E-Ticket Ride

I’ve put down deposits. I’ve made reservations. But today I finally made my first real travel purchase. And it’s not even for me. I bought P’s ticket to Shanghai--if “bought” is the word. I got the ticket by using up virtually all my United frequent flyer miles. (No, that’s a good thing.)

It’s amazing how far the process has come. I remember the first time I cashed in miles for a ticket. I think I had to send away for paper certificates saying I qualified. Then I had to take them to an airline office in downtown San Francisco and actually speak to a person, who grumpily gave me a paper ticket in return. (Then I got back in my buggy and trotted back to my apartment in the Barbary Coast.)

This time I was able to check my mileage level online, and automatically deduct the miles. A round-trip e-ticket to Shanghai, on a non-stop flight cost a grand total of $30.68--and about 10 minutes. I didn’t have to leave my house.

That made the horses very happy.