How the United Mobile App Saved our Vacation

So we had quite the morning trying to leave Denver for a week in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

It's a bit of a long story but worth telling for a couple of reasons.  First, to reiterate the huge benefits of having the United (or your favorite airline) mobile app downloaded on your phone.   Second, this is my blog and I can write about whatever I want.

We woke up this morning with plenty of time to shower, pack, have breakfast and head to DEN for our 10:15AM direct flight to Cancun.  In the middle of packing, Emily noticed there was a pretty strong odor in our laundry room and shower.  It smelled like gas.  Our first thought was "this can't be good" but we weren't exactly sure what to do other can call the gas company and get their thoughts.  We called the emergency line and they said that we should get out of the house immediately and they would send someone out "within the next hour or so."  So we left the house essentially in our pajamas with the lights on and walked across the street to get some coffee.

A long day but it will certainly be worth it

At this point, we had no idea how long they would take to arrive.  You would think they would rush over to anyone reporting a gas leak but apparently that's not the case.  So we knew we weren't going to make our 10:15 flight.  So I logged on to the United app, checked my flight options via the Same Day Change feature which is available to United Gold elites and higher.  The second direct flight of the day (12:38 PM) was available.  Within 3 minutes I had us confirmed on that flight with seats together.  Amazing.  Another hour goes by and the gas company finally shows up.  We check the house and it isn't a natural gas leak.  Well that's good.

We realized that the odor (which really smelled more like lighter fluid) was coming from our neighbor's house who is in the midst of redoing her hardwood floors.  Once we confirmed that our house wasn't going to blow up the neighborhood, it was time to refocus our energy on vacation.  I logged on to the United app again and to my amazement, there were two seats available on the earlier (10:15 AM) flight and it was 8:40AM.  It was going to be close but we decided to go for it.  So I booked us back on the earlier flight.

Emily finished packing, I ordered the Uber, and we were on our way in 10 minutes.  But the Uber driver drove like an 85 year old Floridian with an expired license.  We literally arrived at the airport at 9:14.  International checked baggage cutoff is 60 minutes.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  We raced to the ticket counter and arrived at the kiosk at 9:16.  That meant we could make the flight but couldn't check our bags.  After all that, we missed it by ONE minute.  And Emily's bag was the size of a small car.  So we were stuck taking the later flight.

Off to Mexico...finally!

As I write this from the comfort of my E+ seat at 35,000 feat, getting to Mexico for a week of relaxing two hours late certainly doesn't feel like a big deal.  But it was a bit of a crazy morning so decided to write about it.  It's not everyday that you are able to change your flight three times from your cell phone within the span of two hours while waiting to see if you have a gas leak in your house.

Hope everyone has a relaxing and uneventful weekend.  Time for a cocktail and some beach time...