This post is dedicated
to my mate-in-cheapness, Andrea.
So a few weeks ago I found a one-way flight on Thai Airways from Delhi to Los Angeles for $640. It was far cheaper than anything else I’d seen in weeks. I booked it, but with Thai Airways in India, you can’t pay for the flight online; you have to book the flight and then come into a Thai Airways office within 72 hours to pay for it.
It was my last day in Kolkata (and my last chance to make the payment, as I wouldn’t be in a major city with Thai Airways office again for another two weeks), and it was around 3:45 pm, almost two hours before the office closed. I went online for half an hour to look up the directions and check email and then rushed out, intending to go straight to the office. I asked how much for the Internet.
“Twenty rupees,” the man said. Forty cents.
I paused. In Kolkata, 20 rupees is usually what you pay for an hour, so half an hour should have been 10 rupees (20 cents).
“How much for an hour?” I asked.
“Twenty rupees is the minimum,” he said.
“Yes, but how much for the hour, sir?”
He tried to ignore me. I poked him.
“Twenty rupees.”
I went back to the computer and sat down. If I had to pay for an extra half an hour anyway, I might as well use some of it.
The lowest price was still with Thai Airways. But for some reason, the price had dropped to 22,298 rupees. I did the math and my jaw dropped—it was now about $440 for the exact same flight I currently had booked. I quickly re-booked the flight at the new price, and soon after left to pay for it.
I was literally on my way out the door to pay $640 for a flight that was now $440, and the only thing that stopped me was the café owner declaring I had to pay 20 rupees regardless of whether I used half an hour or one hour. Thank God I’m so cheap I won’t even waste 20 cents. It saved me $200.
So a few weeks ago I found a one-way flight on Thai Airways from Delhi to Los Angeles for $640. It was far cheaper than anything else I’d seen in weeks. I booked it, but with Thai Airways in India, you can’t pay for the flight online; you have to book the flight and then come into a Thai Airways office within 72 hours to pay for it.
It was my last day in Kolkata (and my last chance to make the payment, as I wouldn’t be in a major city with Thai Airways office again for another two weeks), and it was around 3:45 pm, almost two hours before the office closed. I went online for half an hour to look up the directions and check email and then rushed out, intending to go straight to the office. I asked how much for the Internet.
“Twenty rupees,” the man said. Forty cents.
I paused. In Kolkata, 20 rupees is usually what you pay for an hour, so half an hour should have been 10 rupees (20 cents).
“How much for an hour?” I asked.
“Twenty rupees is the minimum,” he said.
“Yes, but how much for the hour, sir?”
He tried to ignore me. I poked him.
“Twenty rupees.”
I went back to the computer and sat down. If I had to pay for an extra half an hour anyway, I might as well use some of it.
I started to
check my favorite news sites, and then thought, oh, I should re-check the price
of my flight. Of course, I didn’t expect it to fall. $640 was already a good
deal.
The lowest price was still with Thai Airways. But for some reason, the price had dropped to 22,298 rupees. I did the math and my jaw dropped—it was now about $440 for the exact same flight I currently had booked. I quickly re-booked the flight at the new price, and soon after left to pay for it.
I was literally on my way out the door to pay $640 for a flight that was now $440, and the only thing that stopped me was the café owner declaring I had to pay 20 rupees regardless of whether I used half an hour or one hour. Thank God I’m so cheap I won’t even waste 20 cents. It saved me $200.
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