Friday "I can't Believe It" and Helpful Hint
May 16th, 2008, 04:05 AM
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Friday "I can't Believe It" and Helpful Hint
My “I can’t believe it” moment that I thought I would share in hopes to save others or at least to make some of you snicker.
Here is my story: I booked my trip for Scandinavia a few months ago. I was trying to get the best deal for tickets, so I tried many different iterations of the flight in and out of the area. In my case, the cheapest flight was going into Sweden from the US and returning from Denmark.
Confident of my flight patterns, I didn't double check my initial flight in and out of the area. I was convinced that I knew it, so I booked my hotels and transportation as if I was starting in Denmark and ending in Sweden. Based on the last paragraph you should have realized that it was actually the reverse of my original tickets purchased. (Doh!)
Luckily, early this week I checked over my information and noticed the error. I was able to change my airline flights into Scandinavia (at a cost of course). I can't blame the airlines for my mistake but I do feel as they should have been able to at least accommodate their own website costs and flights (a vent for another day).
Anyways…Moral of the story: Always double check your flight tickets before booking the remainder of your trip. Otherwise you may find yourself having to redo your whole bookings and/or spending more than you wanted.
Hope you enjoyed the anecdote and Happy Friday!
Here is my story: I booked my trip for Scandinavia a few months ago. I was trying to get the best deal for tickets, so I tried many different iterations of the flight in and out of the area. In my case, the cheapest flight was going into Sweden from the US and returning from Denmark.
Confident of my flight patterns, I didn't double check my initial flight in and out of the area. I was convinced that I knew it, so I booked my hotels and transportation as if I was starting in Denmark and ending in Sweden. Based on the last paragraph you should have realized that it was actually the reverse of my original tickets purchased. (Doh!)
Luckily, early this week I checked over my information and noticed the error. I was able to change my airline flights into Scandinavia (at a cost of course). I can't blame the airlines for my mistake but I do feel as they should have been able to at least accommodate their own website costs and flights (a vent for another day).
Anyways…Moral of the story: Always double check your flight tickets before booking the remainder of your trip. Otherwise you may find yourself having to redo your whole bookings and/or spending more than you wanted.
Hope you enjoyed the anecdote and Happy Friday!
May 16th, 2008, 04:55 AM
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....<i>but I do feel as they should have been able to at least accommodate their own website costs and flights..</i>
Sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by this?? You mean they should put in their website the cost of changing a ticket?
Sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by this?? You mean they should put in their website the cost of changing a ticket?
May 16th, 2008, 05:06 AM
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What a pain, indeed, Nuttela! I had a similar situation with smaller flight- Venice to Paris for early August '08. I looked at so many airlines and needed an early morning departure as I was being taken to airport at 6AM with my daughter's group. Somehow, I still don't know how, I bought a 14:00 flight and did not want to spend all morning in airport. Thank goodness the phone number was on site and I had to pay $40 to change it and then found a 7AM flight on Air France.
and then found time I wanted on one I cannot recall! Anyway somehow I mixed up the departing flight from Venice and it meant waiting
and then found time I wanted on one I cannot recall! Anyway somehow I mixed up the departing flight from Venice and it meant waiting
May 16th, 2008, 07:21 AM
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I had this experience once that I thought I was leaving Madrid in the afternoon. So I happily told my mom -- we'll go to Prado for a few hours and come back and get our bags and go to the airport.
Of course, you guessed it. I decided to check the tickts and we were on a morning flight. So we had to pack hastily and rush to the airport. Fortunately Madrid has one of the closest airports accessible by taxi among the major European cities. I can't imagine what would happen if we had to scramble to get to Heathrow.
Of course, you guessed it. I decided to check the tickts and we were on a morning flight. So we had to pack hastily and rush to the airport. Fortunately Madrid has one of the closest airports accessible by taxi among the major European cities. I can't imagine what would happen if we had to scramble to get to Heathrow.
May 16th, 2008, 08:00 AM
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Glad to see I am not the only one who had something like this happen to them. I felt so stupid.
JoyC - I apologize for the vague comment. I didn't really want to bore anyone too much. I was actually referring to the flights and cost available on their website that that was not available when I tried changing my reservation by phone. Though I can't be mad at them it was really my fault from the get go.
JoyC - I apologize for the vague comment. I didn't really want to bore anyone too much. I was actually referring to the flights and cost available on their website that that was not available when I tried changing my reservation by phone. Though I can't be mad at them it was really my fault from the get go.
May 16th, 2008, 09:39 AM
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Oh yes, I've had this happen too!
One time I booked a hotel in Paris for 3 nights that was one date out, luckily I was able to change it as no extra cost.
Then just recently I booked flights for my daughter to Cape Town with a transfer to East London, and return. the Cape Town/Heathrow flights were fine, but somehow in the booking the return flight East London to CT I got things wrong. What happened was that when I booked on the telephone it was quite a long and convoluted conversation getting the flights sorted with suitable stopover times, and when the operator read the info and details back to me I had kind of switched off and just said yes, fine, only to get the email later on with the right date but wrong MONTH on it!! Panic set in, but luckily they were able to change it for me to the right month at no extra cost. Makes me wonder if the operator got it wrong... as I had spent ages discussing the return in August with her, so why did she book July?
Since then I have had to change the incoming flight from Cape Town to East London because my daughter's plans have now changed, and I have had to pay for that!
I hope I have now learned to check and double check everything, even if I think I have it all perfectly in my head... and to try to do it with a proofreaders view because we do tend to see what we expect to see and can so easily miss the obvious. Better still. get someone else to check!
Nuttela, have a great trip!
One time I booked a hotel in Paris for 3 nights that was one date out, luckily I was able to change it as no extra cost.
Then just recently I booked flights for my daughter to Cape Town with a transfer to East London, and return. the Cape Town/Heathrow flights were fine, but somehow in the booking the return flight East London to CT I got things wrong. What happened was that when I booked on the telephone it was quite a long and convoluted conversation getting the flights sorted with suitable stopover times, and when the operator read the info and details back to me I had kind of switched off and just said yes, fine, only to get the email later on with the right date but wrong MONTH on it!! Panic set in, but luckily they were able to change it for me to the right month at no extra cost. Makes me wonder if the operator got it wrong... as I had spent ages discussing the return in August with her, so why did she book July?
Since then I have had to change the incoming flight from Cape Town to East London because my daughter's plans have now changed, and I have had to pay for that!
I hope I have now learned to check and double check everything, even if I think I have it all perfectly in my head... and to try to do it with a proofreaders view because we do tend to see what we expect to see and can so easily miss the obvious. Better still. get someone else to check!
Nuttela, have a great trip!
May 16th, 2008, 10:00 AM
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Just wondering, but would it have been easier and cheaper to change your hotels and transport instead?
On my trip last month we arrived at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, early one morning, and I discovered that I bought my prem TGV tickets for the wrong day! At least it was easily remedied, though cost a pretty penny. But such is the joy of traveling!
On my trip last month we arrived at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, early one morning, and I discovered that I bought my prem TGV tickets for the wrong day! At least it was easily remedied, though cost a pretty penny. But such is the joy of traveling!
May 16th, 2008, 10:29 AM
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While I didn't have a doh! moment booking tickets, I've learned to double check departure times.
A friend and I went to London and then to Paris. The day before our flight to Paris we double checked our flights and all was in order, not having to arrive at Heathrow until 1:00 PM. So we did a Londonwalks pub crawl along the Thames that night, partaking liberally at each stop. Our walk lasted about an hour longer than originally stated because our guide stopped at a couple more pubs than usual and for longer because it had been raining heavily,(that was his excuse anyway).
It was around midnight when we arrived back at our hotel, and we were verrryy tipsy. I thought to double check once again our flight times only to discover our flight was at 1:00 PM. Which meant we had to get to LHR by at least 11:00. Which meant we had to be packed and out of the hotel by about 10:00. And we had not packed, because of course we thought we had all morning to get up and pack.
I'm a poor drunk (terrible hangovers) and my friend was definitely not a morning person, so we decided to pack that night. Two drunks, packing in the middle of the night.
We did make it for our flight. Naturally my checked bag did not make it to CDG, and in my drunken state had failed to pack the bare necessities on my carry on. No change of clothes, no brush or comb. thankfully, I did have my toothbrush.
The day before leaving Paris, we were completely packed.
A friend and I went to London and then to Paris. The day before our flight to Paris we double checked our flights and all was in order, not having to arrive at Heathrow until 1:00 PM. So we did a Londonwalks pub crawl along the Thames that night, partaking liberally at each stop. Our walk lasted about an hour longer than originally stated because our guide stopped at a couple more pubs than usual and for longer because it had been raining heavily,(that was his excuse anyway).
It was around midnight when we arrived back at our hotel, and we were verrryy tipsy. I thought to double check once again our flight times only to discover our flight was at 1:00 PM. Which meant we had to get to LHR by at least 11:00. Which meant we had to be packed and out of the hotel by about 10:00. And we had not packed, because of course we thought we had all morning to get up and pack.
I'm a poor drunk (terrible hangovers) and my friend was definitely not a morning person, so we decided to pack that night. Two drunks, packing in the middle of the night.
We did make it for our flight. Naturally my checked bag did not make it to CDG, and in my drunken state had failed to pack the bare necessities on my carry on. No change of clothes, no brush or comb. thankfully, I did have my toothbrush.
The day before leaving Paris, we were completely packed.
May 16th, 2008, 11:30 AM
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KateIP - I thought of changing the hotels and other transportation, but when I thought of the phone calls to 4 hotels, 2 airflights between the countries, and a train ride through Norway I thought it would have been better to make one phone call and bear the cost.
Thanks to everyone else who have shared their "I can't believe it moments". It is amazing how certain things can be taken for granted/overlooked for new or seasoned travellers.
Thanks to everyone else who have shared their "I can't believe it moments". It is amazing how certain things can be taken for granted/overlooked for new or seasoned travellers.
