vmac+cheese

that United Airlines charges TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS to e-mail you an e-receipt on flights you’ve already taken.

I couldn’t believe it either.

Today, I called the airline on behalf of a colleague to get a copy of the receipt on a trip he took last week. We had the flight itinerary, but nothing that showed dollar amount — which is obviously needed for a legit expense report.

United’s online e-receipt system wasn’t working, so I thought, no sweat, I’ll just phone up the airline and have them e-mail it to us. I’ve done it before with other airlines, and it’s never been an issue.

Long story short: I was re-routed several times by very unhelpful “customer service” reps, only to be told that an e-mail — yes, a frikkin’ E-MAIL — telling us how much we ALREADY spent with their stupid airline would cost us an additional $25. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

Between the exorbitant baggage fees, the $10 soggy sandwiches you can only purchase on board, the disappearance of in-flight entertainment, and of course the general headaches of air travel (most recent flight to New York: the plane circled Newark for an hour, RAN OUT OF GAS, had to fly to Allentown, Pennsylvania, re-fuel, wait on the tarmac for an hour, then fly BACK to Newark, circled for another 45 minutes, then finally landed), it’s all enough to make you want to stay home.

Until you realize that somewhere across the great blue sea, this is waiting for you (Serenity now!):

Filed under: Just thinking...