Last day dilemma

[Cait]

When I planned our Disney World trip, I had booked a 7 pm flight out of Orlando. This gave us plenty of time to sleep in after MNSSHP, pack, check out, and hit up a few Fast Pass+ in Magic Kingdom. Fast forward to yesterday, when I'm typing up my itinerary at work (super planner here!) and I check on our flights. All of our flights had been completely changed, and we were never notified!! I was able to get us on a similar flight heading to Orlando, so that we aren't sacrificing any time that first day, but the latest flight out puts us on the Tragical Express ~2, as opposed to ~4. Now, normally 2 hours wouldn't seem like much, but for that last day, it seems huge to me! That last day had always been a "let's spend one last afternoon in MK and if we ride rides, cool, if not, oh well". I wanted it to be laid back, but with such a late flight, it had been worth only ~10-15 more/pp to have that last afternoon. Now, if we wanted to get there, we'd have to get up much earlier after such a late nigh. There is of course the possibility of following original timeline, and instead of riding any rides, just walking around Main St. I know I need to just stop whining and adult, but we only go every 5 years, so this was a huge bummer to me. In the end, I know we'll have a huge trip, and if we wake up that last morning and feel like going, we will. If we don't, I know I won't be out a huge sum of $$.

Has anything like this happened to anyone? I feel like I did such a good job planning, and then American Airlines came in and mucked it all up!

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

Same thing happened with American, I wasn't going to Disney but flying to NH to help DMIL move. So they just changed my flight time without notice, it may not seem like a big deal but it had a whole domino effect on my timeline... It really sucked but I had no choice at that point but to deal with it and never fly with them again. Enjoy your trip...

 

[mjmgsssp]

I think it's crazy that you didn't get an email notification of the changed flight times. I admit, I rarely fly American because I live in a Delta hub city, but I always get some type of notification of a flight change, delay, etc.

Good luck with your trip!

 

[adisneyaunt]

Ugh! That's just Wrong.. They are a major airline ... I'd not fly them again if I were you and tell them Why as well. Posting here won't exactly promote their service either..
You ll have a great trip OP!
I know how much energy goes into planning and ur DISappointment is palpable. Sorry!
Pixie dust ur way!!

 

[alliecat523]

Some airlines allow you to change the flight yourself at no cost when this happens. It might be worth a call to them to find out.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Sorry OP, it's so disappointing when things don't go as planned. Spirit has changed our flights twice for our upcoming Nov trip. Luckily it has worked in our favor both times....but still annoying! Although I will say I did receive email notifications of the change both times, and I would be really angry if I didn't! I would call and complain, maybe they will give you a discount or something to make up for it. Hope you have a great trip despite the change in plans.

 

[seashoreCM]

At least look for alternate flights on the same airline that would work better for you. Don't overlook nonstops and connections through different cities than you had originally.

Escalate the argument to higher up if the first person or two you talk to won't let you hand pick flights of your choice at no extra charge (and those flights are not sold out).

For Magical Express back to the airport at 2, you need to be heading for the park exit around noon. You might leave a lot more time for activities by grabbing something quick for breakfast, and planning lunch at the airport inside security.

(For those eavesdropping) Check your flights frequently to get the best chance of re-changing airline flight changes before things get sold out.

 

[minniemous]

I know Southwest has a policy if they change the time of a flight you can change your flight to any flight you like regardless of price. I have had that happen a couple of times. I guess one question is if they even have another flight leaving later in the day anymore? I agree with other posters to exhaust your ability to change your flight to a more agreeable time before changing your Disney Plans.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you can't change your flight to a later time, consider hiring a private car (we use Park Ave. Limo) or taking a taxi or uber to the airport. Obviously it will cost more (about $50 to take a cab), but you can schedule your pick-up for 2 hours prior to your flight and get a little more time that day.

 

[kappyfamily]

Sorry OP, it's so disappointing when things don't go as planned. Spirit has changed our flights twice for our upcoming Nov trip. Luckily it has worked in our favor both times....but still annoying! Although I will say I did receive email notifications of the change both times, and I would be really angry if I didn't! I would call and complain, maybe they will give you a discount or something to make up for it. Hope you have a great trip despite the change in plans.

This happened to me on American for our flight into Orlando. It moved me arriving 2 hours later then before so I called and let them know that didn't work for us and she changed us to an earlier flight without charge. So I would give it a try. Most US based airlines have that policy about no charging if they change the flight.

We will be getting to the parks on our last day early after being in MK until midnight the night before. I figure we can sleep on the plane, you only get disneyworld so often. We also will be taking an uber back to the airport you will get an extra 45 minutes or so without having to take the bus back. Have a great trip!

 

[L_MD]

Just adding in: American changed my morning flight out by 2 hours and I called, worried about the $200 change flight charge they warn you about. The agent didn't care- he said that since it was due to a schedule change, there'd be no charge. They got me on a flight leaving 5 minutes later than my original time. So far, no more changes yet. Fingers crossed!

 

[LilyWDW]

Ugh! That's just Wrong.. They are a major airline ... I'd not fly them again if I were you and tell them Why as well. Posting here won't exactly promote their service either..
You ll have a great trip OP!
I know how much energy goes into planning and ur DISappointment is palpable. Sorry!
Pixie dust ur way!!

Pretty much this can happen with any airline. It doesn't matter who you fly with. They can change the schedule and they may or may not contact you personally. I have seen the same complaint with every single company.

This is a good lesson that you need to keep an eye on your flights. Don't trust that any airline will contact you if there is a change of any sort.

 

[MrsJamesPSullivan]

It happened to us once. We were going to fly out around 6 on Saturday. American changed our flight to noon. They did email but I was still ticked. My only option was to fly back Sunday but those flights were a lot more expensive. I called them and told them this wasn't acceptable to me because the reason we were going to Florida was for an event taking place on Saturday and the new flight was going to make us miss it and I didn't feel I should have to pay more to fly home the next day when it was their doing not mine. They put us on a flight out at 2 the next day for the same price as the Saturday flight. It cost me another room night but we got a whole day at Disney instead of a few hours. I think it's so wrong that they can advertise flight times and take people's money for months then just change them.

 

[bumbershoot]

the latest flight out puts us on the Tragical Express ~2, as opposed to ~4.

So did you already call them and talk about alternate flights? Did anyone discuss going home the following day (if that's possible with budget and schedule)?

Has anything like this happened to anyone?

Absolutely!
It's one of the biggest bits of advice given on the Transportation forum; check your flights regularly to make sure there have been no changes.

I'd not fly them again if I were you

ALL airlines can and do do this.

Some airlines allow you to change the flight yourself at no cost when this happens. It might be worth a call to them to find out.

As far as I know, all airlines (US airlines at the very least) allow for free changes if they change schedule by an hour or so (or more).

At least look for alternate flights on the same airline that would work better for you. Don't overlook nonstops and connections through different cities than you had originally.

Escalate the argument to higher up if the first person or two you talk to won't let you hand pick flights of your choice at no extra charge (and those flights are not sold out).

Definitely. Not sure if the OP already called in or just did it herself. If she called in she might not be able to change again, but she should try.

Check your flights frequently to get the best chance of re-changing airline flight changes before things get sold out.

YES.

you can schedule your pick-up for 2 hours prior to your flight and get a little more time that day.

Eep! Even when driving (or if I were being driven) I would leave so that I'm walking into MCO 2 solid hours before my flight. While some people waltz through security in a good luck bubble, most of us have encountered horrible lineups (even with Precheck sometimes) that make even my family (and we get there 2 hours before the flight) worried about if we'll make it through on time.

Don't trust that any airline will contact you if there is a change of any sort.

I agree. Constant vigilance!

 

[Donald - my hero]

Agree with all the PP who say ... check your flights OFTEN! I can do you all one better (or is it worse??) Our airline didn't inform us when the changed the day they fly out of our airport from a once weekly flight on Thursdays to TUESDAYS ... you know, after we had already rented points to stay at OKW. Left us scrambling to fix the problem ourselves -- i found out by fluke. It turned out fine -- we have flights that work (out of a different airport but that's ok) and there was no charge to rebook us but that's 2 hours of my life i'll never get back. I think i aged about 10 years the day i opened my itinerary to check carry-on size and saw "itinerary cancelled"

That's a tab i keep open and check at least once a day now! I also have the tollfree number for the airline in my phone so we can call to confirm flight home. Seems they had no intent to ever let us know the plane simply wouldn't be on the tarmac that day, i shudder to think if i had left it till my 24 hr checkin!!

 

[danceintherain]

Definitely call and talk to someone. If there's an available flight that suits you better, they should let you have it.

Also, make sure you're checked in with seat assignments as early as possible, especially for your trip to Orlando. I've noticed that flights are overbooked an awful lot lately, which can wreak havoc with an itinerary. We were actually on a flight coming back from Jamaica this summer that was overbooked by 9 initially. They were planning on bumping a group who needed to be somewhere first thing the next morning, and kept offering more and more money for other people being willing to be bumped. DH and I each got flight vouchers for $750 (so $1500) total for eventually volunteering.
My aunt was bumped on American a few weeks ago, when she was on her way to a christening. They didn't care at all, and she ended up missing the christening and barely making it to the party afterward. Since she was the one already in line to be bumped, they only offered her a mere $200 for her trouble.

 

[otten]

Pretty much this can happen with any airline. It doesn't matter who you fly with. They can change the schedule and they may or may not contact you personally. I have seen the same complaint with every single company.

This is a good lesson that you need to keep an eye on your flights. Don't trust that any airline will contact you if there is a change of any sort.

This is very true. United changed our flights so we are arriving 30 minutes later and leaving 30 minutes earlier. Not a huge deal but it is annoying when you are counting precious vacation hours. I noticed it about a month ago but didn't get an email notification until last week. It's possible that AA is going to notify OP but hasn't yet.

The worst flight change experience I had was flying Westjet from Abbotsford (2 hours from Vancouver) to Newark. It was foggy and the flight got cancelled and rebooked for the following morning. I only found out about the cancellation because I was checking the departures on my phone on the way to the airport. Fortunately I was able to call and rebook on a flight out of Vancouver for an hour later than our original flight since planes can fly in and out of Vancouver in the fog. I didn't get a notification of the flight cancellation until an hour after the flight was scheduled to depart.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Pretty much this can happen with any airline. It doesn't matter who you fly with. They can change the schedule and they may or may not contact you personally. I have seen the same complaint with every single company.

This is a good lesson that you need to keep an eye on your flights. Don't trust that any airline will contact you if there is a change of any sort.

That I would agree with.

We booked our flight from KCI to HNL (stop in LAX on the way there, stop in LAX and MSP on the way back) on 6/15/16 for a 9/12/16 going there flight. I don't know when they changed our flight times but they did;only noticed when I was checking on my husband's Delta account a week and a half ago. The difference in time is no more than 10 mins later (which is actually our first flight) but still absolutely no communication. It didn't even show what our previous flight times were so we had to go look it up from our original e-mail confirmation and btw ALL 5 flights were adjusted. One of our flights was changed to 3:13pm..having flown SWA the vast majority of the time they don't usually get that precise so I was like uhhh ok Delta so 3:13pm it is.

I will tell you it was a bit scary seeing the message regarding your flight change not knowing what had actually been changed.

With SWA I usually set up flight notifications. My last flight with SWA was last month. My flight had gotten delayed going back home 40 mins and they actually called me to let me know that and they sent me an e-mail despite only asking for a text message update. I'm not sure if flying as a companion was the reason for the phone call because I hadn't gotten that before.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I'm not sure how big your family is, but I was able to take a regular uber to the MCO from Disney for $21. That would save you an hour or so.

If you can't get your flight changed, I'd wake up earlier. Sleep when you are home

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Eep! Even when driving (or if I were being driven) I would leave so that I'm walking into MCO 2 solid hours before my flight. While some people waltz through security in a good luck bubble, most of us have encountered horrible lineups (even with Precheck sometimes) that make even my family (and we get there 2 hours before the flight) worried about if we'll make it through on time.

We fly in and out of Orlando about 6 times per year, in all seasons including Christmas. Boarding passes in hand and either checking luggage at the resort or carry-ons. We always hire a private car to pick us up 2 hours prior to our flight and we"ve never missed a flight.