A Mother's Rant as it happens!

[crashbb]

Thank you to those who gave some great advice for the next time. The kids have made it to CBR and all is well. If he would have listened to his wise mom, he would have been on a SW flight Sunday morning and wouldn't have missed 2 days of his package Live and learn!

Blessings!

-Penny

Hope they are having fun and that they learned some tips that might help for next time. If the SW flight was a non-stop flight, it was definitely the way to have gone (as you say, live and learn).

 

[Hannathy]

Good customer relations includes serving a newbie who missed a connection over a premier gold elite who arrived at the ticket counter later to start his journey.

If the airline could sell a ticket to an elite customer it should have booked your son on that flight five or more minutes sooner.

I would write to customer service asking for compensation if I found out I was demoted for a reason such as this.

Yeah right! Let's see keep happy the customer who YOU KNOW FOR A FACT has flown with you, just in the last year, 50,000-100,000+ miles (a lot at full cost) or the college student who more than likely will only fly on whoever gives them the best price a few times a year at best. Uh huh sounds like a good business plan to me. The airline is there to make money plain and simple and keeping the "spenders" happy is what all companies do, and should do.

 

[DebbieB]

Have they helped you via the phone? I have always been told that only the gate agents can help me. I've even gone back through security to the main ticketing counter to only be sent back to the gate agents. I was not rebooking, I was just looking to be rescheduled on another flight. And then of course there was the 18 hour delay with Delta and I couldn't even get a person on the phone--this was after a major snow storm shut down several NE airports for 2 days though.

I remember one time I was flying MSP-PHL-PIT on USAir. Weather was bad in PHL (rain), they would not allow us to take-off from MSP for about 3 hours. So of course I missed my connection (which I found out later was cancelled). I got to PHL and asked the gate agent where I got off to help me. He told me to go to guest relations a few gates down. The place was a total zoo. Walked down there and there were at least 50 people in line. I looked at the monitors, there were still 3 PIT flights for that evening, 2 were delayed. So I found a quiet spot (which was a challenge) and called. They put me on one of the 3 flights and told me the gate. Went to that gate and got my boarding pass printed and was out of there within an hour.

 

[Lewisc]

A number of posters are saying what the would have done/what the OPs kids could (should) have done. All true BUT

passengers aren't required to be experts. There is no excuse for the airlines GA failure to warn the passengers they'd be missing their connection and offering to book them the next morning.

Glad they finally got to WDW. Sounds like they have travel insurance so they'll be getting some reimbursement.

OP--your kids might check with Disney and the airline and see if they can extend their trip by 2 days.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It's never happened to us so I am a bit clueless but I thought if a connection is missed and it's not the passenger's fault, the airline will put you up in a hotel for the night.

 

[crashbb]

A number of posters are saying what the would have done/what the OPs kids could (should) have done. All true BUT

passengers aren't required to be experts. There is no excuse for the airlines GA failure to warn the passengers they'd be missing their connection and offering to book them the next morning.

Absolutely agree.

Coming home from WDW last year, I was flying via CLT. The flight out of MCO was delayed (mechanical issue) so they rerouted everyone with a connection in CLT since it was a night flight and, with the delay, no one would be getting out of CLT that night. This was US Airways, so lots of connecting people. It meant that people originating in Orlando could return home if they wanted. I was able to get a direct flight the next day (though getting the US Airways people to pass over my ticket was difficult, which was insane since they are partners with AC).

And, since it was a mechanical delay, we all got hotels for the night (I got a room at the Hyatt) and vouchers for dinner and breakfast (admittedly, not huge, but still something).

I would imagine that the OP's son would have been much more comfortable spending the night in Albany (and potentially going home to his own bed).

 

[crashbb]

It's never happened to us so I am a bit clueless but I thought if a connection is missed and it's not the passenger's fault, the airline will put you up in a hotel for the night.

Only if it is the airline's fault (see my post above). In this case, the first flight was delayed due to the weather, thus, the airline doesn't provide anything during the delay (the same thing would apply if it was an ATC delay).

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Good customer relations includes serving a newbie who missed a connection over a premier gold elite who arrived at the ticket counter later to start his journey.

My husband flies over 150,000 miles every year on one particular airline. It makes a lot more sense for an airline to take care of customers like him than someone with no status on an airline. Just good business.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Sorry, double post.

 

[5boyz]

Glad he is there and hope they have a great time........

 

[Lewisc]

Good customer relations includes serving a newbie who missed a connection over a premier gold elite who arrived at the ticket counter later to start his journey.

My husband flies over 150,000 miles every year on one particular airline. It makes a lot more sense for an airline to take care of customers like him than someone with no status on an airline. Just good business.

We're getting information 4th hand. The OPs son has 2 friends. Most of us think there was only one open seat on the flight and the OPs son needed 3 seats. A sole traveler can jump ahead of a lot of couples, and larger groups, on a standby list. First question is if a group is willing to split up. It's one thing if everyone is getting confirmed reservations but a different issue if you're dealing with standby and the other members of your group might not clear for a day or more.

 

[Jestocost]

When a delay is announced, if there's a line at the counter, don't stand in it. Get on your cellphone or go to a pay phone and call reservations. I have all the airlines I fly programmed into my cellphone.

Actually, when the delay is announced I get in line at the counter AND get on my cell phone. That way, if I can't get help on the phone or the line moves quicker than the wait time I don't miss out on getting help from the gate agents.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

yeah right! Let's see keep happy the customer who you know for a fact has flown with you, just in the last year, 50,000-100,000+ miles (a lot at full cost) or the college student who more than likely will only fly on whoever gives them the best price a few times a year at best. Uh huh sounds like a good business plan to me. The airline is there to make money plain and simple and keeping the "spenders" happy is what all companies do, and should do.

ita!

 

[camlace]

ok, I am glad your son and friends made it to FL...but now I must say, he's 19 and he missed his flight, what's the big deal? He's old enough to go to war for his country I'm sure he was capable of surviving a missed flight...JMHO.

 

[rgf207]

Didn't the OP's son arrive at CBR this morning?

Why is this thread still in debate ?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Didn't the OP's son arrive at CBR this morning?

Why is this thread still in debate ?

Cuz if there's anything possible to debate, on the Dis it will be debated long past usefulness, like beating a dead horse.

 

[crashbb]

Didn't the OP's son arrive at CBR this morning?

Why is this thread still in debate ?

Because most of the posts have moved beyond the specific case to a discussion about what to do when you are in a similar situation.

 

[rgf207]

Good customer relations includes serving a newbie who missed a connection over a premier gold elite who arrived at the ticket counter later to start his journey.

My husband flies over 150,000 miles every year on one particular airline. It makes a lot more sense for an airline to take care of customers like him than someone with no status on an airline. Just good business.

ok, I am glad your son and friends made it to FL...but now I must say, he's 19 and he missed his flight, what's the big deal? He's old enough to go to war for his country I'm sure he was capable of surviving a missed flight...JMHO.

Because most of the posts have moved beyond the specific case to a discussion about what to do when you are in a similar situation.

. So in a similar situation, the OP's son should Join the Military and/or fly 150,000 miles per year

 

[crashbb]

. So in a similar situation, the OP's son should Join the Military and/or fly 150,000 miles per year

Hence I said most...not all.

And, knowing that Elite flyers trump other flyers is an important fact for people to know (and from other posts it appears that not everyone knows this fact).

 

[TheWog]

Cuz if there's anything possible to debate, on the Dis it will be debated long past usefulness, like beating a dead horse.