Discount airfare - safe bet or not?
Oct 5th, 2004, 03:38 PM
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Discount airfare - safe bet or not?
I have just been reading Blithespirit's terrible experience & the multiple responses. Now I'm wondering, if one books through a search engine like Orbitz or Travelocity, is it a safe bet as long as you make sure the itinerary you choose is on the same airline or partners the entire trip? What do you experienced Europe travelers think? Thanks!
Oct 5th, 2004, 04:27 PM
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It doesn't have to be with the same airline or with their partners only. If you want to get to your destination and dont want to be put in a position like the poster that you mention, all you have to do is buy the trip on ONE ticket. Then regardless what happens, the airline(s) will get you to the final destination. It could still be a long journey if something goes wrong, but at least you will not incur any more expenses.
Blithespirit purchased 2 seperate tickets to save some money. One from AF and one from JetBlue. Once JetBlue ran into a problem and did not get him on time to connect to his SECOND seperate flight on AF, AF cancelled his ticket, which they have every right to do under the circumstance. If the 2 flights were on the same ticket, then he would be rerouted on some later or different flight without paying a penny. He gambled and he lost and now he wants somebody to pay.
So the trick is to buy a trip like this, especially an international trip on one ticket, regardless if it's the same or partner or whatever airline and you will avoid this problem. Unfortunatwely most if not all low cost carriers DO NOT interline with the major airlines, thus combining JetBlue or Southwest on the same ticket with Air France is NOT possible. But combining AirFrance and let's say American is very much possible although they are not even in the same alliance nor are they partners in any shape or form. The interline agreements between these majors allows them to do this.
It works the same way with European budget and major airlines. Some budgets, like RyanAir will not even connect to it's own airline. They only sell point to point tickets, so if you wanted to fly from Manchester to Amsterdam, but you could only do this with connecting in London, RyanAir will only sell you 2 tickets Manchester to London and London to Amsterdam and they will not transfer your luggage, so you have to pick it up after the first flight and recheck it again as if you were taking a different airline. All their rules for checking in apply for the second flight and even if they were late with the first flight, you would still loose. They claim that allows them to keep their fares very low.
So, as a customer you have to make a decision, do you want to save some money at first and possibly end up spending a lot later, or are you willing to spend little more now and have the security of a contract between the airline(s) to get you from point A to point B regardless of what happens along the way.
Blithespirit purchased 2 seperate tickets to save some money. One from AF and one from JetBlue. Once JetBlue ran into a problem and did not get him on time to connect to his SECOND seperate flight on AF, AF cancelled his ticket, which they have every right to do under the circumstance. If the 2 flights were on the same ticket, then he would be rerouted on some later or different flight without paying a penny. He gambled and he lost and now he wants somebody to pay.
So the trick is to buy a trip like this, especially an international trip on one ticket, regardless if it's the same or partner or whatever airline and you will avoid this problem. Unfortunatwely most if not all low cost carriers DO NOT interline with the major airlines, thus combining JetBlue or Southwest on the same ticket with Air France is NOT possible. But combining AirFrance and let's say American is very much possible although they are not even in the same alliance nor are they partners in any shape or form. The interline agreements between these majors allows them to do this.
It works the same way with European budget and major airlines. Some budgets, like RyanAir will not even connect to it's own airline. They only sell point to point tickets, so if you wanted to fly from Manchester to Amsterdam, but you could only do this with connecting in London, RyanAir will only sell you 2 tickets Manchester to London and London to Amsterdam and they will not transfer your luggage, so you have to pick it up after the first flight and recheck it again as if you were taking a different airline. All their rules for checking in apply for the second flight and even if they were late with the first flight, you would still loose. They claim that allows them to keep their fares very low.
So, as a customer you have to make a decision, do you want to save some money at first and possibly end up spending a lot later, or are you willing to spend little more now and have the security of a contract between the airline(s) to get you from point A to point B regardless of what happens along the way.
Oct 5th, 2004, 04:56 PM
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I agree 100%:
"So, as a customer you have to make a decision, do you want to save some money at first and possibly end up spending a lot later, or are you willing to spend little more now and have the security of a contract between the airline(s) to get you from point A to point B regardless of what happens along the way."
For as many legitimate complaints as the airlines receive, there are plenty that are the fault of the customers involved. The situation described by Blithespirit is one. I've also seen situations where people will choose a very low frequency carrier with very thin customer service capabilities (often simply contracted out) because they got a really cheap ticket. Then when there is a problem, they can be stuck for days because their two or three flights-per-week carrier isn't delivering and there are no agreements for re-accommodation with other airlines. Or one of my favorites: "I arrive at Heathrow at 1 p.m. and I have a flight departing Gatwick at 3 p.m....." WHY?! WHAT IN THE WORLD POSSESSED YOU TO BOOK THAT ITINERARY?! (Excuse me for shouting.
)
Bottom line: There are things that you CAN buy that you shouldn't because they are just plain unrealistic to begin with or there some inherent risks involved that are unacceptable.
In each of these cases, the problem isn't with Orbitz or Travelocity. It is with the customer for not understanding what he or she is buying and who has responsibility for what.
"So, as a customer you have to make a decision, do you want to save some money at first and possibly end up spending a lot later, or are you willing to spend little more now and have the security of a contract between the airline(s) to get you from point A to point B regardless of what happens along the way."
For as many legitimate complaints as the airlines receive, there are plenty that are the fault of the customers involved. The situation described by Blithespirit is one. I've also seen situations where people will choose a very low frequency carrier with very thin customer service capabilities (often simply contracted out) because they got a really cheap ticket. Then when there is a problem, they can be stuck for days because their two or three flights-per-week carrier isn't delivering and there are no agreements for re-accommodation with other airlines. Or one of my favorites: "I arrive at Heathrow at 1 p.m. and I have a flight departing Gatwick at 3 p.m....." WHY?! WHAT IN THE WORLD POSSESSED YOU TO BOOK THAT ITINERARY?! (Excuse me for shouting.
)Bottom line: There are things that you CAN buy that you shouldn't because they are just plain unrealistic to begin with or there some inherent risks involved that are unacceptable.
In each of these cases, the problem isn't with Orbitz or Travelocity. It is with the customer for not understanding what he or she is buying and who has responsibility for what.
Oct 5th, 2004, 06:44 PM
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I'm afraid that I will have to respectfully disagree when booking a flight to Europe involving multiple connections. We know of at least one major incident in which the group booked their flight through Expedia on a foreign carrier departing Miami and had some minor difficulties when they arrived in Miami to catch their flight. Even though they had a paper ticket, they were told by the airline in question that they would have to contact Expedia to handle any changes since it was not booked with the airline itself, paper ticket or not. If they had booked directly with the airline, or through a travel agent, there would not have been the problem of having to purchase another full-fare ticket in order to continue on the way, since they could not find anyone at Expedia to handle the problem.
Having "one ticket" doesn't mean much of anything if there is a problem and you haven't booked through the airline. The argument against using travel agents holds no water when you run into a problem like this. Try calling Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity when you're standing in the airport trying to find another flight.
Domestic flights are not the problem. The important issue is foreign travel. You can be lucky only so long, so why take the chance.
Having "one ticket" doesn't mean much of anything if there is a problem and you haven't booked through the airline. The argument against using travel agents holds no water when you run into a problem like this. Try calling Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity when you're standing in the airport trying to find another flight.
Domestic flights are not the problem. The important issue is foreign travel. You can be lucky only so long, so why take the chance.
Oct 6th, 2004, 12:15 AM
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It sems to me that the BIG problem with the so-called "nightmare" everyone is talking about here came from the fact that the traveler booked connections that turned out to be fairly CLOSE to one another. IF they had left more time between the proposed arrival of the first flight and the departure of the second one there probably wouldn't have been the difficulty that arose from the DELAYED ARRIVAL of the first segment.
If there had been more time between the two flights the "nightmare" probably wouldn't have occurred regardless of HOW the flights were ticketed.
If there had been more time between the two flights the "nightmare" probably wouldn't have occurred regardless of HOW the flights were ticketed.
Oct 6th, 2004, 01:59 AM
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<b>Robert</b>,
with all due respect, I believe you're talking about oranges when we were talking about apples. It seems like a totally different issue.
Besides, your friends must have done exactly as Blithespirit. It is VERY true that airlines can't and won't touch a travel agency issued ticket BEFORE the first flight is taken. I've posted that info here numerous times so people would know. If you by from an agency, any changes will have to be made by the agency if the first flight has not been taken.
BUT, once the first flight is taken, airline will adjust/change or do whatever is needed to the ticket. No problems there. So, I assume your friends came in on a seperate ticket and then had problem (whatever that may have been) with the new flight. So it actually resembles the same problem that Blithespirit had.
Again, what I'm talking about is having all the flights on ONE ticket. If it was issued by an agency and the first flight has not been taken yet, then only the agency could adjust the ticket, but once you checked in for the first flight and everything was ok, then the airlines have the ticket in their system and if there are any problems with connections they will work with you directly and no need to contact the agency anymore, because at this point the agency CAN'T touch the ticket anymore.
with all due respect, I believe you're talking about oranges when we were talking about apples. It seems like a totally different issue.
Besides, your friends must have done exactly as Blithespirit. It is VERY true that airlines can't and won't touch a travel agency issued ticket BEFORE the first flight is taken. I've posted that info here numerous times so people would know. If you by from an agency, any changes will have to be made by the agency if the first flight has not been taken.
BUT, once the first flight is taken, airline will adjust/change or do whatever is needed to the ticket. No problems there. So, I assume your friends came in on a seperate ticket and then had problem (whatever that may have been) with the new flight. So it actually resembles the same problem that Blithespirit had.
Again, what I'm talking about is having all the flights on ONE ticket. If it was issued by an agency and the first flight has not been taken yet, then only the agency could adjust the ticket, but once you checked in for the first flight and everything was ok, then the airlines have the ticket in their system and if there are any problems with connections they will work with you directly and no need to contact the agency anymore, because at this point the agency CAN'T touch the ticket anymore.
Oct 6th, 2004, 03:21 AM
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There might be one more item to mention about the original problem. While this apparently was caused by bad weather I think some of the low cost airlines have poor track records for on time arrival or even cancelling flights. When I first read the post I hadn't realized it was Jet Blue. I am all about saving money but this will be a big caution to me personally from now on. Also, in this day and age of curtailed service, there is often only one flight leaving per day per European destination. I want to be on it.
Oct 6th, 2004, 04:09 AM
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When using a booking engine such as Expedia, it is necessary only to select your proposed itinerary as a single roundtrip (or oneway), i.e. provide your home origin and your FINAL destination, and the booking engine will automatically select an itinerary involving airlines belonging to interline agreements.
Definition of interline agreement (source: http://www.exclusivetvlnet.com/etn/glossary.htm#i
"An agreement between two carriers to accept each other's tickets (subject to restrictions, endorsement requirements and additional collections according to the accepting carriers' tariffs) and transfer baggage of passengers connecting between the two carriers. Most airlines have interline agreements with most other airlines; the most notable exception is Southwest Airlines, which has no interline agreements with any other carriers."
If you book directly through the airline, the airline will book you an itinerary involving themselves and where necessary, airlines that are not just interline agreement members but also their alliance partners (that is the whole point of an alliance, to enable an airline to extend the destinations they offer for sale.)
If you wish to book within the same alliance AS WELL as make your journey a single ticket on a booking engine like Expedia, you will have to be aware of who belongs to what alliance, and do a bit of fiddling, as I explained in Blithespirit's thread.
I apologize if any of my previous posts have made it sound like the interline agreement and the alliance are one and the same thing. However, I was trying to emphasize that there are some additional advantages if you book not only a single ticket subject which is thus subject to the interline agreements, but within the alliance. Although a principal goal of a single ticket is to ensure that the constituent airlines pick up the tab for rebooking any missed connections, ideally one doesn't miss the connections in the first place. As a general rule I submit that missed connections are less likely if the itinerary includes only one airline or its alliance partners.
For example, various alliance partners usually agree to arrange it that their gates are close together; precisely because this facilitates transfer between flights. In a tight squeeze, this could mean the difference between making the flight before the gate closes and not.
Where rebooking is concerned, it will generally be easier if doing so within an alliance, since you can do so at any of the member airlines' desks. The alliance members also agree to enforce a common rebooking policy for all alliance passengers. Common rebooking policy evidently doesn?t mean common compensation policy for such things as hotel room vouchers, etc.
But in any case, JetBlue according to various sources I checked does not belong to any interline agreements, and thus it would be impossible to book Blithespirit's original itinerary, at least in its entirety, as part of a single ticket anyway.
I go now to sin no more (at least until tomorrow.)
Definition of interline agreement (source: http://www.exclusivetvlnet.com/etn/glossary.htm#i
"An agreement between two carriers to accept each other's tickets (subject to restrictions, endorsement requirements and additional collections according to the accepting carriers' tariffs) and transfer baggage of passengers connecting between the two carriers. Most airlines have interline agreements with most other airlines; the most notable exception is Southwest Airlines, which has no interline agreements with any other carriers."
If you book directly through the airline, the airline will book you an itinerary involving themselves and where necessary, airlines that are not just interline agreement members but also their alliance partners (that is the whole point of an alliance, to enable an airline to extend the destinations they offer for sale.)
If you wish to book within the same alliance AS WELL as make your journey a single ticket on a booking engine like Expedia, you will have to be aware of who belongs to what alliance, and do a bit of fiddling, as I explained in Blithespirit's thread.
I apologize if any of my previous posts have made it sound like the interline agreement and the alliance are one and the same thing. However, I was trying to emphasize that there are some additional advantages if you book not only a single ticket subject which is thus subject to the interline agreements, but within the alliance. Although a principal goal of a single ticket is to ensure that the constituent airlines pick up the tab for rebooking any missed connections, ideally one doesn't miss the connections in the first place. As a general rule I submit that missed connections are less likely if the itinerary includes only one airline or its alliance partners.
For example, various alliance partners usually agree to arrange it that their gates are close together; precisely because this facilitates transfer between flights. In a tight squeeze, this could mean the difference between making the flight before the gate closes and not.
Where rebooking is concerned, it will generally be easier if doing so within an alliance, since you can do so at any of the member airlines' desks. The alliance members also agree to enforce a common rebooking policy for all alliance passengers. Common rebooking policy evidently doesn?t mean common compensation policy for such things as hotel room vouchers, etc.
But in any case, JetBlue according to various sources I checked does not belong to any interline agreements, and thus it would be impossible to book Blithespirit's original itinerary, at least in its entirety, as part of a single ticket anyway.
I go now to sin no more (at least until tomorrow.)
Oct 6th, 2004, 04:47 AM
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>...they were told by the airline in question that they would have to contact Expedia to handle any changes ...<
Of course. If they want to change their itinerary, they have to do it through the agency from which they purchased the itinerary.
I would also venture to suggest that they had non-refundable, non-exchangeable tickets.
Of course. If they want to change their itinerary, they have to do it through the agency from which they purchased the itinerary.
I would also venture to suggest that they had non-refundable, non-exchangeable tickets.
Oct 6th, 2004, 05:25 AM
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Good lord, I am in need of Gardyloo's discombobulator.
The advantages of 'gates close together' would apply only on connections involving the same terminal. So I have been vastly overstating the case for intra-alliance international itineraries.
The advantages of 'gates close together' would apply only on connections involving the same terminal. So I have been vastly overstating the case for intra-alliance international itineraries.
Oct 6th, 2004, 10:30 AM
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From my experience now, I'm not so inclined to book with Expedia.com or any other travel site other than the airline sites. If you encounter problems at the gate (for whatever reason) neither Expedia (or any travel agent) are easily available to help you in those critical minutes.
Is this a wrong assumption to make?
Since I'm often referred to in this thread, I wanted to set the record straight: It's a small matter but first, I'm a "she" and not a "he." And second, it seems easy for many people to reason that since I was seemingly cheap, I got what I deserved.
Well, it's not true when AAFrequentFlyer writes, that I "gambled and lost and now wanted somebody to pay." I'm not seeking retribution... I just feel I'd already paid a fair price for a flight -- so why should I then have to fork over double for missing that flight(for which I'd scheduled a 3-hour layover) due to storm conditions which affected 40-50 other flights that same day? I can see a $100-200 fee for changing one's reservation, but $1100 pp? For double the price, I got the same flights on my return trip and my forward flights were adjusted 2-hours later. And when I wrote for a refund, Air France said the agent was kind not to ding me another $1200 as a reservation penalty. Wouldn't YOU want your $6500 back? That's 50% of the budget for the whole trip for the 6 of us!
And there is a reference from Flyboy that I wanted to be cheap and got caught... (hey! being frugal IS OK...it's not a crime. Multiply an extra $100 here and there times 6 and we're talking about a lot of $$$.) I chose Jet Blue out of Oakland because they fly NONSTOP from Oakland to New York AND have a good track record for on-time arrivals, service, etc. I think United and American had comparable fares, but made stops along the way. I didn't book "one" ticket with Expedia from Oakland to Italy because the considerably higher price didn't justify the convenience I sought flying out of Oakland..
Three hours connection time seemed reasonable. When I've previously booked with Travelocity, Expedia and major airlines for that matter, I've been given even less time to make connections.
(Ms.) Blithespirit
Is this a wrong assumption to make?
Since I'm often referred to in this thread, I wanted to set the record straight: It's a small matter but first, I'm a "she" and not a "he." And second, it seems easy for many people to reason that since I was seemingly cheap, I got what I deserved.
Well, it's not true when AAFrequentFlyer writes, that I "gambled and lost and now wanted somebody to pay." I'm not seeking retribution... I just feel I'd already paid a fair price for a flight -- so why should I then have to fork over double for missing that flight(for which I'd scheduled a 3-hour layover) due to storm conditions which affected 40-50 other flights that same day? I can see a $100-200 fee for changing one's reservation, but $1100 pp? For double the price, I got the same flights on my return trip and my forward flights were adjusted 2-hours later. And when I wrote for a refund, Air France said the agent was kind not to ding me another $1200 as a reservation penalty. Wouldn't YOU want your $6500 back? That's 50% of the budget for the whole trip for the 6 of us!
And there is a reference from Flyboy that I wanted to be cheap and got caught... (hey! being frugal IS OK...it's not a crime. Multiply an extra $100 here and there times 6 and we're talking about a lot of $$$.) I chose Jet Blue out of Oakland because they fly NONSTOP from Oakland to New York AND have a good track record for on-time arrivals, service, etc. I think United and American had comparable fares, but made stops along the way. I didn't book "one" ticket with Expedia from Oakland to Italy because the considerably higher price didn't justify the convenience I sought flying out of Oakland..
Three hours connection time seemed reasonable. When I've previously booked with Travelocity, Expedia and major airlines for that matter, I've been given even less time to make connections.
(Ms.) Blithespirit
Oct 6th, 2004, 10:34 AM
#13
At the risk of stating the obvious... you have to be careful what you are purchasing!
Booking my trip this past summer, direct thru British Air website, the first itinerary that came up (because I asked for the lowest cost ticket) had me going: Seattle/Heathrow then Gatwick/Geneva. It was true (that was the least expensive) and I had to pay all of ~$10USD more to get my ticket both in and out of Heathrow! If I had not been paying attention I would have been that person shouting what Flyboy said above!
As to the blithespirit problem on another thread, I'm willing to bet if she/he read the fine print on each ticket, the airlines were following the rules exactly as they had stated them.
For Natalie's question here, I feel it has less to do with who is associated or partnered with whom, but to make sure you book an itinerary that is reasonable, with the least amount of connections possible, and a fair amount of time allowed when you do have an airport connection (more than 3 hours, but no need to hang around for 12 hours).
Booking my trip this past summer, direct thru British Air website, the first itinerary that came up (because I asked for the lowest cost ticket) had me going: Seattle/Heathrow then Gatwick/Geneva. It was true (that was the least expensive) and I had to pay all of ~$10USD more to get my ticket both in and out of Heathrow! If I had not been paying attention I would have been that person shouting what Flyboy said above!
As to the blithespirit problem on another thread, I'm willing to bet if she/he read the fine print on each ticket, the airlines were following the rules exactly as they had stated them.
For Natalie's question here, I feel it has less to do with who is associated or partnered with whom, but to make sure you book an itinerary that is reasonable, with the least amount of connections possible, and a fair amount of time allowed when you do have an airport connection (more than 3 hours, but no need to hang around for 12 hours).
Oct 6th, 2004, 11:02 AM
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Well, with 80 some posts in two threads, blithespirit still hasn't got it. That's okay, but I will address one thing she mentioned in her last post.
In my opinion, if one can book the ticket on an airline's website, then by all means do that. You can get complicated service more easily and you usually avoid the $5-$10 fees that many websites add on. One example, one time my flight was cancelled because of fog. Because I bought my ticket through Travelocity, I have to wait until getting home and make several phone calls plus a letter before I can get my money back. If I had booked via Air Canada directly, I could have got my money back right away to pay for my bus ticket.
However, most airline's websites have very limited choice for interline ticketing, some with NOTHING at all, like Continental. [They don't even have many of their codeshare flights on their website!] In those situations, one must book through a travel agent, online or otherwise.
In my opinion, if one can book the ticket on an airline's website, then by all means do that. You can get complicated service more easily and you usually avoid the $5-$10 fees that many websites add on. One example, one time my flight was cancelled because of fog. Because I bought my ticket through Travelocity, I have to wait until getting home and make several phone calls plus a letter before I can get my money back. If I had booked via Air Canada directly, I could have got my money back right away to pay for my bus ticket.
However, most airline's websites have very limited choice for interline ticketing, some with NOTHING at all, like Continental. [They don't even have many of their codeshare flights on their website!] In those situations, one must book through a travel agent, online or otherwise.
Oct 6th, 2004, 11:09 AM
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<b>Blithespirit</b>,
I feel bad for you, I really do, but that's NOT the point here. You have learned a very expensive lesson. I don't want nybody else to learn the same lesson, that's why I'm trying to tell you and everybody else how the system works, and you are having a hard time understanding the basic idea.
You bought TWO seperate tickets. One airline could cae less what the other airline does. Your AF ticket came with instructions. Show up at this time, make sure you are at the gate at this time, etc. They DO NOT have to pay attention to what happened before you got there. They don't care what happen to you. Their contract with you was to get you from JFK-CDG, that's IT!.
Which part of that you are having a hard time understanding?
If your connecting flight was on the same ticket, they would be obligated to get you to your final destination regardless of what happened inbetween. Unfortunately it's not possible with JetBlue as they don't interline with the majors.
BTW, AA has numerous non-stops between SFO and JFK, and for about the same money. If you priced AA and AF together and both flights were on the same ticket, AF would put you on some later flight with them and if not possible, with somebody else. That's why the majors do charge a little more, but they offer this "insurance".
Soory about whar happened to you, but NOBODY did anything against any rules. You just put yourself in that position by purchasing 2 seperate tickets.
I feel bad for you, I really do, but that's NOT the point here. You have learned a very expensive lesson. I don't want nybody else to learn the same lesson, that's why I'm trying to tell you and everybody else how the system works, and you are having a hard time understanding the basic idea.
You bought TWO seperate tickets. One airline could cae less what the other airline does. Your AF ticket came with instructions. Show up at this time, make sure you are at the gate at this time, etc. They DO NOT have to pay attention to what happened before you got there. They don't care what happen to you. Their contract with you was to get you from JFK-CDG, that's IT!.
Which part of that you are having a hard time understanding?
If your connecting flight was on the same ticket, they would be obligated to get you to your final destination regardless of what happened inbetween. Unfortunately it's not possible with JetBlue as they don't interline with the majors.
BTW, AA has numerous non-stops between SFO and JFK, and for about the same money. If you priced AA and AF together and both flights were on the same ticket, AF would put you on some later flight with them and if not possible, with somebody else. That's why the majors do charge a little more, but they offer this "insurance".
Soory about whar happened to you, but NOBODY did anything against any rules. You just put yourself in that position by purchasing 2 seperate tickets.
Oct 6th, 2004, 11:31 AM
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I considered buying a jet blue tiket to JFK and then taking AF to CDG. But I was woried about possible weather delays or god knows what. I paid a little more but we are going non-stop to Paris out of Lax. To me the piece of mind was worth it, plus I really don't enjoy the return trip when you have to get all of your luggage and go through customs and security and get back on another plane for the rest of the jorney home when I'm exhausted.
Oct 6th, 2004, 12:22 PM
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AAFrequentFlyer and Rkkwan
Thanks for your kind words. I understand very well that my 2 flights are not connected and that the airlines could care less what happened causing my delay. I included details only because many posts wondered this and that.
Do you not think the penalty for missing the flight was a bit exorbitant? Should we travelers expect then, that if we miss a flight (for whatever reason) and are put on the next flight (without inconveniencing or bumping another passenger) that we should expect to pay the walk-up price which is over twice what we contractually and previously paid?
OK, thanks, now I understand.
Thanks for your kind words. I understand very well that my 2 flights are not connected and that the airlines could care less what happened causing my delay. I included details only because many posts wondered this and that.
Do you not think the penalty for missing the flight was a bit exorbitant? Should we travelers expect then, that if we miss a flight (for whatever reason) and are put on the next flight (without inconveniencing or bumping another passenger) that we should expect to pay the walk-up price which is over twice what we contractually and previously paid?
OK, thanks, now I understand.
Oct 6th, 2004, 12:27 PM
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>> Should we travelers expect then, that if we miss a flight (for whatever reason) and are put on the next flight (without inconveniencing or bumping another passenger) that we should expect to pay the walk-up price which is over twice what we contractually and previously paid? <<
Yes, everyone should definitely expect that. That's one reason I favor getting to the airport some time in advance of what is really "necessary," even if I only have to drive less than 10 miles.
I personally wouldn't have had the nerve to try this particular Jet Blue-Air France itinerary without arriving the night before, particularly knowing the enormous penalty.
Yes, everyone should definitely expect that. That's one reason I favor getting to the airport some time in advance of what is really "necessary," even if I only have to drive less than 10 miles.
I personally wouldn't have had the nerve to try this particular Jet Blue-Air France itinerary without arriving the night before, particularly knowing the enormous penalty.
Oct 6th, 2004, 12:32 PM
#19
blithespirit, Somehow I'm not sure you're really convinced but YES finally you do understand. No I do not think it is exorbitant to have to buy another ticket when you missed your flight using a non-transferable and non-refundable ticket. Yes you should expect to pay the walk-up price for a new ticket, because at that point, that is is exactly what you were.
It is a harsh lesson and I believe we are all sympathetic for your unexpected expenses. If it makes you feel any better if you price full-fare and therefore more flexible tickets for your party of 6, they would have cost much more total than what you ended up paying, I am certain.
It is a harsh lesson and I believe we are all sympathetic for your unexpected expenses. If it makes you feel any better if you price full-fare and therefore more flexible tickets for your party of 6, they would have cost much more total than what you ended up paying, I am certain.
Oct 6th, 2004, 12:53 PM
#20
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Blithespirit, I really have to thank you for raising this issue, because if you had not I would never have been spurred (thanks, AA and rkkwan) to re-examine the claims of airline alliances that they offer something of significant value to the consumer, over and above interline agreements.
For anyone interested, I found some links to articles discussing both the threat de-regulation possibly poses to interline agreements, and the threat alliances possibly pose for the consumer.
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/atb/atco...5_wp028_en.pdf
http://www.bbriefings.com/pdf/12/avia031_p_dempsey.pdf
Note you will need something like Adobe acrobat reader installed to open pdf files.
For anyone interested, I found some links to articles discussing both the threat de-regulation possibly poses to interline agreements, and the threat alliances possibly pose for the consumer.
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/atb/atco...5_wp028_en.pdf
http://www.bbriefings.com/pdf/12/avia031_p_dempsey.pdf
Note you will need something like Adobe acrobat reader installed to open pdf files.
