Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)
-   Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)
-   -   Help! Need to change airlne ticket (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/help-need-to-change-airlne-ticket-884899/)

auleen Apr 2nd, 2011 12:33 PM

Help! Need to change airlne ticket
 
We bought our tickets from US to Croatia through AirlineConsolidators. Now we want to extend our stay 2 more weeks. I called them, knowing there would be a fee. Would you believer $375 each? Plus probable changes in air fare! My question: Does anyone know of a way be can avoid this? Or, to somehow have a lesser charge? Legally of course! This seems quite outrageous to me; and of course the tickets are non-refundable as well--I knew that but did not anticipate an extension to our trip. Any ideas?

kismetchimera Apr 2nd, 2011 12:44 PM

American Airline charged me 250 dollars last July just to change my returning flight.Is getting worse and the airlines are taking advantage of their customers.

Iam going to Croatia also in September..never been there before..
Sorry but I have never used Airline Consolidators before.

hetismij Apr 2nd, 2011 12:54 PM

I don't see how they are taking advantage of their customers. They charge you a fixed low fare. No changes allowed. People who want/need flexibility in their flights pay a heck of a lot more even than the fixed price flight plus additional fee.
The fee is there to discourage people buying cheap fixed tickets and then changing them rather than buying a more expensive but flexible ticket in the first place.
It's just business.

Christina Apr 2nd, 2011 12:54 PM

That's what happens when you buy through a consolidator, you don't have the same rights in many cases as if you bought dirrectly from the airline (or a regular travel agency that doesn't dump tickets). That website isn't just selling regular airline tickets, you must have known that when you chose it in the first place. I'm sure you chose it because you got a cheaper ticket than buying normally, right. So their terms are their terms. And you were informed of them when you bought the ticket, I'm sure, if you had read the terms.

You can't get all the privileges of regular airline tickets when you deliberately choose to buy ones that aren't regular class tickets.

lincasanova Apr 2nd, 2011 01:04 PM

Even regular airline tickets bought through an agency or airline direct will have change fees on their lower riced tickets..

soogies Apr 2nd, 2011 01:20 PM

Sorry, auleen but I think you are stuck with either paying the fees or keeping the tickets. That's what you contracted for when you purchased the tix and the chance you take when you purchase these kind of tix.

BTW - I usually buy non refundable, non changeable fares too - I go for cheap but am willing to face the consequences if I need/want to change.

auleen Apr 2nd, 2011 01:35 PM

Sigh. You all are right, of course. I did not see the amount of the change fee when I booked--perhaps I was just to tired at the time, or else I would have looked elsewhere. Can't blame anyone but myself. We will just have to stick to our original plans--Croatia for a month. We are lucky that we can even stay that long, but the opportunity arose to spend two more weeks--so I tried. Sure not willing to pay $750 plus changed fare-Yikes! FYI- we would also have to still fly out the the same city returning home instead of another European city (we would have paid the extra cost for that. Thanks all!

janisj Apr 2nd, 2011 03:43 PM

It really has <u>nothing</u> to do w/ whether you bought through a consolidator or the airline directly. You will have a hefty fee.

The main difference <i>might</i> be that your ticket was so much cheaper through the consolidator that even w/ the change fee you are getting off paying less than you would through the airline.

grandmere Apr 2nd, 2011 04:34 PM

I just paid over $350 to extend my trip to France; $250 for the fee, and the rest reflects the increase in price from the time I bought the original ticket. And I bought directly from the airline. You pay dearly to make changes.

kismetchimera Apr 2nd, 2011 05:54 PM

I know what you means grandmere..

Last June because of my dear late brother precarious health situation I had to change my dates tree times and when my SIL called me to tell me that he was admitted to the hospital I had to pay extra for leaving right away..

I could have gone to Europe few times with the amount of fines that I had to pay to the Airline.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:06 PM.