long story short, due to bad weather in NY and just plain bad luck (flights were full or there were higher priority standbys), we don’t make any of the flights to JFK or LaGuardia on Friday.  We called my brother to come get us from the airport and we headed home and will try it again tomorrow.  One day of vacation wasted.  Frustration and anxiety levels rising.  Little vacation expenses already start adding up including buying breakfast at the airport along with bottles of water, etc.

Saturday, October 2

Oh, did I mention our luggage made it on the first flight to JFK on Friday even though we didn’t?  Saturday morning we arrive at the MSP airport only to find out our scheduled flight to JFK was canceled.  More stress.  We end up getting listed on the next flight to LaGuardia and we make this flight!  Yay!  We land at LaGuardia and take a cab over to JFK to find our luggage and make our connection to Athens that evening.

When it comes time for the standby passengers to get on, there is one seat available in business class and one in coach.  I tried to be a gentleman and give business class to Bird, but she has flown first class internationally on a couple of occasions and I never have so she lets me have it.

After all the frustration of the last two days, I’m starting to think this standby stuff is alright as I recline my seat way back and eat and drink my fill.

Cab fare, misc. airport costs, meals:  more little stuff that wasn’t exactly expected and we’re not even to Greece yet.