You can't be serious.

Remember my earlier rant about buying airline tickets online? Well, things have definitely taken a turn for the worse.

Today, I spent two hours - TWO HOURS! - on the phone with six people from Delta and two people from the bank before I could buy my plane tickets for Thanksgiving! Really, how complicated can it be?

First, I can't choose my seats. Any time the "pick your seats" window opens, the window with my reservation in it closes. Not cool. So then I call the Delta customer service number. I explain my problem to Delta Agent 1. I get transferred to Delta Agent 2. We fix the problem

Second, the Delta website said that my billing city did not match my billing zip code. It gave me 4 options of cities to choose from. When I put any of them in, the website told me that my billing address was not correct. What?!? I mean, really. My hands are tied.

So then I call the Delta customer service number. I explain my problem to Delta Agent 3. I get transferred to Delta Agent 4. (Is this sounding familiar?) We can't fix the problem.

Third, I call the bank. Bank Agent 1 is not clear what the confusion was with the address, but we seem to fix that problem. However, he notices a pending charge on my account for half the cost of the tickets (read: the pending charge was for the cost of 1 ticket, but I was supposed to be getting 2). So he transfers me to Bank Agent 2.

Seven hundred and sixty-eighth, Bank Agent 2 calls Delta Agent 5 and conferenced me in. Bank Agent 2 was showing an approval code from Delta, meaning that the charge for the one ticket had been approved. In order to release the charge (and the money in my account), Bank Agent 2 needed Delta Agent 5 to tell her what the approval code was. In order for Delta Agent 5 to send the release form to Bank Agent 2, Delta Agent 5 needed Bank Agent 2 to read her the approval code. Holy ****. Seriously??? It was like watching a slo-mo showdown.

Then it's on to Delta Agent 6. He and Bank Agent 2 work it out to release the charge. That's great. At least now I'm not being billed for a ticket I don't actually get to use. So then Delta Agent 6 tries to complete the purchase, and...no dice. Apparently the reservation code (the code in their system for Montego Bay, which is where the reservation originated) is not verifying for some unknown reason. Never mind that they do thousands of reservations a day, of course mine doesn't work for some reason.

We get off the phone. Delta Agent 6 thought he fixed it, and called me back. We go through the whole credit card and billing address rigamarole again. Nope.

Delta Agent 6 is supposed to call me back tonight or tomorrow.

Two hours and twelve minutes....