Lynn

My husband and I booked our reservations to Maui for the first half of September way back in January. We went through a travel agent and chose an Apple Tours package that includes airfare, a condo in Kihei, and a compact rental car through Alamo. (I know people on this site frown on travel agents, but the price was right--far less expensive than the same combination booked online--I checked thoroughly.)

Anyway, our tickets arrived today and I was surprised to find that our return flights had been changed from what the agent and I agreed on in January. We now have a second stop in Chicago, resulting in the total trip duration being nearly four hours longer than with the flights we'd originally scheduled. When I called the agent to ask, she said the airline has changed their schedule and there probably isn't much we can do about it.

The airline in question is United. I have checked their Web site and found that they do have a flight that stops only once. Either our travel agent lied, or she was lied to by the airline or Apple Tours. I can't reach her again until Monday, and when I do, I'm going to take the top of her head off and try to get this straightened out. In the meantime, I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. Right now, I'm feeling like I've been taken for a fool and lied to. Is this common, or am I being overly sensitive?

Sorry about the long post, and thanks in advance for any feedback!

Beth

I'm assuming you have never booked through Apple Vacations before so I will give you the skinny. Husband and I have been very irritated by them on occasion, the swithing of flights happens all the time (sometimes even the day switches) However, their prices cannot be beat so we continue to book with them. The main reason however their prices are so cheap is that they buy rooms in bulk and also charter the planes. Even though you are going on United Airlines, this is not a commercial flight but a charter by Apple. Apple and United both reserve the right to move around flight times and days. You do not have the option of any other flights because they are all regular commercial flights. I have had a couple of bad experiences with Apple. We were supposed to be taking a 3 day getaway to the bahamas once leaving Friday morning and returning Sunday night, we got notice the day before we were to leave that our flight Friday would not depart until 9p.m. so really we would only get a 2 day vacation but still had to pay full price. The other time we were in Mexico and our return flight go cancelled and we were not flown out until the next afternoon and we had to pay the hotel for an extra night's stay. On the whole, their service is good and prices are VERY cheap but expet changes when you are dealing with charter flights

xx

I can't say if this will be a charter flight or not. More than likely it is a regularly scheduled flight. The tickets are probably what are called "bulk" tickets. This means that they are deeply discounted. Have you tried to contact United to see if they can switch you to the flight that only makes one stop? Can't hurt to try. When you call ask to speak with a supervisor. They will be more likely to help with any changes. Good Luck!

Lynn

Thanks, Beth and "xx," for responding to my question. Just to let you know, I called our travel agent this morning, she called the airline, and we've been switched to a set of far more convenient flights that will result in a time savings of about 4 hours for us on our return trip. No long layovers and no second stop in Chicago--just Maul to Los Angeles to home. The travel agent did mention that, technically, the airline wouldn't ordinarily make this change for us without charging more--but maybe she did reach a supervisor who just made the change. We're very relieved, and it shows that it does pay to ask! We appreciate the valuable information about Apple, however--next time we'll be wiser and better prepared for sudden changes. Thanks!

xx

Lynn, You may also want to think twice about using Alamo for your rental car in Maui. Their rental contract has a great deal loopoles that may leave you severely exposes should you be involved in an accident..even if you purchase their insurance. I would also recommend a convertible in Maui. It cost a little more, but not much. It's well worth the extra expense in Maui.

Have a good trip, you'll love Maui!