Flight times changed...What will they do for me?

peachgirl

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
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We're flying United to Disneyland in late June. I got a call today telling me that our flight coming home had been changed. Our departure time out of Lax was moved up 3 hours. We have a connecting flight in Denver and apparently they cancelled the flight we were to have been on, so our Lax flight had to be changed as well.

This really doesn't work for us at all. We had picked the latest departure time we could and have things planned for that morning and early afternoon.

The person I spoke with was very courteous and said that they would work with me as much as possible. She took a quick look at perhaps switching airports or changes in our connecting flight, but didn't find anything that worked. She also mentioned taking the original flight out of Lax, then taking a flight the next day home. She then suggested taking some time to decide what we wanted to do and call back before accepting any changes.

After spending several hours checking flights and times I've only come up with 2 alternatives. We could switch airports and although the departure time is almost the same, the other airport is smaller and much closer to DL so we won't have to leave for the airport as early. Also, the ground transportation is less expensive and we could get private transportation for less than a shared ride would cost out of Lax...saving more time and a little money.

The second one is crazy, but maybe fun. Instead of flying from Lax to Denver, we could take a late flight out of Lax to Las Vegas , then a flight the next day home. I'm very familiar with getting around Vegas so it would make it much easier than Denver...which I've never been to, never mind that I love Las Vegas and wouldn't mind spending 24 hours there.

And now, finally for the questions...;)

What can I expect United to do for me? I don't want a refund, prices have jumped considerably and I can't get close to what I paid for these tickets. If we go with the next day flight, is there any chance that United will cover the hotel costs?

If we go with changing airports, would they allow us to change our flights from home to DL to that airport as well? I ask this because roundtrip ground transportation is cheaper than one way and also it would be much nicer to be flying in and out of the same airport.

Thanks in advance, I really haven't ever had this happen before so I'd like to know in advance what I should expect United to do in a case like this.
 
I doubt United will do anything other than find another flight taking you from LAX to your destination. Dont expect any compensaition from them. You can ask for vouchers - I did get these from American once in LAX when they changed our flight to one 11 hours later (YES ELEVEN hours later). We got a total of 4 $10 vouchers for the 12 of us. Riiiight. 12 people can eat on $40 in an airport!

Good luck!
 
I agree - unfortunately schedules do change all the time, and they have given you advance notice to make the changes.

It does make it tougher for you, but it's a reality of travelling.... and they are giving you about 6-7 weeks notice. Sorry, but I don't think that they will do anything other than allow you to make changes or cancel your flights without penalty.
 
Thanks for the responses. I don't expect any compensation other than I was just wondering about the hotel for the overnight booking that they offered and just how strict they are on the schedules changes I could make. The hotel isn't really important, but the schedule changes are.

We flew American on our last trip and they made several changes to the schedule, but never anything more than a hour or so.

Of course, our trip is still almost 60 days away, there could be lots of surprises left!

Eleven hours ??? I guess I should quit whining!!;)
 

What is your itenerary now? What dates, times, and airports? The vegas thing probably isn't going to happen. Denver is one of the hubs. That's why they want you there--more flight choices. Changing inbound flight to SNA is a possibility. You just need to ask.
 
United will probably offer you a full refund or allow you to change your flights to almost any combination that has seats available.

If you want to stay overnight at LAS they will probably get you an airline discounted rate at a hotel near the airport but there really isn't any reason to pay for your hotel. It's your decision to stay overnight at LAS as an alternative to just taking an earlier flight.
 
I had my flight times moved earlier by 1hr 45 minutes. I knew this because I had checked online. I waited patiently and Sun Country called me about a month later. I told them that the flight home was too early now as I was going to have to cancel my final day's character breakfast. I then asked if they would let me fly home a day later and they did it, for no charge. An extra day in the magic was fine with me...

The only thing you can do is ask.....

Have a good one.

Duds
 
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cruiseonmagic said:
What is your itenerary now? What dates, times, and airports? The vegas thing probably isn't going to happen. Denver is one of the hubs. That's why they want you there--more flight choices. Changing inbound flight to SNA is a possibility. You just need to ask.

On a side note, see you next month! I will be at WL June 14-16 before moving to POR for a week.

Going to CR and then on to Ohana for breakfast early on the 15th and then the boat back to WL. Hope to see you!

Duds
 














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