Unfiltered Story #279595

Due to recent quarantines, my husband and I have to postpone our travel plans. I try to change our flights online, but the system has an error, so I have to call the customer service number. I make my way through their automatic system to get to a live person. Just before they put me through to the call center, I hear this automated message:

“Due to the current pandemic, [Airline] is experiencing a higher than average number of callers, resulting in significant wait times. We recommend that you use our online system to change your flights. If you cannot do this, or if your flight is scheduled to depart in less than 72 hours, please stay on the line to hear your estimated wait time.”

I stay on the line, and it clicks over to the call center line, where their system greets me and gives me a time:
“Your estimated wait time is… less than 2 minutes.”

Either I happened to call at the right time of day, or I waited long enough to change my flights that the rush of people panicking to change their flights was over, because it didn’t even go to the hold music. After all of the buildup about “you may have a significant wait time,” someone picked up the phone as soon as it came through.