12 Parks in 16 Days - Disney Parks Around the World Trip Report

[Lewisc]

She told us we would not win with the DoT sadly.

She said the ONLY way we would get anything was with a good faith gesture. She did contact some of her back channels to try and get us something via good faith. While she was waiting on those responses, thankfully, I continued to persist on my own and eventually won our claim despite her stating we would not win our case with the airline based on her previous experiences with airlines and this rule.

For the benefit of people reading this thread
DoT isn't consumer oriented. A claim wouldn’t have done anything. There is enough wiggle room enabling an airline to escape responsibility for the airlines confusion.
The OP was attempting to fly to a European city, connecting in Paris, on a European airline. The "goodwill" payment is what he was entitled to under EU regulations. He was denied boarding despite having the required documentation. EU doesn't give airlines an out for being confused.

The "goodwill" payment eliminated the need to file a complaint, appeal and possibly paying someone to handle the appeal process.

Evidently the consumer advocates didn't think to file an EU claim

 

[Rimmit]

For the benefit of people reading this thread
DoT isn't consumer oriented. A claim wouldn’t have done anything. There is enough wiggle room enabling an airline to escape responsibility for the airlines confusion.
The OP was attempting to fly to a European city, connecting in Paris, on a European airline. The "goodwill" payment is what he was entitled to under EU regulations. He was denied boarding despite having the required documentation. EU doesn't give airlines an out for being confused.

The "goodwill" payment eliminated the need to file a complaint, appeal and possibly paying someone to handle the appeal process.

Evidently the consumer advocates didn't think to file an EU claim

I was attempting to fly to Shanghai, connecting in Paris. Not another European city.

We did file an EU261 claim. That’s what was denied originally because they stated we did not product any proof of onward flight or even mention an onward flight. It was basically a he said she said situation and the airline was calling us liars. The advocate didn’t believe based on prior similar cases the airlines would cave as they can be very stubborn in these cases but I can be very persistent and thankfully finally found someone that actually listened to me, and believed us, and finally approved the claim.

 

[jazzsmith]

Wow, impressive report. I can’t believe you managed to visit 12 parks in just 16 days. Your journey through each destination looks like an amazing adventure from start to finish. Trivago customer service was helpful for me in the past when searching for last-minute accommodations on a similar trip. I love how you balanced park time with rest breaks to maximize the fun. You’ve definitely sparked my interest in booking a world tour of Disney parks!

 

[Mathmagicland]

@Rimmit , congratulations on finally (!!) getting partial resolution and an apology from Air France! I saw the headline on the recent TPG article; my initial thought was “oh no, it happened to someone else!”, but then as I read it I realized it sounded so familiar and was your story. Happy for you, and thanks again for sharing your adventures. Enjoy the next one!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I read the TPG article, too! Glad others can learn from your experience and hopefully book roundtrips or interline itineraries to China, to be safe

 

[footballmouse]

 

[Rimmit]

@Rimmit , congratulations on finally (!!) getting partial resolution and an apology from Air France! I saw the headline on the recent TPG article; my initial thought was “oh no, it happened to someone else!”, but then as I read it I realized it sounded so familiar and was your story. Happy for you, and thanks again for sharing your adventures. Enjoy the next one!

Thanks! It was quite the endeavor to get any reimbursement for sure. I am still annoyed as the amount is paltry compared to the suffering and cost they inflicted but it’s better than nothing so I’ll take it.

I read the TPG article, too! Glad others can learn from your experience and hopefully book roundtrips or interline itineraries to China, to be safe

Hopefully, it will help others from having the same pitfalls. It’s miserable when it happens and hopefully others can avoid that misery.

 

[footballmouse]

It was a great lounge overall and definitely in my top 3 lounges I had visited primarily due to the food options alone

A little late to the party but wondering what your top 2 lounges are.

 

[Rimmit]

A little late to the party but wondering what your top 2 lounges are.

Didn’t go there on this trip but Al Mourjan which is Qatar’s lounge in Doha is insane. #1 for sure. It’s insane how big and beautiful it is. I believe it’s 100,000sq ft and the ceilings are crazy high.

#2 is between Turkish in Istanbul and The Pier in HK for Cathay Pacific. Probably just depends on my mood which I like more. They are both great lounges with tons of food. Turkish may be a little nicer but the food at Cathay is more to my liking. Probably because so am Filipino.