I'm sitting in the Qwest Business Center at Denver International Airport. And I'm thinking of a new slogan for United Airlines. Instead of "It's time to fly," the slogan should be "It's time to sit and wait." That's because United had not one, not two, but three cancellations at Denver at the noon hour today, Friday, April 18th. It's pushing back my ultimate arrival by about seven hours, including a three-hour drive from where I am landing instead of the nearer one where I wanted to land. The only good aspect of this is having the use of the business center, with free high-speed Internet, and electricity for my laptop and iPhone. The chair is a bit uncomfortable, but it beats propping up at a gate and hunting for an outlet.

It must have been tough being a United customer service rep today; the triple cancellations brought all sorts of cranky people to the line, including this writer. If it weren't a Friday afternoon, I'd be more sanguine, but hustling around unfamiliar territory on a Friday night isn't my idea of fun. Add to that the option of "luggage roulette" — my suitcase is promised to join me, but who knows at this point! — and you can imagine the excitement.

The positive addition of the business center makes things a tad more bearable. And, for its part, United is trying to make life easier by offering an outgoing voice mail, e-mail and text message service alert you to delays and changes. Too bad they couldn't keep the planes going, at least today.

(Of course, those caught in the American Airlines fiasco last week have every right to sneer at my lesser travails. But I wonder if there isn't going to be a large hue and cry among the flying public, or at least a migration to carriers such as Southwest, which seem much more reliable, at least if recent experience is any guide.)

— Mark Kellner, The Washington Times