ORBITZ/VIRGIN ATLANTIC HELL!!
 

Please help! I've spent hours on the phone and trawling the net in search of an answer to my question but I'm not getting anywhere.
Basically, a couple of months ago I used the Orbitz website to book flights for myself and my mother from Dublin, Ireland to New Delhi, India. Since there are no direct flights from here (Dublin) to New Delhi Orbitz provided me with a flight operated by Virgin Atlantic Airlines flight from Dublin to London Heathrow, and a second flight from London Heathrow to Delhi. The time between the connecting flights was 2hr, and so there would have been no problem in making the connecting flight. However, when I tried to print off my ticket from the Orbitz website the London to Delhi ticket was available for printing, but the Dublin to London ticket did not exist. I contacted Orbitz who then informed me that the flight I had booked no longer existed and said that I would have to contact Virgin to find out why. I then contacted Virgin who said that the time of the Dublin to London flight had been postponed by an hour and a half, meaning that we would miss our connecting flight, so they had booked us onto a flight that morning instead, which would leave us with an 8 hour stopover in London, which was fine by us. However, they told me that they could not issue the ticket to me themselves, that only Orbitz could issue the tickets to me, as my contract was with them. When I contacted Orbitz they informed me that Virgin had changed our tickets without consulting or confirming it with them (Orbitz), and so now, although we are technically booked onto the Virgin flight (which is now fully booked), Orbitz require Virgin to take our names off these ticket (essentially, to put them back up for sale) so that Orbitz can purchase them back, though Orbitz say that there is no guarantee that they will be able to purchase the tickets in time.
What's worse is that Orbitz are now denying liability. Virgin are denying liability. Essentially I have paid 2100 dollars for 2 flights, and now, due to a technical hitch my travel plans have been destroyed and nobody is taking responsibility or offering me my money back. Can anyone help???

Orbits is wrong They do not have to rebuy the ticket. Call back. Ask for a supervisor. Tell them they just need to link the tickets.


Lesson learned. Do not use on line travel agents

Thanks for your reply. I'm going to call them back in the morning (we are 5 hours ahead in Dublin). The problem is worsened by the fact that every time I've called Orbitz (5 calls today) they've either put me on hold for an average of an hour, or told me that there was no available supervisor, or else hung up on me. They clearly don't want to deal with the problem and are hoping I'll just give up. But we're supposed to be flying in five days time and if Orbitz continue this saga I may never get the problem sorted. I'll keep on to them but I most definitely have learned my lesson. But currently Orbitz are refusing to deal with the problem which means I can't even cancel my booking at this rate and rebook myself!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the Orbitz office is based in the US, so after 7 and a half hours spent today on the phone to them from Ireland, I'll have a hefty phone bill to add to the losses I stand to suffer for my flights. And even after 7 hours (5 of which were spent on hold) I STILL got nowhere. Incredibly frustrating.

Download Skype and quit paying for int'l calls while you get this sorted!

I second the idea of Skype - great idea. Use it all the time internationally.

go directly to a Virgin supervisor see if they can

suss it out for you

if u are in Dublin book ryanair.com cheaply in advance to LON

make your Delhi flight for sure do not lose since it is

booked.

Insuremytrip.com independently of the agent always wise

would cover this but if you did not might do something

like above.

Agents tend to abdicate all resonsibility if thing go south.

Lastly if all else fails file a dispute/merchant reversal

with your credit card company for fraud deception

service not as promised always works for me.

Immediately get my charges reversed a free investigation

and defintely u will get the attention of Orbitz that way.

Good luck!

>>>>if u are in Dublin book ryanair.com cheaply in advance to LON make your Delhi flight for sure do not lose since it is
booked.<<<<

While it's not quite clear to me if you actually are ticketed with a 1st leg from DUB/LON, the above advice would be bad if you are. If you miss the 1st leg, the rest of your flight is canceled.

Your problem is with Orbitz. They sold you something and didn't deliver. If you used a US credit card, you can put the charge in dispute within 60 days of the purchase (must do it in writing).

Does Virgin even fly between DUB and LHR? It might be a codeshare operated by bmi or it might be Aer Lingus.

I was curious what the final outcome was on your problem? I wish you well and hope that Orbitz steps up and fix your problem.