Type_A_traveller

I booked a flight on Orbitz (first time) about two and a half weeks ago, to fly from Houston to Paris with a layover in Dallas on May 22 returning May 30. So far, they have sent me two notices that American Airlines (the carrier we are flying on) has changed our flight time. The first time was when we were leaving Houston, now leaving one hour later. The second time was for our layover in Dallas on our return trip, getting us into Houston about 45 minutes later than before. So far, that has been two schedule changes in 18 days!

Is this a common occurrence with Orbitz? I use Orbitz to surf for pricing, as it were, and when I found this deal, I quickly checked on the AA site to see if they were offering it also. They weren't, for some reason, so I booked with Orbitz directly.

So far, the changes don't really mess up any of our plans but we've got nine more weeks to go and I'm worried about running into a change that WILL affect our plans.

I guess my question is, does Orbitz get special pricing from the airlines for certain flights in order to fill the flights and then tweek the flight times to maximize occupancy? I've never encountered a flight change before when I've booked directly with the airline.

carrolldf

The flight time changes have nothing to do with where you booked your tickets. The airline is the one changing the flight times. There are no special Orbitz flights -- they are AA flights. If you had booked this same flight either directly with the airlines or through Travelocity or Expedia or anywhere else, even if you had a first class ticet, the flight times still would have changed.

Orbitz and other agencies don't have anything to do with the flight times. They simply selll the tickets. It is not uncommon for airlines to change flight times.....or even to entirely change or cancel a flight. Just be glad you are getting notified.

You really should also check the time for your flight on the airline web site periodically, expecially as you get closer to your departure.

ira

ditto

Type_A_traveller

Okay, maybe I just read the responses wrong and am being too sensitive, but I am not stupid or an idiot. I understand that Orbitz has no control over the flights themselves and that they are still in the control of the actual airline company. I just had never booked through Orbitz before and was a little unsure.

Perhaps I didn't phrase my question correctly. I apologize. Please disregard this posting.

Gretchen

As others have said this is an airline thing. But the good news about Orbitz is that they are TELLING you of the changes. I have seen postings of flights being changed and no notification to the passenger.

pat

I don`t think any one was implying you were stupid or an idiot. I have a flight booked on orbitz too, and AA has changed a flight coming to and from dAllas. Orbitz emailed me and asked that I call them, since they didn`t have my phone number. I`m just glad they did let me know. It`s the first time I`ve used orbitz too.

Thomas_Milligan

I have found Orbitz to be very good in notifying clients of changes made by the airlines. Two summers ago we flew from Paris to Knoxville, changing in Pittsburgh. At the Paris airport, we obtained boarding passes for both legs of the trip, and the boarding pass for the Pittsburgh-Knoxville segment indicated the gate number from which the flight was to leave Pittsburgh. Upon arrival in Pittsburgh eight hours later, we found that the departure gate had been changed. Then when we got home and I next checked my e-mail, I found that there was an e-mail from Orbitz, sent while the plane was over the Atlantic, informing me that the departure gate in Pittsburgh had been changed.

bardo

Orbitz also sends a message to your cell phone a few hours before departure to give flight status - especially great if you are not at home/work and your flight is delayed.

Clifton

It's good that Orbitz is keeping you posted. That sounds like they're doing a good job for you. AA is sometimes not so good about it when you've booked direct. Have had flights cancelled without any attempt to contact us, but found out 3 hrs prior, by initiating the check ourselves.

Underhill

So far there have been three changes in my UA flight next month, and Orbitz sent me a notificatiion of each one and took care of booking me a seat on a new flight segment. The only problem was that the agent wasn't as familiar with terminology " What's bulkhead?" as a UA agent would have been--I hope.

janis

"does Orbitz get special pricing from the airlines for certain flights in order to fill the flights and then tweek the flight times to maximize occupancy? I've never encountered a flight change before when I've booked directly with the airline."

Then you are very lucky - airlines do change flight times (or cancel them all together). Even if you had booked these tickets directly through AA, or through a travel agent, or through another site -- the flight times would have changed. AA did the changing.

Patrick

In my obsessive planning I just booked a flight on Alaska Airlines last week for August -- from Reno to Los Angeles. Exactly two days later I got a notification that the flight time had changed to an hour and a half later. This happens to me all the time on domestic flights, and I only book directly with the airlines.

JonJon

I agree that the fact that Orbitz notified you of the changes in a timely fashion is of value. In my experience, the further out you book the more likely there is that a change will occur. I've also learned that you have to be constantly vigilant once you've booked flights and it doesn't hurt to peridocially re-check departure times, etc.
I think, overall, your experience is consistent with those of other travelers who use a service to book flights.

elaine

I think that the Orbitz notification is a very good sign of customer service.
I have had airlines NOT tell me about departure changes, flight cancellations, etc. And I always wondered why the failure, since part of my info was my home and business telephone number.

WillTravel

The possibility of schedule change is one reason to be extremely careful when booking two tickets separately, rather than as one itinerary. If your first flight is changed so that you can't get to your second flight in time, or if your second flight is moved earlier, then you may be out of luck. This is one reason I always build in at least an overnight stay if using two separate tickets.

Austai

Anyone know why the airlines would change the times regularly as the original poster described? You'd think the airline would know pretty quickly what schedule works and then stick to it, or are weekly tweaks normal practice? Thanks

Clifton

It seems to me like the changes are coming more frequently than they were just a couple of years ago. Few planes in the air at any one time, so I guess that may be why any alterations seem more pronounced.