I was told by Air Canada reservations that there is a HUGE lineup of people trying to fly out of here on standby, and because my priority code is the lowest on the list, this means that I will keep going to the bottom of the pile. There were so many people booked to try for standby flights over the next few days that I was advised to not even try for another standby flight until Monday (May 12). So I am currently booked on Monday's flight to Vancouver.
Here's the trick though. I need to be out of the country by May 15th at the latest because that's when my health insurance runs out. I can call and extend it, but even so, I *HAVE* to be home absolutely no later than May 20th, since I will need a few days to deal with the jet lag and get myself ready for the whitewater canoeing course I'm on May 23-25.
My concern is that if I don't make the standby flight on Monday and the standby situation doesn't get any better, I might have to bite the bullet and buy a ticket home.
I've spent the past several hours digging through the travel websites, trying to find good deals. I can fly from here to Vancouver for about $1500 on either the 9th or the 11th. All other dates the price goes up to $1828. So if I don't book myself a real ticket right now, then Dave, I'm sorry but I can't come out your way.
I could theoretically try flying back to Ottawa from Vancouver via standby, if I make it out to see Dave and Carly and the kids. There are also some good deals with both WestJet and Air Canada where I could fly to Ottawa around the 20th for about $300.
I can fly from here to Ottawa for anywhere between $2031 and $2250 depending on the day.
So I need some advice. I don't know what to do next:
- Do I wait 'till Monday and try to be on that flight?
- If I don't get on that flight, do I keep trying and hope for the best? Or do I buy a ticket home, hoping the prices haven't gone up?
- Do I buy a ticket home now? If so, should I stop in BC or just come straight home?
