dickinson, I see where you're coming from, though I normally assumed that was reserved for "I am Kanye!" vs. "I am a Platinum member." But, fair enough .

DenverBrian, I get the ribbing ;-). And yet, joking aside, I'm more bummed about the airlines' lack of thoughtfulness in a grander, less selfish sense. $450 ain't gonna break me. But I imagine the no-exceptions policies of airlines quite frequently cause significant financial/emotional pain to others who may have made an innocent mistake (accidentally plugged in a date wrong and didn't doublecheck, booked award tickets for the family but then have to pay $800 in "redeposit fees" if they can't go, etc.) You could argue -- in many cases, justifiably -- hey, it's hard for airlines to make judgment calls! And people should take more personal responsibility.

And yet... as with the positive examples I mentioned initially... MANY other companies seem to manage just fine. And while people can and typically do take personal responsibility (I use Asana for task management / date tracking), everyone makes mistakes sometimes. And it's the kind, thoughtful companies that actually do make exceptions and provide great customer service, IMHO.

Costco: lost your receipt? A month past warranty? No worries!
LL Bean: ordered the wrong jacket size and even wore it skiing? No prob, we'll take it back and refund you in full.

See why I'm disappointed? It's not just about the $450. It's about the feeling for me personally and for folks at large... the 'gotchas' with the airlines can just wear you down and make you sad :\.