Help!Trying to get Daughter home
 

I haven't seen my daughter in almost a year and was hoping someone had a spare NW PD935 available.She is in Jackson,MS.in school and need to fly her to Moline,IL. or Cedar Rapids,IA. for the week of Set.4-11.Current fare is over $300.I've tried all the fare sales but JAN just isn't a popular place to fly out of or into so if anyone could help I would be,oh so greatful.

If cost is more important than comfort and time, she could take Amtrak to Mt. Pleasant for $224 roundtrip.

Or, if you can drive a little more to pick her up, Amtrak is $150 to Champaign, IL. Not the greatest timings, but cheaper.

Cost is a biggie but she is only going to be 15 the end of Sept. so I am afraid to let her go by train or bus.

With some common sense and a few precautions, I don't know why there should be any problem with train or bus, especially if there are no transfers. Heck, kids much younger than 15 use buses and subways in many major US cities everyday, and travel by bus & train. What risks do you see?

I see these occasionally on Flyertalk.com.

Select Forums, and then The Coupon Connection.

Good luck.

Can't somebody just send her the coupon code?

Have her go by train. Train or bus, once someone gets her on it will pretty much be the same as on a plane. No one can kidnap her since, except for bathroom trips, she'll always be surrounded by people. Personally, I consider a train safer, partly because of highway issues.

You will have to forgive me for my maternal worries but Amtrak or bus would take over 24 hours and I do worry about all the people she will be surrounded by for those 24+hours.It was just a request for help from someone that would not be using their PD.Thank you for your time but I will look for a bit of human kindness elsewhere.

I don't think it's fair to insinuate that there's no human kindness on here just because no one was able to give you specifically what you want!
If it is that important that you FLY your daughter, as opposed to using the train, then find the money for the flight. If you are that concerned over the type of people she would be around on the train, then $300 is not that much in the big scheme of things.

I also thought Patty's reply was sort of a slap in the face too.

What kind of people take the train? Pretty much the same sort that fly, many because they are afraid to fly, some just for a little variety in their travel plans. Like me. I could just as likely be on either ... totally lacking in human kindness! Did you think that maybe none of us HAVE the code you request? Better yet, a post with the subject "Seeking NW Coupon (PD935)" may have yielded better results than "Help!Trying to get Daughter home". We've all done our best to get your daughter home, but you reply with a put-down.

One other thing: so what if it will take 24 hours? Sounds like your kid is "time rich and dollar poor". Does the phrase "Champagne tastes and a beer budget" have any relevance here?

Yes, a slap in the face no only to those here but an affront to all train passengers. The implication is that train people are somehow lower class, rowdy or distasteful. I've met some of the best people on trains and some of the worst buffoons on planes.

Plus, it's not any 24 hours. That nice $150 fare to Champaign mentioned earlier is only just over 12 hours. PLUS, it's on the City of New Orleans, one of the finest trains in the Amtrak stable.

OP's requirement was lowest cost, nothing about perfect convenience.

Unbelievable Gall.

Are you guys KIDDING me???
YOU GUYS started it by making her CONCERN AS A MOM seem SILLY and DISMISSING it!
She was NOT asking for our opinion on whether train or bus was safe. She was asking for a coupon.

Patty: I wish I had a coupon for you but I don't. Sorry.

patty7334 - I was over at a friends house last night and saw that he just received the Valu-pak (I believe that's what they are called) coupons in the mail. Inside was a NWA certificate which I bummed off of him as I would like to use it for a Fall trip to Europe. Maybe other folks on this forum will not be using theirs if they received them in the mail and they can pass along the reference code and unique sequence of numbers at the bottom of each certificate. Do you get the Valu-pak coupons where you live? Have you checked with family and friends? Sorry I can't be of assistance. Good luck!

Well, "caribtraveler", I guess I was the one who questioned why her concerns, which was not dismissing them, but asking, rationally, what risks does she see of train travel vs flying. Per her title line, she was looking to "get Daughter home" ... and while she requested the coupon ("I would be,oh so greatful" (sic)) she showed what an ingrate she really is by her reply because none of us had the coupon. I'll throw out mine when I receive the val-pak mailing, whereas I'd normally have offered to mail it to her.

Maybe I'm overly suspicious... but something seems strange here. Why can patty afford to send the daughter away to school yet not afford to bring her home for a visit? She says she hasn't seen her in almost a year and now wants her home at a time when most schools are starting up for the year. The timing and circumstances seem a bit odd, but maybe I am being too judgemental.

I'm with you Taggie. It all sounds a bit funny. What has her daughter been doing all summer? Why does she need to come home for the specific week of Sep 4-11? Why doesn't the mother take the train to MS to see her daughter? Hmmmmm?

Well, just so y'all know I'm not entirely a "hard-ass" -- I think that the girl probably lives with her dad, and that Patty no longer lives close to her .... and that Patty is also quite anxious about this reunion. Maybe Patty's work schedule won't allow for her to travel to daughter. I realize that things aren't always easy for people, especially (assuming) single moms and people (especially women) returning to the workplace, that not everyone has the disposable income that I have.

And being an optimist (really, I am!), I want to think that Patty has read this, is ashamed for her comments, and just hasn't yet been able to apologize. (but still, no coupon for you!)

For people that have a NW coupon, there is another set of requests in the Airline section if you'd like to help.

If she can get to Little Rock, she can fly Southwest to Chicago Midway.

(Not touching the rest of this conversation LOL)