Orbitz.com - Beware!!!!!!!!

[Laurajean1014]

Got this "too good to be true" airfare rate from Orbitz.com and guess what? It was.

Found out our non-stop flight (when booked yesterday) turned into a connecting flight today!!!!!

My DH called to receive seat arrangements and found this out. Orbitz.com blamed it on me! They told my DH that that is what I selected. Well, he trusts me (besides we had the confirmation) that said it was a non-stop flight.

They also kept us holding for 1.5 hours on hold before talking to a CRR! Can you believe that!

They also would not cancel the order, so I had to get US Airlines involved! US Air refunded my credit card and apologized! I also called AMEX to register a complaint and dispute the charge.

No more "great rates" for me............

Please be aware of Orbitz.com bad business practices. I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through this!

Has anyone else ran into this type of problem with on-line deals? (My orig. flight was 2709 and return on flight 2609 from Oct. 31 to Nov 10th).

Hope this helps someone in the future!

Feeling mighty low.........................L

 

[Ludwig Von Drake]

Laurajean1014 - Did orbitz issue you tix's on different flight numbers? USAIR web site show the ones you mention to be nonstop. USAIR has changed my schedule s may times I daresay I will never book them again. I origianally bought nonstop BDL/MCO rt, but now my flight down involves not only a stop but a change of planes! I believe (last I spoke to them) my return has been rescheduled to 2609. Is that flight stopping now too? I would get a refund and book with another carrier if it wasn't for the fact that I am traveling during the busy Thanksgivng season! Your gripe may be with USAIR, not ORBITZ.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Ludwig,

Thanks for the head's up!

No. I do not believe they changed the flight number.

We thought it was Orbitz due to the long wait and that they did not communicate well. US Air seemed to be sympathetic with us and creditted our AMEX. AMEX was very interested and I've already drafted a letter to them for a dispute!

I usually travel BDL/MCO direct by Delta. I'm going to stay with them from now on.

I've heard of changing times, but this was the first time they added a connection. (Friend is a lawyer, and she claims it mis-representation and money back should be immediate).

Either way, AMEX knows that I will not pay.

Thanks for expressing your experience with me.

Weather is beautiful in sunny CT!

L

 

[Beverly Lynn]

I must argue the misrepresentation. have you ever read the back of a ticket? or the jacket? they all go thru schedule changes and everyone gets reacommodated. some better than others. but they do go by what is manned by the FAA and the DOT> if you do not like what they put you on they will either change to another flight or refund the monies paid. I have no explanation for what happened to you so I can offer no advice there. many lawyers have tried to sue over schedule changes and nothing has happened on many of them.

on the confirmation you got from orbitz does the flt nbr match the nonstop or the direct or the connecting flt? (isn't it frustrating when these companies do not want to accept responsibility for their problem or mistake? )

Heck I had a schedule change on Delta once that ended up with them putting me on another carrier since they cancelled their flight altogether. that was fine by me. schedule changes don't upset me. maybe its because I worked them for so many years.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Bev,

The flight number is exact on the confirmation and change. Therefore, I assume it's US Air calling the shots.

I know I sound childish, its just never happened to me before. And I see tix with connections for less than $100 and I paid extra to go direct but now going with connections. (They have it going from bdl to Milwaukee to MCO).

With a 5 year old, I stay away from connecting flights...

US Air did refund the money. So, it worked itself out. I've flown on Delta and although they make changes, this has yet to happen to me.

I'm sticking with Delta.

Thanks for the feedback. (I grew up a little).

L

 

[Beverly Lynn]

if the flt nbrs on the confirmation match what usair has then it is on orbitz end. luckily you got your refund. things like this make you wonder what the heck they are doing. I stay away from connecting flights too with a 3 yr old. but if your flt nbrs were non stop flts then how can orbitz say they were connecting? this is what confuses me.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Don't know! Orbitz claims that the selection was not non-stop! However, it had no stops, no connections listed and showed the eta 2 hrs and 49 mins! Exactly what a direct flight takes..

My AMEX shows the charge, but does not show the credit from US Air yet. (they've got one more day) then, "you mess with the bull, you get the horns."

Looks like if I want direct flight, Delta has for $203 - or if I want to connect into Atlanta (both ways) is $98!

Can't decide if I'm cheap or lazy!

I'm no longer worried about my 5 year old. He'll be fine. I'm more concerned with me (the bigger baby) and my luggage (haven't lost anything yet).


Thanks for the shoulder..............L

 

[Beverly Lynn]

Double check on those refunds because we were always told to say it could take up to 2 billing cyc;es to have the refund on your card.......but I have never had it take that long on my own refunds........good luck!

 

[lawgs]

last week when we were checking for "rates" to mco from buffalo...orbitz was showing all flights in US air as being around 115$ ......when in reality there were only a few "still" available at odd ball times....when we went to the usair.com web site...

so i do not have much faith in orbitz and what they portray on their web site..

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I like to use Orbitz.com to check on the fare prices on the dates I want to travel. They list internet fares that Travelocity and Expedia don't necessarily get. I also like the fact that they have the prices of the non-stops and other flights on one page. However, after I check the lowest fare, I try to buy directly from the airline either by phone or through their website depending on if it is an internet fare and if I get bonus mileage online. Double check on the airline websites that it is the lowest fare of course.

If I want to know the cheapest fare and am willing to change my schedule to take advantage, I search through Travelocity and when I find the cheapest fare dates, I plug them into Orbitz and then from there go to the individual airline.

I did buy directly from Orbitz once. I purchased from Orbitz for a trip from NYC to East Lansing, MI to visit relatives. There's a connecting flight through Detroit and I wanted jet planes, not turboprop because of the baby and my parents. The low fare and flight seemed to be selling briskly. The NWA website was either down or just giving me problems, and that particular fare was internet-only. I could have waited and gotten mileage for booking from NWA.com but I was afraid the fare would change or the flight would sell out so, I bought through Orbitz. I then called NWA directly to confirm, get seat assignments and add the baby.

Sorry about your problems, Laurajean. I probably would have been hesitant to buy from them if I read this first. I have heard that their customer service is horrible. But lucky for me, my flights were fine.

Orbitz also helped me get cheap fares to MCO for a quick weekend getaway for my 5th anniversary (indirectly)! I found out about the USAir $98 fare from Travelocity. Of course, when you pick when you pick from their available travel dates, the fare is of course still higher! I then checked on Orbitz - they showed better schedules. Travelocity doesn't always provide a big selection. Anyways, by the time I called DVC to check availability, my parents to babysit the two kids, and my husband to see if it was a go, the fares were gone on USAir and Orbitz!

By then I was determined to go! TWA still had a $109.50 non-stop fare but with yukky return schedules. So, I played around on Orbitz and the TWA website, changing the dates, etc. to find the best schedule. Orbitz was easier to tweak and see fares. Once I found the dates, times and fare that I could live with (Fri 6:20PM - Mon 8:05PM), I then plugged in the dates and times into the TWA site to double check. Then I called TWA directly to see if they had those flights & fares by phone. They did and they put a reservation hold on it while I called DVC MS to book my stay at the Beach Club! I then called TWA back to pay for the tickets over the phone.

Whew! Sure was a lot of work to save some money! Hey, they don't grow on trees! (I wouldn't even think to go if fares weren't this cheap since we're going in Nov/Dec.) Of course, my folks think I could have grown a tree in the amount of time I spend 'looking!' But that's half the fun.

Laurajean, glad things worked out through for you.

 

[FergieTCat]

I had one "problem" with Orbitz, and would probably not book through them in the future.

I was looking for flights from New York to West Palm Beach the day before Thanksgiving. I booked the flight directly with JetBlue for $197. I checked Orbitz and they claimed they had the identical flight for $109. I called JetBlue (and even wrote to them) and they swore up and down that there was no way Orbitz could sell the fare for that flight that low, as it was the day before a holiday, a black out day. JetBlue also said they never even offered the seat at that price themselves (which is true, because I bought the first ticket for that flight). JetBlue also told me to be careful of Orbitz, because they had a way of lowballing the fare, and then increasing it when you went to charge it on your card.

So, I'd say, buyer beware --

Donna

 

[Laurajean1014]

Wow!

You all are great! Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I too, use the internet travel agents as guides, but tried this and got burned!

How are this one:

Delta non-stop for $218 (x3)? Or connections both ways for $98 (x3), add a 5 year old and two immature/naive parents?

Here comes the algebra question: What would you pay?

I can't figure it out: am I lazy ($218) or cheap ($98) help me decide.........

Thanks again..........L

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Well, I usually only like to fly non-stop but $360 could really pay some really nice sit down meals or upgraded accommodations.

I think it would all depend on if it's an out of the way connection (like Detroit! ), how long is the layover, and if they get you to and from MCO at good times. The savings may not be worth it if you lose 2 days of vacation time.

But if all 3 criteria are liveable I would book the indirect and eat well!

 

[GoldenOldie]

I agree with SleepyatDVC. For $360 I'll change planes anytime.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

if the layover isn't too bad I would go for the change in aircraft. sometimes its nice to get out and stretch those legs!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Ok guys, here it is!

#1 itin is from BDL (Hartford) to Milwaukee then Orlando. Same way back! $124/pp rt

#2 Itin is from BDL to Atlanta then Orlando. Same way back. $98/pp rt (leaves 6:30 am arrives Orlndo 2:20pm)
return ft. leaves at 6:30 pm arrives BDL @ 12:20am)

#3 Itin is from BDL to Orlando direct now $218.50/pp rt.
(leaves BDL @ 10:20 and arrives at 1:00pm). return (6:50pm arrives 9:20pm).

Itin #2 sounds good, but I'm afraid of losing luggage! Then I would kick myself for the $360 savings!

You pick!

 

[Lesley]

#2 looks too good to pass up...as long as its not a 3 day trip or something short like that where losing most of that first day will really cut into your vacation. A 5yo shouldn't be too hard to handle for the layover and switch.

Now if you had a 2yo (and a 5yo, or even a 7yo like on the trip I'm taking next May) , I'd probably say go non-stop. I'm cheap but I'm not crazy.

 

[lawgs]

exactly what i was trying to point out FergieTcat....

they seem to have some misinformation on the orbitz website......even though it is easier to tweak their dates ....

will still use a number of sites to find flights and costs....

including one similar to orbitz ...

www.itasoftware.com

 

[#1 TITANS FAN]

I got Nashville to MCO, n/s, r/t, in Oct. on Delta for $174 through Orbitz after it had jumped from $174 to $193 on Delta's site. Confirmed my res. with Delta directly. The lowest it's gotten since on Delta's site has been $186. For me, Orbitz has been great, sorry to hear others have had problems.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Orbitz who?

Just went surfing and found $92/rt pp NON-STOP fare with Southwest (on Southwest web site). I secured the ressie for 24 hrs.

Wow. Three people for $276!

I called (gun shy after the USAIR/Orbitz thing), and they told me:

They cannot change a N/S to a 1/S or Connect unless I want it. (Good thing).

They do not assign seats but rather use a first to check in, first on plane strategy. (okay).

Serve peanuts, well for that price you would have to.

Any one have any Southwest comments you would like to share!