Air Unfair, or, "We can't allow this."

This doesn't directly have anything to do with the case. I just need to share the kind of bullshit, pardon my French, that comes with being summoned to Greece for a trial.

As instructed by the Greek courts, I bought a changeable, economy ticket. I chose a random return date of April 3rd, assuming, as I had been warned repeatedly, that the trial would last longer than that, but knowing that it if didn't, I could change my flight. However, it seems all seats in my class between now and April 3rd have been booked, and if I change it, it's going to cost me a mint.

Of course this wouldn't be a problem if the ticket was going to be reimbursed anytime soon. But according to Dana, the first time she traveled here it took a year before she was paid back. I even offered to not use the first part of the ticket, fly to Switzerland (my stopover) on my own dime, and then stay there until April 3rd and fly home as scheduled on the 2nd half of the ticket. I explained to the woman at the SwissAir office in Athens, bawling, that I was here because of a trial against the man who raped me, and could I please, please just catch my flight in Zurich.

"No," she snapped. "We can't allow this."

It's infuriating. I just want to go home, and I can't. And I hate that no one, not the Greek government, not even SwissAir who I always loved for handing out little cups of Haagen Dazs on a flight I took years ago, can do anything.

Sorry, SwissAir. But that was uncalled for.