Lia

Anyone else had similar experience as this??

We had our travel agent book a fairly extensive itinerary for a Sept 2004 trip last month and later found the international portion (exact same flights ORD/HK non-stop on the same dates) on United.com for $350 less (from $1200 to $850). Nothing on the website indicated special fare status. We contacted the travel agent who said her ticketing system didn't show the fare so she couldn't do anything on her end and suggested we print it out and take it to the airport to see what United would do for us. The United ticket desk refused to adjust the fare, said we could buy a new ticket at the lower rate and then use the original ticket w/in a year (plus pay a $200+ change fee)! Having flown several paid trips to HK and Beijing on United in the last two years, I have to say I'm really disappointed in both the travel agent and United. If I weren't using up my FF miles, we'd switch airlines and needless to say, the travel agent won't be hearing from us again.

I guess the lesson learned (and I anticipate Peter N_H will agree on this point) is to book it yourself directly and don't assume that booking in advance gets you the best fare - or that you can get a better fare if it's published later!

If anyone from United reads this board, you just lost a loyal long-time customer who spends $25,000+/yr in business and personal air travel. Hope that extra $350 was worth it...(I know I'm venting, but maybe someone will learn from my experience)

Kathie

I haven't used a travel agent in probably 15 years. I find I get the best fares/rates by booking directly or with a few internet sites I use (like asiahotels.com).

Lyndie

I would mostly agree except for Bangkok travel agents. They seem able to get the best deals from the airlines. Have saved lots by using www.olavi.com for Turkey and now India. Sorry you were ripped off so blatantly, Lia.

orgy7

if you do live near chicago and travel alot too asia maybe cool down and stick with with United. obviously it's United headquarters plus it has a good system in asia. the rest are basicly non (narita, HK) if that. and NWA tends too be more expensive.

if you want too find the bargains check out concolidators they are the once who deal with true discount tickets NOT travel agents.

rkkwan

It's not your travel agent's fault that UA releases some lower fares after you book yours. That's how the airlines operate. Instead of the fares going down by $350, it could have gone up by $350 instead.

And it's not just UA that does this. All airlines do. So, there's no point getting mad. If you had found $1,200 for the ticket to be too high, you shouldn't have booked your trip in the first place.

Kenstee

I'd try to appeal to United. Perhaps they will issue you a credit for the difference. Worth a try!

Lia

Thanks orgy7 and Kenstee. Since we're currently based in Chicago, United still offers the best schedule for Asia so it's probably worth one more try to appeal for a credit. Guess we've been spoiled because we've always been able to book early to lock in the seat (or room) and get the lower rate if it's offered later. Wish we could wing it and wait until we see the best rates, but we had to plan in advance to coordinate schedules.

glorialf

I also live in Chicago and have found good rates and schedules on Japan Air. It is also a much more comfortable airline than United in my opinion.

rkkwan

If you live in Chicago and travels to HK/China a lot, and has Premiere elite status, there's no other airline that comes close to giving you the itinerary and legroom in coach (with Economy Plus seats). You'll be foolish to switch to a different carrier because of a few hundred dollars that you think you're entitled to.

BTW, I suggest you call UA again and ask about rebooking the ticket. They will charge you $200 for changing the ticket, but you should be able to use the credit immediately to book your new ticket. That's the experience with Continental I have earlier this year.

This is how it should work for you:

You have a $1,200 ticket. You get that refund with a $200 penalty, so you have a credit of $1,000 with UA. They rebook the new ticket for $850, so they'll issue you a voucher for $150 that you can use on future UA tickets within a year.

So, you get $150 back with this process, and your actual "loss" should be only $200.

slowboat2002

I recently got a ticket to Beijing on United for a very good price (about $925) and later wanted to change the return date even if it would cost their $100 fee. It was totally impossible because I was ticketed in a certain category and would have had to pay about another $900 for a seat in the best available category at that time. United said I would have to check every day (or maybe every hour) for a cancellation in my category to avoid that (which, unfortunately, didn't happen). So, maybe a seat had become available in a better category after your agent booked yours. I know the cheap and frequent flier seats are very limited per plane.

Elizabeth

KimJapan

You have to keep in mind that airline tickets come in many fare bases...usually the first letter of your confirmation number indicates your fare basis. In economy class, only "Y" fares are refundable and changable, and you still might have to pay a change fee, depending on the airline. The others economy fares (B, M, Q, K, L and more) are all considered discount tickets and carry restrictions. In most cases, the better the price, the tighter the restrictions. The availability of seats in any fare basis is constantly in flux, based on supply and demand and projections and statistics with the goal of getting the flight as full as possible with the highest fare paying passengers as possible.

This whole system often works against the flyer who plans ahead and then finds that a better fare is offered closer to the departure date. Depending on your particular fare basis ticket, you might be able to exchange it...or you might not. This is where the fine print in the fare rules comes into play...it always pays to ask about these in detail, or if you book online, read them.

Agent vs. online prices...sometimes a travel agent can get a very good price on a very restricted ticket. Bucket shops specialize in these cheap, non-refundable, non-exchangable fares. These tickets won't be found on the airline sites, or expedia or travelocity etc because they are not published fares. Depending on the airline, you might not even be able to earn miles...again, you need to check the fare rules.

It sounds to me like you have bought a discount ticket from your travel agent...probably M fare or lower. If you look at the fare rules, you will be able to see all the charges and penalties for cancelling and rebooking. The cheaper ticket you saw on the website could be the same fare basis offered at a lower price due to lower than expected demand on the flight, or it could be a new fare offered for a few seats only...check the fare rules for that fare too, and see how they compare. For an international flight, the penalty you were quoted ($200.00) is standard for discount tickets. Unfortunately, it's just the way the business works. The more you know about it, the better you'll be able to work it to your advantage rather than to the airline's.

Check out flyertalk.com for very informative message boards...it's where I learned almost all that I know...great site with great in-depth, nitty gritty stuff.