Becky and I are planning a return trip to Brazil this spring and we are thrilled to be able to be a part of the thirtieth anniversary celebration at Igreja Presbiteriana no Jardim América! But getting-there part of the trip can be a bit of a downside. Even with good connections, a flight from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is 22 hours, 13 of those hours sitting on a plane – 10 hours overnight from Atlanta to Belo Horizonte. I suppose we could be flying to New Zealand, but by any count, 10 hours is a long time on an airplane squeezed into an economy class seat. Well worth it, however. So I found a good itinerary at a decent price and booked our seats.
A couple of weeks after confirming our reservations, the airline began to tempt us with upgrades to premium economy and even first class. At first the price of the upgrades was ridiculously high and even the thought of being comfortable for those 13 hours was not enough to click “buy.”
But then it appeared. An upgrade to first class that was cheaper than the upgrade to premium economy. I checked the travel blogs and on a per hour or per mile basis, the price was deemed exceptionally good. I booked it and began to dream about that glass of champagne as we boarded our flight and ten hours in a lie-flat seat.
It was too good to be true. Though the reservation and seat assignments appeared on my airline app, after a couple of days, the airline let me know that the new price was too good to be true. It was a system error and the upgrade never cleared. Sure enough, the charge on my credit card was still listed as “pending,” and I had not received a confirmation of the upgrade. The customer servant agent (while on live chat, still a human being) was helpful and apologetic. And she was correct. The upgrade had not been confirmed, the price was not charged to my card. Just a system error to shatter my dreams.
As I settled back into my economy-class reality, the agent ended our conversation by telling me, “It was a pleasure messaging with you today. Please reach out to us again if you need assistance with your upcoming travel. Have a great day, and thank you for being the best part of XXXX Air Lines!”
At least I am the best part of XXXX Airlines.
Too good to be true. The get rich quick scheme. The miracle cure. 28 Days to a New You – (the Chrisian version is more difficult, 50 Days to a New You in Christ, but don’t worry, you can do it in as little as ten minutes a day.)
We learn early on that some things are too good to be true. But still, some deals are so tempting. What is P.T. Barnum credited as saying? “There’s a sucker born every minute.” And W.C. Fields cautions us, “never give a sucker an even break.”
Yes, some things are too good to be true. But while it may be foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23), the gospel is too true not to be good news to all who believe (John 3:16). Let them call us foolish, but we are not suckers.
By the way, the airline kept on tempting me and I found another deal, not quite as good. I’ve received confirmation of the upgrade. I guess that’s what they do for you when you’re the best part of their airline. I’ll let you know if the champagne was any good.