Heimdall

Has anyone had experience trying to change the flight date of a restricted airline ticket due to family emergency? I have just booked a ticket through Opodo for a LGW-MSP flight with NW Airlines next month to visit an ailing mother in Wisconsin. She has now taken a turn for the worse, and I may have to return sooner than expected. Will my case be looked upon sympathetically, or am I out of luck?

gail

You will likely have to pay a change fee - and any difference in price between old fare and new fare if it is higher.

Sorry about your mother - but airlines can not really make exceptions for that, or else everyone who changed their mind or plans would suddenly acquire an ailing family member (not doubting your story - but nothing to stop others from fabricating story)

Check with airline - "non-refundable" fares are often not totally non-refundable as depending on fare class of ticket you may get credit good for a year, may be able to change itinerary for a fee.

I have no idea what Opodo is - or if that makes a difference, but I would start with the airline.

AAFrequentFlyer

Actually the OP has to contact www.opodo.com (European = to Expedia.com), as they are the travel agents and as such only they can make any changes before the initial flight segment is taken.

Heimdall

Thanks for your responses (BTW, I initially posted this question on the Europe branch, and someone suggested I repost here).

Should it become necessary to make a change, I expect at least to pay an extra fee, but hope not to lose out completely. A full fee ticket would have cost about twice what I paid, so going that way wouldn't have been much of an advantage.

Should it become necessary to make a change I will contact Opodo directly (thank's for that, AAFF). In the meantime, any suggestions on the best way to approach them, and predictions on the likelihood of success?

Kate_W

I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I was in a similar situation earlier this year when my mother became ill and then died.

Unfortunately, I think you should be prepared for Opodo to take a hard line and not permit you to change the ticket, even for a fee. I note that even the travel insurance they offer on their website doesn't cover a cancellation/rebooking when an immediate family member is ill if the person was ill when you booked the ticket (in other words, a worsening condition doesn't provide grounds for cancellation). I tried a dummy booking but couldn't see the exact fare rules, although the terms and conditions seemed to suggest "no changes".

I had to deal with a few airlines to rebook / cancel tickets for my aunt, my husband and me. I deliberately chose to make bookings directly with my preferred airlines, with whom I have Elite/Gold frequent flyer status, in the hopes that, if I had to make sudden changes to my plans, I would get more flexible treatment through the frequent flyer plans. This worked well with one airline but not the other. Airline A rebooked my aunt's ticket (which I had obtained using my frequent flyer miles), at no charge, and in circumstances where there was no availability for reward seats, so that she could attend my mother's funeral. The airline also refunded the tickets I'd bought for my husband and me, when we provided a death certificate. The other airline waived a $25 telephone booking fee but charged the full (high) change fee on a changeable ticket, and charged us another fee when we had to change the return date, too. On balance, things worked out all right with the second airline, but that was mostly because I'd made sure I had a changeable ticket.

I realise that, in circumstances like this, you probably booked an inexpensive fare for a reason - but those inexpensive fares are usually terribly restrictive. And then you get caught out.

Call Opodo, explain the situation, ask if there's any relief possible. If you get the wrong answer, call again during a different time period and see if you can get a different answer. Will you be able to get any documentation regarding your mother's condition? You might have to pay a fee or buy a new ticket, but then get a promise of a partial reimbursement if you can document the situation later.

MoonGirl

In similar circumstances a couple of years ago, I contacted Expedia, but it was ultimately the airline customer service department (NOT the reservations department) who eventually came through with some relief. I agree you need to contact Opodo first, but the airline itself may have greater flexibility in the end. Good luck!

kybourbon

This happened to me in Oct. when my daughter got sick and I booked a last minute ticket on Expedia. I thought I would only need to be there 5 days, but ended up having to stay longer. I had used the first half of the ticket and wasn't allowed to change my return flight. I had to book a one-way ticket for the return. In hindsight, it would have been cheaper to book the original tickect unrestricted.

Seamus

I'll disagree with the recco to call Opodo first - they are a middleman/ agent reselling tickets. Once you have your ticket, the contract is with the airline. Techincally, the airline can choose to enforce the strict terms of the ticket you bought, but if you get a sympathetic agent you can get a break. You may want to be prepred to have some sort of proof, even if it is just a fax from the attending physician recommending you return home early.

AAFrequentFlyer

Seamus,

Airline ticketing does not work that way. When you buy a ticket from a travel agent, you are basically buying "reservations". In "most" cases, as there are exceptions, like everything in life, the airline will not touch the "reservation" until you check in for the first flight. There is a very sophisticated ticket "broker/money keeper" involved between the time you buy the ticket from let's say Orbitz, and the time the airline actually "collects" the money and that does not happen until they check you in. Once you are checked in for the first segment the ticket becomes the airlines property and they need to take care of you. Airlines don't want to touch any "reservation" made by a travel agent because they don't even know if the travel agent got paid until they get the confirmation from the "clearing house" during check in. I know it sounds silly, but it's leftover from the paper ticket days.

I'm somewhat simplifying the entire process but basically that's how it works.

NoFlyZone

AAFF is correct. And, to extend, if you happened to purchase through a consolidator or through an agency which did (and which Opodo may have, you cannot really tell), the airline has no control over what you paid, terms of cancellation and change penalties, and so on.

Such tickets can legally have terms in excess of the airline's terms. The airline cannot change those additional terms; indeed the airline has no idea what they are! Thus, you must go back to the entity which sold you the ticket.

Seamus

AAFF and NFZ -
Thanks - wow, I learn something here every day! I thought that only applied if buying from a consolidator. So the fact that a reservation that I purchased through a third party shows up on my online profile with the airline (where I can go in and do seat selection) doesn't mean anything? One more reason to buy directly from the airline, I guess.

NoFlyZone

Let me clarify a bit more: the airline will not do anything directly with you that has any financial impact, such as changes, cancellations, refunds, etc. Yes, they will still do seat selection because that has no such implications. And if they have changes to the flight (times, flight number, etc.) they will communicate that directly to you (or they should).

Heimdall

Thanks for your replies. I ended up buying a second ticket and cancelling the first. I am now back in the US with my family, and will try to sort out the refund situation when I return home.

Opodo told me to send proof of the emergency along with a cover letter to them, and they will contact NWA to see what they will do. I will let you know the outcome when I hear back from Opodo.

Heimdall

I said I would let you know the outcome of my request for a refund of my restricted airline ticket, and here it is:

After my return from the US I sent a letter to Opodo outlining the circumstances, including a copy of my mother's death certificate. I kept the request positive, thanking them for their service, and pointing out that although I cancelled one ticket I replaced it with another on an earlier flight, and also bought a ticket for my daughter to accompany me to the funeral.

I waited six weeks, but received no reply from Opodo. So I sent out a second letter, enclosing a copy of my first request, and another copy of the death certificate. This time I received an immediate reply by email on 26 Jan, saying they woulld contact Northwest Airlines, but not making any promises.

This morning I checked my credit card account online, and discovered that OPODO REFUNDED THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF MY TICKET ON 14 FEB!

Thank you everyone who replied to my question. I just wanted you to know that the outcome was successful. And thanks to Opodo and NW Airlines for making an exception to the no-refund rule.

MoonGirl

I am sorry to hear of your mother's death. I'm glad that both Opodo and NWA came through in these circumstances. Thanks for posting back -- one often wonders about the outcome when questions like this are asked . . .

hindo_99

I was in a similar situation - I had booked a vacation over a month ago, and in between the time I checked in online and my flight I received word my grandfather passed away. I called the airline (reservations, not refunds) to see what they could do. They said I could get credit for the full price of the fair on a flight booked within one year. I would be charged a $100 cancellation fee. The way to redeem the credit is to keep track of the e-ticket number and tell them when booking my new flight. There is no receipt or paper copy of this transaction so I'm a little worried, but I just got off the phone five min's ago. I'll try to remember to re-post when I book my next flight.

Regards