Anyone booked with this service? They are offering some really good fares between Denver and Prague. Thanks for any/all info. (I also posted this on the Europe forum.)

From what I've seen here on this and other forums...I'd be hesitant to use them at all.

Not to worry, I've used them 2 times this past year - once to Europe - got a good price to Bucharest, Romania. And the second time to Rio de Janeiro - I booked with a couple of friends. I was a bit hesitant at first (wasn't too impressed with their web site), but they delivered. I charged everything to a credit card to be able to dispute charges, just in case.

Just booked an open jaw MSP-FCO and VCE-MSP with this site. I had purchased a flight last night at www.cheaptickets.com for $835pp.

I saw this site referenced on the airline forum and was able to secure the exact same itinerary for $680pp.

Cheaptickets.com and orbitz.com allow ticket cancellation within 24 hours of purchase with no penalty outside the service fee ($12.99) so I could cancel the first tickets.

I checked www.nwa.com using the flycheapabroad confirmation code and our flights are confirmed.

Just saved $300!!

I am a seasoned traveler, who relied, perhaps foolishly, on a discount airline site called FlyCheapAbroad.com. I was going to Paris in September and noted that the major carriers were asking coach prices of almost a thousand dollars. I thought this might be too high and delayed buying my ticket in the summer, thinking that the airfares would come down in August as they customarily do.

During this period, I checked out various discount airfare sites and came upon FlyCheapAbroad.com. They listed a fare on an as yet unknown major carrier (until I bought the ticket) for two hundred dollars cheaper. I called the 800 number and asked, among other things, would I receive Frequent Flyer Miles? I was told that I would and that they would put my mileage account number on the reservation once purchased.

A week or so later, I noticed that the flight I was interested in had dropped to $609. Thinking the deal might not last, I called the website again, and before making the purchase repeated the question about the Frequent Flier mileage. Again, I was told that I would receive the miles, so I purchased the ticket.

Indeed, as it turned out to be an American Airlines flight, I saw that my mileage number was affixed on the official AA reservation. However, after I took my flights I noticed that I didn't receive any mileage. Upon requesting same from the AA Help Desk, I received a rude awakening. My flight didn't qualify, as it had been purchased through a discount travel agent.

When I confronted FlyCheapAbroad.com, it was intriguing that the two agents expressed surprise that I hadn't received mileage and said they would call AA to find out why. The next day, after I called them again, the agent said that my flight didn't qualify. It didn't seem to faze her that she'd been surprised the day before that I hadn't received the miles, nor that I had been told by the person who sold me the ticket that I would receive them.

I asked to speak to a supervisor, who called me back and cited a sort of "It's not our responsibility" line. No matter what I said, she kept repeating her mantra. I referred her to the Terms and Conditions page on the website, which had wording still in effect in October where, under the paragraph heading of Frequent Flyer it said, "Once booked and ticketed, it is the responsibility of the passenger to contact the airlines to give Frequent Flyer account information." It didn't say to call the airline to find out whether the flight would accrue miles (which would have been impossible before buying the ticket, because FlyCheapAbroad.com doesn't tell you what airline you will be flying), but encourages you to get your information to the airline. What other reason could there be for this verbiage if the mileage was not expected? That, plus the personal assurances I had been given by the clerk who sold me the ticket, gave me the confidence that I would receive the miles.

After arguing with this supervisor for quite awhile, she said she would look into it and then, upon my nudging, emailed me the next day with "First of all, I want to make it clear that I am sincerely sorry for this situation. Please let me continue trying to get an exception from AA to make possible a mileage credit in your account." She said she'd get back in five business days. To this date, two months later, I have heard nothing from the agency. I note that if she felt that I was in any way wrong or had made a mistake, why would she have even indicated a desire to rectify the situation? Perhaps it was because I threatened to write to American Airlines and the administrators of VISA.

The only satisfaction is that they have since updated their Terms and Conditions page, which now, under the Frequent Flyer paragraph has the wording, "Some flights will not accrue miles." One, of course, wonders if they will be up front with someone who poses the question of mileage eligibility, or if in fact any of their discounted flights do yield miles.

Frequent Flyer miles are worth a considerable amount. Their value is approximately $25 per thousand miles, so for a round-trip flight of over 12,000 miles I was cheated by them of about $300. The amount of the AA fare posted shortly before I took off was a little over $700, so even with the hundred dollars I "saved" using FlyCheap Abroad.com, with the mileage loss, I was out almost $200.

I can only urge that if you use this company insist upon the airline before you buy the ticket and demand whether the flight will accrue miles and get it in writing. I would also, upon learning of the exact flight (which usually happens within an hour or so), contacting the airline directly to learn if the flight will get you miles. If it doesn't, you can appeal immediately to VISA or Mastercard to cancel the transaction. In my case, since I didn't know of the fraud until after 60 days of my payment (as I bought the ticket a couple of months in advance and didn't learn of the mileage discrepancy until after the month-long journey was over), VISA cannot refund any of my money.

It is a lesson to be learned about discount airfares. Unless the fare is so very much below what the airline is quoting and/or you fly so seldom that you don't care about the miles (which is silly, as you can give them away), do not risk using FlyCheapAbroad.com or other such websites. It was an expensive lesson to learn for me. I hope that you don't suffer equally.

Blanqui - sorry for your problem, but it just underscores the importnace of going to the right place to ask your question. I this case, it would be the airline, not the agency. You can also look at the airline FF info online to see what rules apply to the fare class which you are thinking about purchasing.
FYI, as a general rule, fares purchased through consolidators or that are classed as "bulk" usually get reduced or no FF credit.

Yes, I agree, but as stated in my (admittedly) long post, FlyCheapAbroad doesn't permit you to know which airline you are flying until you pay them, and, as indicated, my cheap gripe is that they lied to me when I asked them a direct question (as to whether I would get miles).

That should be offputting to you and others, I do think, and might make one hesitate about what else they might lie or, at best, incompetently impart to you.

Plus, Seamus, you also don't know about the fare class. However, you're right, in that I've definitely learned NOT to use such a company in the future. And I urge others to be wary of them. And also to run to the airline (once you learn which one it is) and learn whether you will get the miles. You can always cancel the sale by quickly contacting your credit card company (i.e. VISA or MC) and indicating as the reason the misinformation regarding the tickets you recently purchased.

Blanqui, not sure I agree with your blanket recco to avoid such companies. In the current times of full flights there are fewer and fewer bargains to be had through such consolidators (the airlines are selling their own seats and don't have extra to sell at a steep discount to consolidators) they do occasionally still offer a bargain and can be OK for someone interested only in price. But as with all bargain shopping, it's caveat emptor. If you fly enough that FF are an issue then you are probably better off dealing directly with the airline.

Seamus, I didn't say not to use the cheaper companies, just to be wary. To dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s, that's all.

To not presume you're getting a straight answer from them, and to check with the airlines (if you're interested in such things as frequent flyer miles) after you've bought the ticket in enough time to call your credit card company and cancel the charge if it turns out that the consolidator lied.

If everything turns out well, you may still wind up with a good deal with such discount companies.

My pique with FlyCheapAbroad.com was that their agents lied to a direct question of mine (asked twice), as I knew that certain such ticketing situations might not offer miles and wanted to clarify whether their offer would include miles. And they said, yes I would receive them.

And since their price was not so low (I purchased an LAX to Germany ticket directly from Delta last year that was cheaper and received full mileage), there was no reason -- until now -- not to trust that the ticketing agent at FlyCheapAbroad.com was not telling the truth.

Just be careful.

If my ticket is a V fare class on NWA and according to this website, I should earn miles, http://www.nwa.com/worldperks/earn/a...html#northwest, is that all that matters? Or is there a separate "bulk" designation I am unware of?

To follow up- I finally remembered to call NWA and I will earn miles on my ticket purchased at www.flycheapabroad.com.

ttt

We just booked another flight for Tim over the winter holidays and saved approximately $200 on his ticket. I booked it 30 minutes ago and the reservation is already on nwa.com.
It seems like although we can find deals from MSP, we can't find any for the inlaws flying from Denver.
Liz

I've used them about 5 times. I've had zero problems. Most of the time they don't tell you the airline, but it isn't too terribly hard to figure out which airlines the flights are based on the times shown.

Thus far, i've gotten 4 Air France (IAD-CDG) flights and one Delta flight. I've gotten frequent flyer miles for those flights, but I guess it varies.