sandy_b

Let's say I go out to kayak or orbitz or travelocity and put in my destination/dates and a nice fare comes back. Let's say it's one leg on American then another on Air Morac outbound and one leg on NWA and another on Continental inbound.

OK . . . something happens (weather, equipment failure, etc.) and one leg is late and I miss the next . . . who will be responsible for seeing I get on the next flight and when?

I know if I book through an airline site (say American) and am booked on their partners that AA would be responsible, right? But who helps me when they are not partner airlines?

I've found a great fare on kayak and on orbitz but am afraid to book.

Thanks for any help/advice you can give.

Sandy (in Denton)

nibblette

Kayak is only a search engine and does not book flights.

You booking agent is responsible for helping you. If you book thru travelocity or orbitz, then they are your booking agent. You will need to contact that agency for help. That is what their booking fee is supposed to cover.

FainaAgain

In theory, Orbitz and Expedia, but I'm sure they deny all responsibilities in that fine print nobody reads. If you make reservations with different airlines, you are on your own. Sorry, but this is the practical side of it.

In this case, a travel agent may help, perhaps? Didn't deal with any for a while, but I think this may be a case for an agent.

AAFrequentFlyer

I believe the 2 replies above misunderstood your question.

It is true that the TA is required to make any changes before you take the first flight. The airline(s) won't, can't touch your reservation at that time. So make sure you deal with a reputable and accesible, and helpful TA for ANY bookings.

That said, I believe you were asking as to what would happen if your first flight with AA was delayed (for whatever reason) and you missed your connection with Air Moroc?

Once you check in and if the delay caused by the first airline will make you miss your connection, then it would be AA's responsibility, in this instance, to find some way to get you to your final destination, regardless of the reason.

By agreeing to sell a ticket as part of a multi-airline ticket, AA agreed that they need to help the paxs if there are delays. I believe that's part of some airline agreements and also IATA and probably couple of other agreements. They don't have to be part of the same alliance nor be partners in any other way.

JaneB

Thanks, AAFF, for your clear and concise explanation of this situation. I, too, have wondered about this same thing.

petlover

Sandy, I know this isn't directly addressed at your question regarding multiple airlines but will share a recent experience we had. On a recent Alaska cruise the pod on the ship broke and we were delayed getting into Anchorage by one day (actually we were thrilled to have an extra "free" day on the ship). We had booked our flights directly through Alaskan Air and one quick phone call allowed us to fly back one day later. They didn't even charge us a change fee (which the cruiseline would have reimbursed us for).

My friend had booked her flight home through Expedia and eventually got it worked out but it took numerous phone calls and eventually going through a supervisor. While we were enjoying our last day on the ship, she spent the day frustrated camped out on the phone trying to work out her return flight. I think if the fares are close you should always book with the airline directly rather than one of the many booking websites.

sandy_b

Thank you everyone. I always want to book directly with the airline but in some cases (here lately), they are several hundreds of dollars higher. The fares I'm considering currently are at least $300 cheaper and to one destination and $400 cheaper to another if I buy through Orbitz or a site that kayak sends me to.

Before I plunk down my money, I just want to be sure that someone will get me to my destination in a timely manner and without a lot of trouble/frustration on my part.

I may have to give this a lot more thought . . .

Thanks again,
Sandy (in Denton)

ilovetotravel29

I have called the airlines directly and have been told that if one leg of my flight is late, they would put me on the next flight without charging me.