The Internet Lied, And I Cried: Part 2

Read Part 1

The next morning, while waiting for customer service desks to open, I booked the Comfort Inn in Flagstaff. One task down. 

I went back to searching for transportation options. Maybe I missed something the night before. Nothing.

I called Maswik Lodge, hoping they would know of a reliable taxi service or a private shuttle operator. The operator said the only transportation options are the Groome/Arizona shuttle. I explained the timing challenges, hoping that would inspire her to offer suggestions based on her experiences working in the park. She verbally shrugged, “The shuttle is the only option.”

I conferred with my husband. “Get a rental,” he said, “Or if that’s not possible, get an Uber.”

I checked Uber. Nothing runs at the hours we needed. 

I called Alamo’s customer service. The woman said that the rental desk closed at 8:00. I explained that our flight came in at 8:30. She said there was nothing they could do. 

Wishing I had thought to cancel the first night at Maswik, I tearfully updated my husband. 

“Try other rental companies,” he suggested. I didn’t think that would help since they all list that they close at 8:00 p.m.

Not knowing what else to do, I continued Googling for transportation options. Somehow, I ended up on a car rental page from Pulliam Airport. I hadn’t seen this page before. I double checked the URL. It looked legitimate. 

Bracing myself for a long hold time, I called the local Enterprise number. When I explained the timing dilemma, the man sounded surprised, “Are you coming in on a private flight?” 

“No, we’re on American.” 

“All the flights I see arrive at 7:50. Let me check on that.” 

While he was gone, I checked the update emails from American. Sure enough, the arrival time had changed from when I first booked the tickets. 

He came back on the phone and confirmed my flight number. “That arrives at 7:50. We stay open until 8:30, so you’ll have plenty of time to get a car,” he assured me, before encouraging me to reserve a car online because that would give me a better rate. I followed his suggestion, reserving a car for $200 cheaper than we anticipated. Feeling relieved, I went to update my husband.

In fairness, the internet didn’t outright lie. It just presented information in a way that misled me. I should have done more research, but all the travel websites agreed that transportation from Pulliam to Grand Canyon was easy - just take the shuttle. I was swamped with graduate school and put off more than the most essential research until almost too late. Moral of the story? Don’t trust the internet. Or at least, confirm with real people.