very, very sad

[lindaj]

"Hello, United Airlines."
"Hi, I'd like to book a ticket from Boston to Santa Fe."
"Is that Santa Fe, Argentina, or Santa Fe, New Mexico?"
"Oh, sorry. That would be New Mexico."
"Well, you'll need to phone our International Reservations department."
"And why exactly would that be?"
"Because you want to buy a ticket to New Mexico."

Comments

[plymouth.livejournal.com]

wow, that's special. while I might sadly expect the occasional random convenient store clerk or such to not know that new mexico is part of the US, you'd think that people working for airlines would have had to book enough tickets to there to have figured out where it is. *sigh*

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm not even asking that the average American be able to list all 50 states on command. 50 is a rather a large number, and you're bound to forget one or two, and then wake in the middle of the night two days later, alarming your bed partner by exclaiming "South Dakota!" or something. But, gee folks, can't we at least recognize them when we hear them? Especially if we work for an airline, in the reservations department?

[spatch]

You know, I always thought that kind of story was an urban legend, designed to make us all shake our heads and laugh, but now that I've heard it's actually happened, I'm not so sure about the laughing part anymore.

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

My friends from New Mexico tell me that this happens all the time.

The NM license plates even say "New Mexico, USA" on them, because residents were often stopped and hassled by police when driving in other states.

Almost as bad (or maybe worse?) as my grandmother reporting that she was often asked, "OK, sure, you're from Rhode Island...but what state are you from?"

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this comment.

"South Dakota"!

You're making this up

[elphaba-of-oz.livejournal.com]

I don't believe that anyone could be so ignorant about their own country. Please tell me that this is fiction. Please?

If it isn't fiction, it explains last November's national election pretty well.

[tigira.livejournal.com]

Um, ok, I grew up in the SAME educational system as all these folks, and I know that NM and RI are STATES. Oy.

These folks really just must have slept through elementary school. It's the only explanation. And even that I don't get - heck, elementary school WAS fun and games!

[blaisepascal]

Hmm, I guess I was wrong, then. I didn't think RI was a state. I thought it was a Commonwealth (specifically, the Commonwealth of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations).

But I just checked the RI State Constitution, and it's a state, not a commonwealth. It's still "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" though.

I wonder when that changed, or if I was just mistaken.

[skitten.livejournal.com]

I'm geographically challenged and that seems idiotic to me *lol*

Re: You're making this up

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

Sorry to disappoint you, Elphaba. This is an accurate paraphrase of a conversation that I had with a United Airlines agent last night.

The agent then hung up on me when I asked to speak to a supervisor. I called back, got myself to a supervisor, and told him the story. "Oh geez," he replied, "I'm really sorry," and I swear I could hear his head shaking sadly from the other end of the phone. At the end of the call he assured me that he'd see about adding "New Mexico is actually a state" back into the geography training sessions they provide for new agents.

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

Massachusetts is a Commonwealth, and I believe there is one other, but I don't know which one it is.

[leenah.livejournal.com]

Virginia.

[oakleaves.livejournal.com]

One of my passengers recently came up to me and asked me to explain some travel directions because, she said, she didn't understand English.

[totient]

Maybe they thought you were traveling from Boston, England.

[mama-pipa.livejournal.com]

My office enjoyed that!

[blaisepascal]

It appears that Kentucky and Virginia are also commonwealths. I thought there were four, though.

I Got My Basic Education...

[daurdabla.livejournal.com]

...in the UK, where they don't teach the US states/commonwealths/whatever. I picked up my pitiful understanding of US geography along the way; I don't believe I ever took a US geography class.

And I Know New Mexico Is A State.

Grrr...