Rkkwan: Question about minimum connection time error by TA/airline
Sep 10th, 2005 | 03:39 PM
#1
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Rkkwan: Question about minimum connection time error by TA/airline
Rkkwan, I know you visit this section regular, help us double-double check something here:
If someone goes to a travel agent to book a flight involving a connection, the t/agent makes the booking with the airline, then the passenger discovers that the connection falls well short of the published 'Minimum connecting time' ( a connection that the airline's own website will not allow to online book because the "connection is too short" and the system refuses to accept the booking) I guess we are right to pressume that absolutely no ways can the passenger be charged to change that flight to an acceptable connection, and a hefy $200 at that ?
Many thanks
If someone goes to a travel agent to book a flight involving a connection, the t/agent makes the booking with the airline, then the passenger discovers that the connection falls well short of the published 'Minimum connecting time' ( a connection that the airline's own website will not allow to online book because the "connection is too short" and the system refuses to accept the booking) I guess we are right to pressume that absolutely no ways can the passenger be charged to change that flight to an acceptable connection, and a hefy $200 at that ?
Many thanks
Sep 10th, 2005 | 06:52 PM
#3
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Reservation systems (most of the time) will not allow an itinerary that undercuts the MCT to be ticketed without giving a great big warning to the user. Only the most incompetant of travel agents would then go ahead and confirm such a reservation, only for the airline to subsequently reject the booking.
What kind of itinerary are you talking about here? I come across circumstances quite frequently where an agent will book somebody a flight on Virgin to New York (for example) and, because Virgin don't have any domestic flights, the agent will book a British Airways flight on a separate PNR and then discover they have undercut the MCT at Heathrow. Two separate bookings means no liability and, unless the passenger kicks up a fuss, he is screwed, unfortunately.
So, firstly, ensure that the itinerary is ALL on ONE TICKET!!! This is incredibly important. Your booking may appear to all be on one reservation, but there could yet be two different ticket numbers in the same reservation.
If you are booked all on one ticket, then you should be entitled to a refund, nevermind making a change due to an Invol Reroute. If this is the case in your situation and the agent is still not co-operative, then go and speak to ASTA or whoever it is that regulates travel agents in the USA. It won't be worthwhile contacting the airline itself.
If you have been booked on two separate tickets then, unless you have a nice TA, you might be screwed as the airline involved will expect payment for a date/time change on the reservation which, in these troubled times for travel agents, the agent will not be keen to pay from his/her own budget regardless of whether it is their own mistake.
What kind of itinerary are you talking about here? I come across circumstances quite frequently where an agent will book somebody a flight on Virgin to New York (for example) and, because Virgin don't have any domestic flights, the agent will book a British Airways flight on a separate PNR and then discover they have undercut the MCT at Heathrow. Two separate bookings means no liability and, unless the passenger kicks up a fuss, he is screwed, unfortunately.
So, firstly, ensure that the itinerary is ALL on ONE TICKET!!! This is incredibly important. Your booking may appear to all be on one reservation, but there could yet be two different ticket numbers in the same reservation.
If you are booked all on one ticket, then you should be entitled to a refund, nevermind making a change due to an Invol Reroute. If this is the case in your situation and the agent is still not co-operative, then go and speak to ASTA or whoever it is that regulates travel agents in the USA. It won't be worthwhile contacting the airline itself.
If you have been booked on two separate tickets then, unless you have a nice TA, you might be screwed as the airline involved will expect payment for a date/time change on the reservation which, in these troubled times for travel agents, the agent will not be keen to pay from his/her own budget regardless of whether it is their own mistake.
Sep 10th, 2005 | 07:09 PM
#4
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Would be doubly interested to know what the itinerary involves as you state that it 'falls well short' of the MCT. Many domestic connections in the USA will permit sometimes ludicrously low MCT's. If you booking was 'well short' then it could be suggested that you would shoulder some of the responsibility for this error. For instance, if you were booked with 20 minutes in Atlanta or Chicago.
If it involves a domestic to international connection, then this makes it more likely that you may have two separate tickets. The MCT, particularly when arriving internationally in the USA, is often very high due to the now protracted customs procedures in place and an agent can easily under-estimate the MCT and make a mistake.
If it involves a domestic to international connection, then this makes it more likely that you may have two separate tickets. The MCT, particularly when arriving internationally in the USA, is often very high due to the now protracted customs procedures in place and an agent can easily under-estimate the MCT and make a mistake.
Sep 11th, 2005 | 07:53 AM
#5
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Many thanks, this has been on the Asia Board, the travel agent in CA booked the tickets with Bangkok Airways on a multi sector pass ticket, and included in the routing is an International arrival at 10.05 from Cambodia ( immigration and customs clearance necessary at Bangkok) for an 11.30 domestic departure from the domestic terminal, the MCT for 'International to Domestic' at Bangkok is 2 hours.
Unfortunately the 'only' other flight on the route that day is 1230 with an en-route stop and no further flights, it's not as if there was a large number of other options if they didn't make it, so they realy need to re-book on that 1230 flight, also the person adds that they don't like rushing/clock watching and we all agree that they 'might' make it but a long queue and they wouldn't, and as said it's not as if there are other flights that day they would really be stuck.
Thanks for your help and
Unfortunately the 'only' other flight on the route that day is 1230 with an en-route stop and no further flights, it's not as if there was a large number of other options if they didn't make it, so they realy need to re-book on that 1230 flight, also the person adds that they don't like rushing/clock watching and we all agree that they 'might' make it but a long queue and they wouldn't, and as said it's not as if there are other flights that day they would really be stuck.
Thanks for your help and
