We’re Not Happy Until You’re Not Happy

You probably think this blog title in some way refers to my work in admission but in fact it was recently said to my mother by an airline customer service representative when my mother’s flight was cancelled and she was rerouted due to a crew oversleeping.

Many people think that admission work is glamorous; especially the travel associated with fall recruitment. It often appears to outsiders that admission representatives are almost jetsetters, flying to a new exotic city every week. In fact, there is very little glamour to it. I spent my entire morning yesterday trying to book and plan my Ohio itinerary which took me no more than 30 minutes in years past. Flight times, travel times, luggage capacities, and costs all come into play. I need to find the cheapest flight that gets me to my destination at a time that allows me to visit high schools and attend college fairs. I have to cross my fingers and hope that I make tight connections and I have to think long and hard about what and how to pack so that I do not get charged too much for extra checked bags. I now understand that one airline is going to begin charging $7. for the use of a pillow and blanket while on board and to avoid such silly charges I now have to pre-plan what to wear on board.

Finally, after searching every discount airline site (Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc) and calling my travel agent who smartly suggested Southwest, I was able to find a flight that gets me into Cleveland (assuming of course I make my 30 minute connection in Baltimore — thanks by the way Continental for no longer offering the direct flight from Norfolk to Cleveland) at a relatively early hour. If all the stars align in my favor I will be able to make it to Columbus by noon in order to visit two high schools in the area only to turn around and drive back to Cleveland (a two hour drive) that evening to visit schools in Cleveland the following day.

Feeling like travel was looking up I called the rental car company with which the College had a corporate account only to learn that the base rate for renting a car at the Seattle airport (for a different recruitment trip) is nearly $100. per day. But that is a story for a different blog.

– Wendy Livingston