A few days ago, I took a college trip with one of my children.

As we were boarding the plane, the gate attendant swiped our boarding passes. They bounced. We were informed that we couldn’t get on, as our connecting flight was cancelled. No warning via the mobile app. Just cancelled.

So, we hung out for a few hours to take a different flight.

The day before the return flight, I happened to compulsively check the Delta app. Flight cancelled. No other flights available until two days out. High school prom was in jeopardy.

So, I called the Delta number. Wait time of three hours. They said to opt-in for a virtual queue to get an automatic call back. I did so. No call back.

So, we decided to cut short our trip by a day and fly back that night. I hurriedly found online a direct flight home on Southwest. But, it was leaving very soon. So, I called Southwest as we raced back to the hotel, packed up and rushed to the airport. We got home at 1 a.m., but, at least, we were home. Prom was saved for $1,000.

Meanwhile, my Delta app kept buzzing. Hey, the original flight was back on, but delayed. The app kept buzzing. Eventually, that 6 am flight did take off, but at 6 pm. Of course, we would have wildly missed our connection.

I called Delta again to get a refund. Wait time of two hours. Another call back option for which I opted in. They never called.

So, I decided to contact my credit card company to reverse the charges. I figured it would be more efficient if I made them chase Delta to get the refund. And, I decided to do the chat session with American Express. It was great. They said they were suspending those charges.

Three merchants that use technology. Two very good outcomes.

Thanks, American Express and Southwest Airlines!