Now that you have got me going, there will be no stopping me. Today I flew from Atlanta to St. Louis via Chicago on AA. I must say, the FF G-d's were with me, given all of the bad weather and delays that other travelers experienced today. I was booked out of Atlanta on the 7:50 p.m. flight on a restricted ticket. I finished my business a lot earlier than expected and arrived at the airport at 3 p.m. Based on previous advice from fellow FF's on this board, I headed straight for the Admiral's Club and did not check bags.

Upon inquiring about an earlier flight, I was told that there was a 3:40 p.m. flight which was over-sold by two people, and that there were lots of people on the standby list because the previous flight to Chicago had been cancelled. However, the very helpful lady at the AC advised me to stand by for the flight because only one of the folks on the standby list had a higher status than moi. Sure enough, after everyone else had boarded, I got a seat. Not only did I get a seat, but it was in the 4th row from the front of coach and it was an isle seat - oh well, I guess that I have to think back to all those nights being stuck at DFW. There were plenty of stranded folks left behind. I felt really bad, because a lot of these people had their earlier flight cancelled and I got on ahead of them as a last minute standby.

Hello ORD! What a disaster! Twenty degrees below, flights cancelled left, right and center, snow all over the runways - I have never seen so many snowploughs in my life. STL was even worse. No flights from ORD to STL had taken off all day - ALL had been cancelled. I went straight to the AC once again - checked out the latest FF posts on FlyerTalk and go onto the standby list for the next STL flight (which was delayed by 30 minutes. Got to the gate, waited till everyone boarded, first priority on the standby list (even though I had only been put on the list one and a half hours before), not only got a seat on the flight, but also got upgraded to 1st class to make room for other standbys. Enjoyed two Glenlievits (sp?) (Scotch for those who are not Scotch whiskey drinkers - AA carries only two, and only in 1st class, on all domestic flights) before take-off (they de-iced the plane which took 45 minutes), and a lovely smoked chicken quesedilla (sp?). Coach had a choice of peanuts or pretzels on the fifty-minute flight.

Now, I must admit that I was very lucky with my travels today. However, after feeling bad for a while about those folks who did not make the flights that I did, and whom had been waiting for hours, I realized that many times in the past I have been one of those people, and for once, even with the bad weather, I managed to arrive at my destination two and a half hours before schedule. This is my first year as an AAdvantage Platinum member and only now do I truly appreciate the rewards that we as FF's enjoy from spending so much time on planes, in hotels and in airports. I guess what I am trying to say is that those of you whom are privileged enough to be FF's and have status with airlines, don't forget what a privilege it is and how much you benefit. Time for me to get off my soapbox and bid all of ye wonderful folk happy and sagfe travels.

TCrazy

The FF gods smile sometimes!

Your story warms my heart! Well put!

TC - be careful....

The Scots make Scotch *whisky*
The Irish drink *whiskey*

They can be sensitive types!!

PS - thanks for the trip report - and may the ff gods be with you. You've earned all this good flying karma...

I had a similar experience the year beofore. I was waiting in the National Airport President's Club, with my gold elite upgrate taken care of. Half an hour before take off, the lady at the front desk approached me and informed me that the flight was canceled due to mechanical problems. However, she had already booked me on a Delta flight and will actually get me home 1 hour ahead of schedule. When I walked out the door and saw how long the line of angry/anxious passengers of the canceled flight in front of the customer service counter, I realized being the top elite, and paying for the lounge surely made the difference.

TCrazy, Think positive and positive things happen--Your report is truly a gem and does point out how all the time we spend on airplanes can be beneficial. I, too, have had a experience where CO Gold Elite paid off.

Now for the Glenlevitt--a man after my taste buds. Glenlevitt and a good Cubano are the best things that have happened to me with my boots on.

Great post, TravelCrazy. I'm wondering how you can "honor" the FrequentFlyer "gods" for smiling on your in your travels?

IT's another example of why it's great to earn elite in a program. But be prepared that this will not happen EVERYTIME. Just
remember that it can happen.

I think another "plus" in your favor is that
you seem like a friendly and personable guy
so that might have impressed the airline "powers that be."

Being nice can help you avoid the "price" of
being stranded. CATMAN