NWA charging 25.00 for vouchers when prices drop!

[RoLaren]

On a whim I just checked the fare on our flights next month for our rescheduled due to Ivan trip...the fare dropped 60.00 a person, NWA had to give us vouchers.

I just found out that the fare actually dropped by 85.00, and they are now charging a 25.00 per ticket re-ticketing fee when they adjust the price for vouchers!!!!!!!

This means, that my travel costs for this upcoming trip look like this:

Book tickets originally: 136.50 apiece.

Rebook tickets because of Ivan (because we didn't travel within September, NWA charged us these fees) 25.00 per ticket= x3=75.00

Now, add to that the fact the fare went up: 85.00 per person per ticket: 3x85= 255.00

Now, the fare dropped back to 136.50 per person, the fare we were originally supposed to pay in September. BUT they charged us 25.00 per person to change the fare back! So our net vouchers are only 60.00 per person.

Confused? Me too. I think it stinks that the airlines can drop a fare by almost half and not have to give you a cash refund.

I know we have these 60.00 vouchers towards next year's trip and I should be happy with that but I feel again that NWA is getting money from me that they didn't deserve.

Ugh!

 

[seashoreCM]

Could you have just had the original tickets refunded? (I'm sure the answer is yes if flights were cancelled.)

Then you could have waited for a fare war instead of buying new tickets at the everyday low price. More and nore airlines these days are charging a fee for reticketing and geting vouchers if fares drop.

Travel tips:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Northwoods]

I just ran into this $25 fee also. I had checked our December flights. One member in our party had a ticket for $306 and I noticed the price dropped back down to $275. I called because I had heard that they will credit you the difference if the price drops. But they only give anything over a $25 difference. Which meant only $6. The agent explained it to me like it was not a separate fee - just that they don't want to deal with small dollar refunds.

 

[Pinnie]

Isn't NWA special? (dripping sacrasm)

Same thing happened to me for my December fares. They dropped down almost $100 and I had to pay the $25 fee to get my refund. Somehow that just doesn't seem RIGHT in my book!

Any wonder why I fly NWA only when I absolutely HAVE too? SWA is much better in their policy!

pinnie

 

[CarnotaurDad]

At least Northwest only charges $25.

If something like that were to happen on Continental, they would charge $100. Yep, they charge $100 for a change, even if the change is too a lower fare.

 

[antmaril]

This is not new. NWA used to charge $100 to make a change and more recently reduced the change fee to $25. If your rate goes down, they give you the voucher minus the change fee. This has been the case for years, except now it probably happens more often because the change fee is lower.

 

[Lewisc]

If the fare goes up is the airline allowed to bill you? The airline is basically saying you'll have to pay the change fee to get your reservation changed to the new fares. Sounds like a fair compromise for tickets that are non-refundable.

Were your Ivan flights within the window in which you could have canceled and gotten a full refund? If so I may try to fight the fees, if not you're out of luck.

SW allows you to change without any fees but doesn't normally allow you to standby for free. Really should look at the airline policies when you select the airline you book with.

 

[CarolMN]

I know we have these 60.00 vouchers towards next year's trip and I should be happy with that but I feel again that NWA is getting money from me that they didn't deserve.

I assume you bought a non-refundable ticket to get a better/lower price. If you want the ability to change/get a refund without a fee, you need to buy the more expensive, fully refundable tickets. If you don't want to risk delays/cancellations due to weather you might consider trip insurance.

I don't like paying high fares either, but the terms have always been spelled out for me whenever I book - whether it be online, over the phone, or in person. I think you should be glad you were refunded any money at all.

Sorry your original plans didn't work out due to Ivan. Not your fault, but not NWA's fault either.

Best wishes -

 

[TraceyL]

You get money back if your air fare drops????

Or am I confused ?

 

[Tess]

Just try and use those vouchers. We figured we'd apply our $36 p/person vouchers to our trip in June (also received after deducting $25 p/tix when rates dropped almost $80 per last year--almost the day after we booked! Shame on us for jumping so quickly.). Unfortunately, the NWA rates were higher than last year and we were able to get a much, much better rate with Spirit.

Before we found the great Spirit rates, we watched patiently for the rates on NWA to come down. The lowest we found were around $237 for our flight times, dates, etc. We figured that wasn't too bad and called about using our vouchers. That was not a problem BUT we had to physically present ourselves at an airport (in our case Toledo because it was closest at an hour away) between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m., M-F, to obtain credit on the fares purchased. The ticketing agent was NOT able to give the credit without the actual voucher in hand. We also had the option of mailing the vouchers to NWA and it would then credit our credit card by the amount of the vouchers BUT we had to allow 10 days for processing and our vouchers expire on 10/17.

The vouchers you receive are only good for one year from the date issued. You can purchase fares for later than that date, but they must be purchased by the expiration date. We did not get such warm and fuzzy feelings that the credits were going to come off without a hitch--too many folks giving us too many different answers, etc. Oh yeah, since you can't use the vouchers with online bookings, you pay the booking fee of $10 per ticket as well.

We said we'd never fly Spirit again, but with the higher rate of NWA and the uncertainty that our vouchers were going to receive the actual credit, we decided to give them another whirl. In fact, we had all but decided to drive this trip rather than fly--or, alternatively, to give TMA a shot if we decided we didn't want to drive as our date approached.

NWA has repeatedly given us poor customer service, lost luggage on non-stops, misplaced luggage at DTW, and basically told us to go find our own luggage over the years. That coupled with their poor information service and oursourced call center for reservations just make us remember why we haven't used them since 1995 (until last year that is). It may be another 9 or 10 years before we give NWA another chance to earn our trust--Lord knows, it's not done anything for us over the years.

 

[even1]

Hi all,

Song charges $25. too. I always called for a credit if my fare dropped but in August they changed their policy because it was costing them too much money. The agent I spoke with said that most airlines have changed their policy too.

$60. voucher for each of you is still a sweet deal though!!

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by TraceyL
You get money back if your air fare drops????

Or am I confused ?

Some airlines give you a credit voucher to use for a future flight.

 

[clkelley]

Delta also now charges $100 change fee to get a credit if the price drops.

Carol

 

[CarolA]

This won't be popular but... you purchased NON refundable tickets and now you want a refund or a voucher. I keep waiting on the airlines to just say NO! I am really surprised that they still allow this considering the financial condition they are in.

Even stores have a limit on price adjustments. So if I buy a dress now for a wedding next spring and it goes no sale in January at most stores I am out of luck. Why should airline tickets be different.

 

[cigar95]

Originally posted by clkelley
Delta also now charges $100 change fee to get a credit if the price drops.

Hmm. Delta charges $100, and Song $25. Since my typical itinerary is out on Delta and back on Song, I wonder if I'll be on the hook for $125.

Simple solution, I suppose - I'll wait until I find a fare I'm satisfied with and just assume that's what I'm paying.

 

[even1]

That's what I do too!

 

[pumpkinboy]

Yep, even airlines with Great customer service like JetBlue and Song charge the fee if you change your itinerary (voluntarily).

We had tix already for a MLK weekend trip to Disney's Vero Beach resort, then DW discovers that she can take the whole family along to her Tax Law conference in Miami Beach in the week leading up to MLK. So tho our fares went down by $24 per ticket, the change fee was $25, so for our family of four the change cost us a whopping $4. No complaints here; we bought non-refundable tix with the change fee explicitly spelled out; and the nice lady at JetBlue tried her best to get the change fee reduced or eliminated, but was not sucessful. Plus that $4 and the additional car rental time (partly subsidized by DW's law firm) and gas and food are the only additional expenses for an extra 5 days in Florida in January.

I certainly understand the OP's and others' frustration with "NorthWorst" and their poor customer service. And since the original change in OP's itinerary was due to a Hurricane, I would also be upset with the initial change fee. In our case, since the change was voluntary, it's no biggie.