Executive Travel

* Name: Charlotte Bernard

* Position: Art consultant, Santa Monica

I bought a discounted round-trip ticket to visit my sisters in Vermont and Connecticut. I did not discover until I was getting my baggage ready for the return flight from Vermont that I did not have my return ticket. I phoned my sister in Connecticut and she confirmed that the ticket was there. She read the numbers off to me and I subsequently called the airline and confirmed my flight. However, when we reached the terminal, they would not acknowledge that I had had a ticket, even though I gave them the ticket numbers. While I argued with them--they wanted me to purchase a full-fare, one-way return ticket--my other sister whispered in my ear, “Don’t argue; write out a check and you can cancel it after you get home!” Which is exactly what I did. In the meantime, my sister in Connecticut mailed my ticket to me. I wrote a letter to the airline explaining why I canceled the check and enclosed my ticket. They, in turn, wrote me a very apologetic letter and said they were sorry for my inconvenience.