I am ANGRY with Midwest Airlines

[J'aime Paris]

This post is part vent, part information gathering. I want to see if anyone has a suggestion about how I can address this with Midwest.

I went online today to check availability on our Jan. 20 and 27 flights Milwaukee to Orlando, and back. The fare has gone down $17 a ticket from when we purchased them in early October.
I called Midwest about getting a credit or voucher for the price difference. They said that since it is more than 7 days from when I booked, it would cost me $100 A TICKET to make the change. This lady was obviously not too smart. I'm supposed to pay $500 to save $85!!! HUH?

Then I wanted to reconfirm our seats for the flight, making sure all was well. And she tells me that Midwest changed the flight number, and our seats were DUMPED! No phone call or email, even though she saw them both on her screen when she pulled up our reservation. So now our family of 5 is scattered over 3 DIFFERENT ROWS!

I plan on emailing Midwest, but cannot get into their website right now. IT'S JAMMED UP WITH PEOPLE GETTING BETTER PRICES THAN ME, AND PROBABLY GETTING BETTER SEATS TOO!

To sum it up, I feel like I got totally %&%$#ed by Midwest and they won't do a darn thing about it.

I feel a tiny bit better now....

 

[Lewisc]

If the fare had gone up would you have been willing to pay the increased fare? A (very) few airlines give you full credit when the fare goes down. Most apply the change fee against any reduction. High change fees basically means the fare you booked is the fare you pay. It's OK to vent but don't waste any time looking for a credit.

Airlines generally hold back seats for gate assignment. It's worth asking for a supervisor and see if they can seats that work better for you.

 

[maxiesmom]

Unfortunately you have learned a couple of things the hard way. The first is that most airlines charge you to make a change to your ticket, even if you are just trying to do a price adjustment.

The second thing is that after you buy your airline tickets you need to keep an eagle eye on your seat assignments. Many airlines will change equipment, which can cause you to loose your seat assignments. That is not just a Midwest Airline thing.

I hope you feel better for venting.

 

[solotraveler]

If the fare had gone up would you have been willing to pay the increased fare? A (very) few airlines give you full credit when the fare goes down. Most apply the change fee against any reduction. High change fees basically means the fare you booked is the fare you pay. It's OK to vent but don't waste any time looking for a credit.

Airlines generally hold back seats for gate assignment. It's worth asking for a supervisor and see if they can seats that work better for you.

This.

Midwest is having lots of flight number and equipment changes lately with the new relationship with Frontier.

It just pays to reconfirm, reconfirm, reconfirm. And even if your seats are in the back of the plane, with no recline, next to the bathroom with a broken tray table... you'll get where you're going.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Do yourself the biggest favor of all: Once you buy your ticket, quit checking the availability and price. If you are comfortable purchasing a ticket at a certain price point, do it and don't look again. Checking your reservations is encouraged, though, to avoid having your seats dumped.

Also keep in mind that whomever you speak with when you call had absolutely nothing to do with a) the price fluctuation b) making airline policy or c) switching your flight number.

 

[dburg30]

Do yourself the biggest favor of all: Once you buy your ticket, quit checking the availability and price. Checking your reservations if encouraged, though, to avoid having your seats dumped.

Yep, it's like buying a TV set and then next month it's $200 less. You arent getting your money back from that either. Prices go up, prices go down, you buy when you are happy with the price you are paying, also I would almost guarantee that the change fees are spelled out in the terms and conditions that you agreed that you read.

And the seat assignments, that's another thing that gets messed up, on other carriers also. If they change schedule, change planes, change whatever, it could easily change your seats. The airline industry is in constant change anymore, so these changes are more and more frequent. It's why I dont really mind flying SW, you know you have a seat, somewhere on that plane (again, unless for some reason they have overbooked or something). But since they dont assign seats, you dont have to worry about your assignment getting messed up

 

[Lewisc]

SW gives you a full credit if you want to change your flight, or "rebook" the same flight to take advantage of a price reduction. I think Jetblue offers a full credit if the fare goes down. Their policy has changed a couple of times.

Passengers who insist on constantly checking their fares, who won't take the (good advice) given by Expirateshopgirl should book with airlines that offer credits. Accept the fact that airlines that have that policy may not always offer the lowest fare.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I called Midwest about getting a credit or voucher for the price difference. They said that since it is more than 7 days from when I booked, it would cost me $100 A TICKET to make the change. This lady was obviously not too smart. I'm supposed to pay $500 to save $85!!! HUH?

On the legacy airlines (AA, Delta, United, US Airways, Continental), the change fee for discounted economy tickets is usually $150 per ticket, effective either immediately or 24 hours after purchase.

So Midwest is actually a bit "friendlier" than the legacy carriers if they only charge $100 and give you 7 days.

When you buy any airline ticket, there are rules associated with your fare.

Expensive, "full coach" tickets have no change fees and are fully refundable, but often cost five times as much as discounted tickets. I'm not talking about first class here. I'm talking about seats in the coach/economy cabin.

 

[NHdisneylover]

As others have said--the change fee is completely common and surely in the contract if you read it. There is no reason to write a letter--it will get you nowhere and only waste your time. Just relax and follow PirateGirl's advice.

As far as the seat assignments, again this is something that happens pretty frequently. It is neither the person on the phone's, the gate agent's nor the flight attendants' faults. Please do not take out your frustration on these people. You can ask at check in and may be able to get assigned together (having 5 scattered over 3 rows indicates you are 2, 2 and 1 anyway--meaning you hopefully do not have to seat a hcild alon and putting you much better off than many), but do not go in expecting it. Be prepared with some sort of entertainment you can all do alone and realize it is less then 3 hours--not so long to be apart if you must.

I hope venting here has made you feel better. Also, maybe it helps you to realize this is just the way it is and not you being treated poorly compared to others. Again, please vent frustration here or to your friends but not at the workes who did not make these policies. Also, if you do have children, realize that they will almost certainly follow your lead. If you do not act as if this is a big deal (sitting apart) they will not think it is.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

To sum it up, I feel like I got totally %&%$#ed by Midwest and they won't do a darn thing about it.

No you didn't and their fee for changing tickets is right there on their website:

https://www.midwestairlines.com/TravelTools/TravelPolicies/FareTypes.aspx

 

[jmkjr72]

come on after the buy out mid west has gone down the drains dont you remember how the new owners basicl s^%& on milwaukee and every time you turn around you hear how the new owners are screwing the employees

as for the flight getting changed and the seats getting floped around that happened to us a few years ago and after that we stoped flying midwest
if you are in milwaukee in the future use air trans or south west
we would have done south west but our tickets airline tickets were our christmas present an my folks didnt want us to have to drive down to milwaukee so we are flying delta out of gb

 

[dudspizza]

OP.... you are complaining about a $17 drop in price per ticket. Most, not all, but most won't give you a credit. Would you go to the gas station if the price dropped later in the day after you bought gas? Would you go to an electronics store months later and demand they give you a cheaper price on a tv you bought? Heck, I bought a 52" tv last year for the holidays and then saw it this year for $300 cheaper.. nothing I could do about it.

I will say that I can guarantee that you wouldn't call Midwest and offer to pay them more if the flight price was higher. I can guarantee there are plenty of people on that exact flight who paid more than you. Airfares constantly change, just like gas prices. You buy when you feel ok with the price and move on.

Complaining to Midwest will do no good. Time to look forward to your trip and stop worrying about the past.....

Happy travels!

Duds

 

[MerryFlora]

If it makes you feel any better our airfare dropped $52 PER ticket. Yeah, it hurts, but I was happy with the price at the time I booked and really wanted that specific flight. I had no idea some airlines will refund the difference I would never expect a refund, how nice of them.

I only looked at fares again once out of morbid curiousity while confirming our flight - which I do weekly. Its critical that my family sits together so I check each week for changes.

 

[Inkmahm]

This post is part vent, part information gathering. I want to see if anyone has a suggestion about how I can address this with Midwest.

I went online today to check availability on our Jan. 20 and 27 flights Milwaukee to Orlando, and back. The fare has gone down $17 a ticket from when we purchased them in early October.
I called Midwest about getting a credit or voucher for the price difference. They said that since it is more than 7 days from when I booked, it would cost me $100 A TICKET to make the change. This lady was obviously not too smart. I'm supposed to pay $500 to save $85!!! HUH?

Then I wanted to reconfirm our seats for the flight, making sure all was well. And she tells me that Midwest changed the flight number, and our seats were DUMPED! No phone call or email, even though she saw them both on her screen when she pulled up our reservation. So now our family of 5 is scattered over 3 DIFFERENT ROWS!

I plan on emailing Midwest, but cannot get into their website right now. IT'S JAMMED UP WITH PEOPLE GETTING BETTER PRICES THAN ME, AND PROBABLY GETTING BETTER SEATS TOO!

To sum it up, I feel like I got totally %&%$#ed by Midwest and they won't do a darn thing about it.

I feel a tiny bit better now....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2360076 I agree with your complaint about the disappearing seat assignments.

I don't agree about getting a refund for the decrease in price. Midwest has never given refunds for fare changes.

 

[dburg30]

If it makes you feel any better our airfare dropped $52 PER ticket. Yeah, it hurts, but I was happy with the price at the time I booked and really wanted that specific flight. I had no idea some airlines will refund the difference I would never expect a refund, how nice of them.

I only looked at fares again once out of morbid curiousity while confirming our flight - which I do weekly. Its critical that my family sits together so I check each week for changes.

This is THE most important thing IMO when booking air travel. Anything else is just a bonus..

 

[snowbunny]

come on after the buy out mid west has gone down the drains dont you remember how the new owners basicl s^%& on milwaukee and every time you turn around you hear how the new owners are screwing the employees

Um wasn't it supposed to be great wonderful news when Midwest spurned Airtran's offer? I remember lots of crowing about how the warm cookies were saved from a terrible fate. Oh well.

 

[Inkmahm]

Um wasn't it supposed to be great wonderful news when Midwest spurned Airtran's offer? I remember lots of crowing about how the warm cookies were saved from a terrible fate. Oh well.

I was one of the ones who was very happy when Midwest fought off Airtran. Midwest WAS my favorite airline at that point. But after that, the economy tanked and Midwest did a lot of cutting of flights/service. ALL of my flights that I had booked with them were affected. I ended up getting all of my money back from Midwest and rebooking those flights through Airtran. It almost killed me was I was NOT an Airtran fan. I became on though after using their services.

Now I only was booked on Midwest because I had miles to use for our January trip and they had the best time/price to get us to Orlando fo our March trip. We're still taking Airtran to get home in March.

With hindsight, I still don't think it was necessarily bad that Midwest fought off Airtran. We have lots more competition now with Airtran, Midwest, Delta, etc. all looking for market share out of Milwaukee.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I appreciate all the replies. I was upset when I typed yesterday, so maybe I made the $17 seem like more than what it is.

I was most upset by the seats being changed and I received no notification. The agent confirmed that the time of flight and the aircraft was not changed, but for some unknown reason the flight was renumbered.
I've been flying Midwest for years and this was the first time it happened to me.

I called Midwest Customer Relations and talked to a lovely lady named Sara. She explained that I should have gotten an email notifying me of the change and was sorry that I "fell through the cracks". She was somehow able to gain access to seats that the agent couldn't, and improved our seating situation.

Finally, she offered to send us vouchers for the airfare difference in price. I told her I understood the policy of 7 days for fare change, and she said it was for my trouble. Finally some customer service!

I guess I learned a lesson. I thought once flights were booked and confirmed, everything is a go unless I heard otherwise. Not too keen on constantly babysitting my reservation.

 

[dudspizza]

I guess I learned a lesson. I thought once flights were booked and confirmed, everything is a go unless I heard otherwise. Not too keen on constantly babysitting my reservation.

What you call "babysitting" I call being proactive.

 

[Esmerelda]

I'm currently involved in a very large project at work. I've somehow become the token travel agent. To date; I've purchased over 240 airline tickets in the last 4 months. (we have a lot of out of state training going on)

I know only because I've used Midwest numerous times (and have to say that the customer service has been very good). I copied and pasted this right from their website.

•Fare reductions are allowed. A transportation voucher will be issued for the entire fare difference on eligible fares within the first seven days of ticket purchase. Fare adjustments requested beyond seven days from the original date of purchase will be given via a transportation voucher less the $100 change fee. If the change fee is greater than the fare reduction no credit will be given. Fares governed by this rule may not be reduced to instant purchase Internet-only fares.

I'm not saying I agree with their policy, but this is their policy. I just know before you purchase anything, read the rules.

An example: a friend of mine purchased as a birthday gift..a GPS at a very well known electronics store (not sure if I'm supposed to post a name). She returned it 3 days later, nothing wrong with it..she had paid $257 cash for it. She wanted to purchase a more expensive one with more features. The store told her their policy was a 15% restocking fee (huh...?) and as well they could NOT give her cash back. She would receive a check in the mail in 10 business days from their headquarters. DOUBLE HUH.....??? I paid cash, I would like my cash..not at this store. Anyhow, I did read their policy online and it's ugly and I too have never purchased anything in there ever again. I know a lot of people that do NOT realize this is their policy as we saw many angry customers in the return line around Xmas time when my son was buying a DVD.

Policies can stink...so just be sure to read everything before any major purchases. I'm really sorry that you had a bad experience. I hope you have a great trip. (and it's ok to vent...really)