Pricleine
 

Interesting story
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/04/24...ine/index.html

Why didn't the sister just call the interviewer and explain the situation? Any reasonable person would have worked around her situation.

I don't agree with the CNN answer, if the purchaser uses the "Name your own price" method on Priceline.

One really gets a lot less flexibility with such bid. The purchaser never bought a DL ticket - it's whatever airline Priceline decides to route her on. So, DL can really refuse to change the itinerary or put her on another airline.

Priceline's role in this case is more than just a travel agent, which the CNN answerer seem to think. That is incorrect.

I agree with both these comments. Regardless of tickets, sometimes things happen and people can't show up for an interview when they are coming from far away. Any reasonable interviewer would not penalize someone for something like that beyond their control -- a flight being cancelled. Actually, it makes that woman look kind of dumb.

My understanding was the same as rkkwan's although if they refunded the money, maybe that answer was right (it isn't really CNN but this guy who runs some travel agency, I've heard of him before). I thought that "legally" when you buy a priceline ticket, it isn't really the same thing as a ticket from the airline. I don't know what it's called exactly, but I didn't think the usual airline guarantees were applicable. First, I know you aren't always entitled to FF miles if you get an airline ticket from a consolidator or some other source, as they don't have the same legal obligations.

I think that the issue is that the interviewer was only going to be in town for a conference or something for a set period of time - after that he was gone. Because of flight cancellations, the sister couldn't get to the interviewer before he went away.

Is the interviewer from outer space? He only visits the earth once in a while and this time in Texas?

Otherwise, why would one need to fly all the way from Africa to Texas to catch this person in this short amount of time?

;)

Oh, sorry I misread the story. Please ignore my last post.

Now, where is this lady living? To buy a $800+ ticket on Priceline? Is she out of her mind?