christo

Orbitz just informed me that my flight from Manaus to Buenos Aires was changed because TAM made a time change for the departure of the first leg Manaus to BA.
This is fair enough but it now means my layover in Sao Paulo is 8.5 hours vs the original 2.5 There is an earlier flight available for the second leg (Sao Paulo to BA) which I would prefer. I don't know why they did not change that also !
Orbitz policy states that I will have to pay a penalty of $130 plus to make a change. Does anyone know of any recourse I have or a good strategy to fix the 2nd leg to a more reasonable time ?

Thanks.

NoFlyZone

Most airlines' computers tend to look only at the affected flight when reaccommodating. And, again, most airlines will make additional changes upon request when events such as yours occur.

Have you yet called to ask them if they would make the change without charge? That should be your first action.

CarolA

This is one of the risks of buying through someone like Orbitz. YOu need to call them and try to get them to make the change. The airlines generally will do it with no charge. However, you have to deal with Orbitz first since they "own" the reservation until you fly the first flight.

Seamus

Don't think that is correct, CarolA - Orbitz dos not own the rez, the airline does. Orbitz is just the third party agent that sold it; they are an agent, no a consolidator. I would call the airline directly, explain that you have been notified of a change that does not synch and see what they can do. Have your airline record locator (not one that Orbitz may have given you) when you call.

christo

Thank you very much fellow Fodorites.
Your recommendations are encouraging and so
I will give them a try and report back.

CarolA

As a general rule... once you buy via a "Travel Agent" (which Orbitz is) they manage the reservation. SOMETIMES I can get Delta to take control and make the changes I need, but generally Delta makes me call Amex, for example. Now once the first flight is flown (or checked in) if I call Amex they can't do anything and refer me to Delta.

In the airline's "mind" the reservation is owned by the agency until they "take over" and while they can do that early, they may not.

SCFoodie

I've had this happen several times on flights booked through Orbitz. I've just called Orbitz and requested the change to the other flight. Orbitz has always taken care of it - at no charge by either them or the airline. The Orbitz rep will just put me on hold, call the airline and then get back to me to tell me it's done. Then I go to my reservation on the airline's website and put in my seat request. Hopefully it worked out well for you!

AAFrequentFlyer

I agree wit <b>CarolA</b>,

as a general rule, the TA that sold the ticket "owns" it until the passenger checks in. There may be an exception, but 95% of the time, the TA is the ONLY one that can change the reservation.

NoFlyZone

I neglected to say, in my note above, that it is indeed Orbitz who should be contacted by the OP. They control the booking at this point.

christo

Hi people, Christo here with my report on the results.
I am happy to say that Orbitz fixed the problem. That is they switched the second leg to one that had the best connection/layover in Sao Paulo. (I don't know why they did not do this in the first instance).

Anyways the service from Orbitz Customer Service was excellent. I got through to an agent in only a minute or 2. He was recognized the problem without me even saying it and offered a solution right away. Like you said SCFoodie I just waited on the line while he contacted TAM.

I should add that what got me worked up in the first place was not the flight time change, that happens all the time, it was that they did not adjust the second leg to coincide. Further more the email notification had a "do not reply " message and so when I went on their website it advised that any customer change to flights would cost $150. There was nothing to indicate how to proceed in this type of circumstance.

SCFoodie

christo - so glad to hear it worked out for you! I've always had great customer service from Orbitz - one very big reason I continue to book flights through them.

And - guess what - just found out yesterday that one of my connecting flights on an upcoming trip has been "eliminated" and I've been pushed back to a later flight. This is the second time this has happened on this trip! Sadly, nothing I can do about the long (4 hours) layover that I will now have. I'm booked on what is now the only flight of day from my connecting city to my destination city.