xx Transcription for American Express tape 15a: A 6-26-89 Hi this is A xx [recording notification] xx and what can I help you with I'd like to make a reservation for B C xx [charge number, etc] xx ok and what does he need to do he wants to go on July fourth uh TWA eight six two xx that goes to Washington D.C.? right xx business class or or coach? um he has an upgrade to business right? xx yeah ok xx they basically pay full coach although see with his TWA frequent flyer xx number I sh- I can probably get a little better discount than full coach ok xx that's basically what, how it works. and then uh return? uh can you give me the time on that? xx yes one second. that leaves seven forty five a.m. out of San Francisco xx and arrives Washington Dulles at three twenty seven p.m. TWA flight eight xx sixty two ok and returning July fifth xx leaving in the evening? uh flight ( sixty three xx [chatter] xx uh huh. ok that's available that leaves Washington Dulles at four forty xx five p.m.and arrives San Francisco at seven ten seven ten xx [hotel, car, seating] ok xx just give you a fare on this one ?? xx the round trip fare on that would be nine thirty eight without restrictions ok xx I could get a slightly lower fare if I used restrictive fares xx for instance on United coming back rather than TWA I know he wants TWA but xx I just have to advise you that I (ok xx can) get nine eighteen round trip if I used that that's not really much xx difference anyway ok um I- I'll let him know xx [ticketing] xx ok then let me, the fare's going up after tomorrow how about if I go ahead xx and ticket 'em tomorrow then ok xx would that be all right? yeah xx ok ok you'll have them then all right xx thanks a lot thanks xx bye bye xx ----- xx Can I help you? yes A I'd like to make reservations for C xx [recording notification, checking name spelling, charge number] xx ok B what does he need to do? he needs to go SFO to Seattle xx mm hmm and he would like to go at seven o'clock arriving there (at eight xx uh what) date oh beg your pardon twenty ninth of June xx and that's seven a.m.? seven a.m. he has A S uh I guess that's (Alaska xx Alaska) flight one sixty one? that's correct xx and when's he returning uhh he'd like to return on the same day at five on Alaska ninety six xx ok that's available. the best fare I can get on that round trip is six ten six hundred and ten (dollars? xx mm hmm.) he's not qualified for any discounts cause he's not staying xx over (Saturday night oh I see) ok well uh would it be the same with United Airlines? xx mm hmm yeah they have exactly the same fares oh that's absolutely terrible if he stayed overnight xx well if he stayed over a Saturday night oh a Saturday xx yeah I mean if you purchase at least seven days in advance yeah yeah xx and stays over a Saturday night that's pretty much the only way you can xx get a discount going to Seattle good grief (Charlie Brown xx and then it) brings it down to you know like two fifty to three hundred xx dollars round trip w- w- but who's one to go on the weekend? xx mm hmm umm all right well he's not going on the weekend so it's six ten xx ok right xx [hotel, ticketing] xx ok we're all set then thank you xx thanks a lot bye xx bye bye xx ----- A uh need to make some air reservations xx [recording notification] xx ok great who's the reservation for? B. C. D [spelling of D] xx [pulling profile, charge number, etc] xx ok fine. ok just one second here. ok and then what does he need to do? ok on Monday the seventeenth of July SFO to Denver xx leaving at what time? late morning, early afternoon I guess that would be in the ten to two window if possible xx ok (there's would) prefer United but he does not want something for which we'll be charged a giant fee if there's a change you know a penalty xx ok yeah and he and that can be on any airline I mean any any flight you xx can request a non penalty fare oh xx they're just generally higher, more expensive how much more? xx well let's see is he staying over Saturday night as it is? no xx then it probably won't be a ma- a major difference if there's any at all um xx let me find the flights then I can tell you both ways ok great xx uh there's a flight out at eleven oh eight on United gets into Denver at xx two twenty nine would that be good for him or would he like something xx later ther- the next later flight on United isn't until two twenty nine xx in the afternoon so that's a little outside that window I think eleven oh eight he'd leave here what nine thirty to get to the airport? xx oh yeah uh huh yeah that's great xx and then uh re- return? returning on Wednesday the nineteenth xx leaving at what time? this is a tighter window, between ten and twelve noon xx well there's a flight at twelve noon exactly ahh! xx arriving one thirty six how would that be? oh that's marvelous! xx good. so let me just check the fare xx well let's see ok if we used a penalty fare which I know he doesn't xx want it would be five sixty eight round trip uh non penalty is six xx forty four so it's less than a hundred dollers difference xx so you want to go with the non penalty? I guess we better, that's not a huge difference in these terms? xx No not really xx [chatter] xx mm hmm ok usually I mean if he was staying over Saturday night for xx instance and able to get an excursion that would cut the fare by, in xx half probably, or you know less than half of what he's paying Ahhh xx [seating] I know. Do you have the flight numbers up or are they someplace else? xx flight eight twenty between San Francisco and Denver ok xx leaving eleven oh eight arriving two twenty nine uh huh xx and flight three forty three Denver to San Francisco leaving at twelve xx noon and arriving at one thirty six and those are both United xx mm hmm xx [limo, seating, hotel, car] xx ok. how soon do you want the tickets on these? xx the fares are not guaranteed until we ticket xx [ticketing] is it better to wait or to do it now wha- whatever you recommend xx it's it's really got advantages both ways like I said the fare's not xx guaranteed so if they suddenly decided to change the fares they could xx but they haven't indicated they have any plans to that effect although xx they don't always let us know (ahead of time yeah) xx uh you know if you do if you're sure and everything is, looks like it's xx right that does guarantee it and this has no penalties on it, so in that xx sense I might recommend that he go ahead and and ticket it (ok xx uh) but on the other hand I don't think you'd really risk a lot by waiting xx if you prefer to do that let's go on and do it xx go ahead and ticket it ok yeah xx ?? there's no penalties so even if he finds out oh I wanted to go out on xx Sunday rather than Monday it shouldn't be any really difficulty in xx changing it, so I'll set these up for ticketing tomorrow then ok xx [limo] ok. also I am going to be personal tr- uh travel going back to Chicago around the Christmas holiday. when do I need to make reservations and can I, I will definitely be staying over the Saturday night is there xx I wouldn't wait too much longer it's amazing oh xx you know by the end of s- like August some markets start to, you could xx probably at least still get it in September you know probably by October xx though you'll find it really difficult to find the excursion space But (I should definitely xx the most the most) inexpensive ah I should definitely do it in July? xx uh well I mean you you really guarantee it now xx [monologue on pros and cons of early ticket purchase] xx so you see you sort of weigh the guaranteeing that you get the lowest xx fare per right now I mean what they sell right now against possible changes xx in your itinerary or possible changes in the fares by the airline. what are we looking at round trip, cheapo xx to to where? to Chicago xx (Chicago from SFO), or San Jose I don't care xx it's probably going to about the same. actually do do you have dates in xx mind I could just have a look and see what they look like right now ohh either Friday the twenty second or Saturday the twenty third and returning uh the twenty seventh or twenty eighth Wednesday or Thursday xx ok at this point both dates are wide open. uh as far as the dates you've xx just given me the only thing that would affect your fare is Thursday the xx twenty eighth. uh the breakoff point between weekday fares and weekend fares xx is at twelve noon Thursdays, so if you came back leaving after noon on xx Thursday you would pay a little bit h- higher than you would before that xx or on Wednesday Ahhh! xx but otherwise the Friday Saturday is the same fare it's considered weekend. xx uh and there's a few flights that show a f- a few a little space sold but xx hardly any for the most part those are wide open dates at this point. let xx me just look at the fares. xx the fare I'm getting coming back on Wednesday or before noon on Thursday xx on United is three seventy three round trip it looks like that's based xx on a a slightly higher fare on the outbound. they've blacked out the xx lowest fare on that day on the twenty second. the return though is using xx the lowest fare. xx So it's still non refundable a little bit more than what you'd pay if it xx was not Christmas but not by much xx [chatter] xx but for that fare uh well it has to be purchased at least fourteen days in xx advance which I'm sure you'll do because if you waited until fourteen xx days at Christmas time you wouldn't get the yeah xx ?? anyway no way xx uh uh it's like I said non refundable and they don't allow you to hold xx a reservation without ticketing, so ok xx like I you know I said uh t-this is a guess and I can't guarantee xx it but I would say you'd probably be safe waiting through e- into September. xx you know and ?? but the longer you wait too there may still be space but xx you may have to be more flexible in your times. xx you know the more in advance you make the reservation the more chance you xx have of having exactly the flight you want. xx [chatter about Christmas] will there be much difference between the Friday and the Saturday? xx uh right now I'm showing them both wide open um I think they're both xx going to be really bad days because they're the beginning of a weekend yeah xx [more chatter] ok thanks again xx you're welcome (Bye Bye xx Bye Bye)