Why is it so "ridiculous"?......

[Tria]

Stop it! You're all scaring the boggart!

[Gravekeeper]

Tell them to come to Hawaii for a hotel room. $69 won't seem so ridiculous then! I don't think there's ANY hotel rooms for under $150 a night. Even the dumps charge that much!

Isn't that the truth. Every time I get a call for a stranded passenger in Honolulu looking for a room at a distressed rate its all I can do to tell them "Don't hold your breath.". I've never, ever had a room available in Hawaii for a distressed rate. Ever. In the 5 years I've worked the line.

I'm curious as to what the benchmark is they're measuring things against to come up with "ridiculous." Most of the *discounted* rates I have for stranded folks sit around $64-89. With some topping $100. We have the rare hotel for fantastic discounted prices ( 39 to 49 ) but they are not hotels you want to stay in. They're cheap for a reason.

[Dave1982]

GOD I hate that word. I especially hate when people say that about Staples.com shipping charges. A flat $7.95 for NEXT DAY shipping, not matter how bulky your order is. Try shipping a case of paper UPS Ground on your own for anything less than that.....and that's not even next day! Anyway....

Back in 2004, I was on a road trip with a friend and we stayed at a Motel 6 in Maryland for $52.05 ($49 plus tax). Quite a bargain. On the return leg we stayed at a Red Roof Inn for something like $79 plus tax (we took a different route back, otherwise I'd have quite happily gone back to the Motel 6).

In 2006, we took a similar trip and wound up paying $89 + tax for both overnights at a dumpy Red Roof Inn in Ohio. And these were the CHEAPEST rates we could find. $69 is FAR from ridiculous.