This SSSSucks

For the second time in last six months, I have had a flight cancelled at the last minute. Weather was NOT a factor in either case and both times the airline was United.

This last time, I am 98% certain that the flight was cancelled b/c it was too empty. Just minutes before we were supposed to board there were only about 30 people at the gate waiting to board.

I managed to get rebooked on an American Eagle flight leaving four hours later, but it was still really frustrating.

Part of my frustration stemmed from the fact that when you book your ticket through one carrier and then get rebooked through another, you're more likely to be issued a boarding pass with the dreaded "SSSS" code on it.

I don't know what "SSSS" stands for. "Sucks to be you, you Sad, Sorry Sucker!" is the closest I can come up with, though "Selected for Secondary Security Scan" may be more likely.

Anyway, what it amounts to is this:

1. I checked in
2. I went through Security and sat down to wait at the gate
3. The flight was delay 30 min
4. The flight was cancelled
5. We all got up to go back to ticketing to get rebooked
6. The United Airlines Rep at the gate got on the intercom to assure us that the flight was NOT cancelled
7. We all sat down
8. The United Airlines Rep at the gate got on the intercom to say "Oops! My bad! It IS cancelled!" (This is a whole 'nother issue that I will be discussing with Cust Serv soon!)
9. We all got up to go back to ticketing to get rebooked
10. After waiting 45 min, I got rebooked on American Eagle
11. I went to Security and had to go through the whole pat-down, bag search rigmarole - regardless to the fact that I had already been through Security once already and was only going through a 2nd time because United Airlines are a bunch of cockknockers.

Sigh.

But I was nice about it. I know it's a precaution.

But I couldn't help feeling like insult had been heaped on top of injury. It was like being pissed on after being knocked over.

But whatever. I'm home now and I will make a concerted effort NOT to fly the Friendly Skies again anytime soon.