Do Not Book US Air/Expedia!!!
 

Hello, Everybody! Thought you should know about this in case you are thinking of booking US Air through Expedia. We are going to West Palm from Buffalo, NY, in January, 2006. So, I called US Air April 4 to book flights. That day US Air had a "computer glitch", as they called it, so US Air told me to call Expedia which I did. I booked & paid for our flights. I was very specific that I wanted to connect through Charlotte, not Pittsburgh. They booked us on a "direct/one stop"(in Charlotte) to WPB from Buffalo. I was aware that booking this far in advance there may be many "flight schedule changes" b/t now & January 1, 2006. However, I was not prepared for what happened. Today (only 6 days after booking & paying for our flights) I rec'd an email from Expedia informimg me that there had been a "schedule change". I was expecting a change in time. They changed everything!!! Everything. Significant changes. Flight departure time & connecting cities were all changed in a major way( we are now connecting through PITTSBURGH!!!). They changed every departure time(by 2 hours!) & every connecting city on the outbound & return flight (we are now leaving WPB 2 hours earlier w/a 4 hour layover!!!). I do not think that this is acceptable. But what do I do??? I called US Air & Expedia & both said "Well if you want to book early & take advantage of the lower fare ( in our case $330CAD per person)then you HAVE to be prepared to make changes."Is this what it is has become??? Airlines/ Booking agents like Expedia can make dramatic changes & we are supposed to say "Ok, well, I am so lucky to get this GREAT fare!!" D'oh!!!!I am fed up! What do you think??? Any suggestions????

C$330 is a decent fare, but not really the best. And airlines can certainly change schedules many times between now and then. So, just get your money back and then wait a few months before booking again.

I think you have a right to be annoyed, but should not be surprised. First, you booked with an airline that has not only been in bankruptcy twice, but may or may not emerge this time.

Second, there have been numerous articles in papers and plenty of annoyed traveler postings here speaking to the lengths USAirways is going to try to survive - changing or eliminating hubs, using smaller planes, making major changes in flight schedules. There have been people here who bought tickets to cities USAirways does not even serve anymore!

Third, booking that far out has its risks and rewards. I think you have a difficult time finding anyone today who booked a flight 9 months out and did not experience some schedule change - perhaps not as significant as yours, but often so. I booked non-stop Boston-Fort Lauderdale for this winter, specifically picking FLL over West Palm Beach so I could fly non-stop. A month after I bought the tickets USAir stopped flying non-stop Boston-FLL, so I had to change planes anyway.

And finally, I hope you realize that booking on USAirways you may not even have a flight at all. My understanding of current law is that if USAirways ceases to exist, another airline must honor your tickets if they fly the same route, for a fee (?25?) on a STANDBY basis. And I do not think you would have recourse thru your credit card in January for something purchased in April.

Sorry to start your morning off on such a bad note - I can understand your desire to get out of Buffalo to Florida in January and hope you manage to have a good trip anyway.

You've overreacting, I think. Yes, it stinks but it's happened to us all at one time or another when you book so far in advance.

I've found USAirways to be pretty good about communicating these changes and providing options. Also, I never book through Expedia so I can't comment there.

Maybe it will change back by the time you go--it's a long time. I have booked USAirways on Expedia severaltimes with no adverse problems. When you are coming from a non-hub airport like Buffalo, you may have to put up with some inconvenience.

I think you can usually ask for a full refund if flights change by over 59 minutes. I would opt out and call it a learning experience.

I use bankrupt airlines but I don't usually book farther out than a couple of months with them. So many things change when they are trying to hang on. I learned that when I got a great deal on a flight to Phoenix via ATA and then they cancelled all their flights to Phoenix. I did get a full refund and found a flight on another airline for a higher but not outrageous price.

BTW- I don't think Expedia did a "bait and switch" on you. The flight change likely came directly from the airline so it wouldn't matter if you used expedia, travelocity, orbitz or the airline's own website to book your flights.

Booking 9 mosout with USAir might be considered a risk by itself.

Why would you book so far in advance? Especialy with US AIR...

Because I'm an idiot!!! LOL :)

Because I did not want to connect through a 'winter city' & only US Air & Delta offer connections through "non-winter cities": US Air: Charlotte and Delta: Atlanta. Delta is having probs too so I fliped a coin! Actually I much prefer the Charlotte airport over Atlanta. Just connected through Atlanta in mid March & it was not a great experience! Also I know from past trips to Florida @ Christmas & New Years that flights sell out very quickly for the week that I want to travel. So...I thought I wld be smart, ( i.e., smart for an idiot!!!)grab something now & forget about it!

Some of you have suggested that I opt out: Take my refund & book w/ somebody else. Maybe Delta? Any suggestions?

I would wait and see. If US Air folds, you will be reaccomodated on another airline. Just wait and see.

We all do crazy things sometimes. I think we get excited and panicky at the same time.

Sounds like you got a decent fare though.

If you are flying from Buffalo, isn't it safe to assume that if there are weather problems that would prevent you from flying out of PGH, you are probably going to have problems getting out of Buffalo?

Doesn't Southwest fly out of Buffalo to West Palm Beach???? or at least Ft. Lauderdale?

wow- I have never dealt with US air, but with American, if they change the flight on you, you can call them and request whatever other flight you want.This has happened to us the last 3 years when we book in advance Boston to LAX. They are always dropping flights, and adding new ones a couple months before departure.
This year,they dropped our flight and re-booked us on a return flight at 7am. We will getting back from a cruise and would not be able to get to the airport before 12. They gladly changed the flight to another.
If I were you I would call US air and ask to talk to a manager. It was them that told you to go thru Expedia in the 1st place, and that is hardly what I would call a low fare. Keep calling until you get someone who knows what they are talking about. Good Luck

Booking air is such guess work and such a gamble. My guess is that you should reclaim your money if you can and wait a bit. Southwest and Independence do not book that far out, but current rates on Independence are $250 RT for that route. Might go up in winter - who knows.

If you want security of having a ticket, Delta is probably a better bet - but any airline booked this far out is very likely to change times and possibly routes.

I share your pattern of not booking thru a snowy city in the winter - and for that purpose Independence would be the worst since they all connect in Dulles - and Washington, DC area seems to have a seizure over a half inch of snow.

Good luck - let us know how it works out.

Thanks, everybody.
And, to MikeT: If it were "safe to assume" identical weather patterns b/t Buff & a "winter connecting city", I would not have a problem! A lot can happen b/t Buffalo & Pittsburgh or NY or Washington and vice versa! I cld manage to get out of Buff & get grounded in Pittsburgh. Or, I cld get grounded in Pittsburgh on my way back when planes are landing in Buff having flown in from Charlotte so if I cld connect through Charlotte I wld be fine. Flying in winter is seldom fun. I just want to try to minimize potential problems. I do that by connecting through a "non-winter" city! And, I never assume anything!

You are overthinking it.

At some point, we have to live with vagueries of air travel. If I had a choice between Charlotte and Pitt., I would choose Charlotte too. But at some point, you have to live with the risks. You can have a cheap fare or you can have convenience and control, but you often can't have all of those things.

Vagueries??? I cld never live w/ that!

I fly USAir often, yesterday actually, and I've never had a problem. I always purchase my tickets on the USAir website and always get the best price (a few dollars lower than Expedia).

My advice is always book direct.

I agree, Gekko! I always book direct w/ US Air. But, as I indicated in my OP, the day that I tried to book w/ US Air there was some weird "computer glitch" so US AIR told me to call Expedia & book w/ them. Anyway, as it turned out, it is a moot point b/c the flight that I originally booked has been cancelled so it wld not have mattered if I had booked w/ US Air or Expedia! My main gripe is that I was not told by Expedia that a "schedule change" cld involve not only significant time changes but also major "city pair" changes. Live & learn I guess. As I look back, I now see that I have been very very lucky in the past!

I would also check JetBlue. They service Buffalo and have great fares, nicer planes and the service is terrific.

The website is www.jetblue.com.