Complaint BoxI am not a complainer. If the food is bad, I normally won't return it. If the room is a bit dirty, I won't ask for a new one. If I don't get something I thought was included, I normally let it slide.

But I decided to complain that my upgraded first class flight from Seattle to New York didn't have a kosher meal. I sent a nice email saying I confirmed kosher before the flight and it wasn't there. I was honest, I said I wasn't even sure if I'd eat the meal, since it was a red eye flight. But I took the 5 minutes to fill out the complaint form online and finally got a response. It read in part:

Nevertheless, I am unsure why you would not have received your kosher meal. I regret any inconvenience. I am requesting an Electronic Travel Certificate (ETC) be issued to you. The ETC can be used as a form of payment for future travel on Continental Airlines. The ETC will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used online at www.continental.com. The travel certificate will have a PIN code and promotion code number. You will need these to redeem the travel certificate.

I have no idea how much the voucher will be. I mean, the kosher first class airline food isn't that expensive.

But it is nice to get something for filling out a form. So sometimes it pays to complain.

I do like Continental - they are my favorite airline.