Question: Need Help ASAP

[kstategrad]

So I have to share that last April (2008) we went to WDW from Seattle & there were 8 of us total. We flew on Alaska Airlines. We decided to add 2 days onto the end of our vacation & when I called to see about changing the flights, the lady told me it was $75 per ticket to make the change but she said she wouldn't charge me for even one of them because she could hear how excited I was to add 2 days on & how disappointed I was when she told me the cost. She was a manager & said that it doesn't cost the airline anything at all to make a change like that so she was glad to do it! You just never know what's going to happen until you ask!

Had she charged us, it would have been an extra $600 on top of hotel & park tickets & there's no way we would have done it!

I know! I can think of a LOT better things to spend $600 on than an airline "change" fee. Like APs or a down payment on a cruise!

It's been nice to "meet" you, and thanks for "sticking up" for me.

Gotta go...had a yard sale today and have been up since 4:30 AM.

 

[JJZMgailey]

I know! I can think of a LOT better things to spend $600 on than an airline "change" fee. Like APs or a down payment on a cruise!

It's been nice to "meet" you, and thanks for "sticking up" for me.

Gotta go...had a yard sale today and have been up since 4:30 AM.

So nice to "meet" you too!!

Hey, we are going to have some yard sales ourselves to earn extra Disney money! Good luck!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, as I said before, my original post was just asking a question. I don't need opinions regarding...

When you post on a forum, you're going to get all types of responses. The initial poster doesn't get to control what's said. But in the specific post at issue, you didn't get an opinion. You got a sensible response that included the poster's typical procedure.

Airlines LOSE money on the nonrefundable fares most of us pay. You feel the fee is ridiculous. The business owner/service provider does not agree. Odds are (opinion alert!) that even paying the change fee, the ultimate price of the tickets in question is less than the cost of four refundable tickets for the same dates and itinerary.

If we want to be able to make changes, we need to purchase the level of ticket that will allow said changes (or cancellations) at no additional cost to us. I'm guilty of it too. I may need to cancel my upcoming trip. Yes, I will lose money - but I chose to purchase the ticket type I did. I could have spent several hundred dollars more and been able to make any changes I want, up to cancelling my ticket - and get back every penny I paid.

To quote an off-price store: An educated consumer is our best customer. It's not the airline's responsibility to make exceptions because a customer thinks the fees are ridiculous.

 

[mommy*RN]

Hey OP - I think you've learned an important lesson here...always book with AirTran! . Seriously they have been fantastic with me. I had my outbound flight booked with a layover in Atlanta. Then they switched the flight time so we only had a 40 minute layover...NOT doable with three kiddos. So I called them. I think even before I had the whole story out of my mouth the customer service rep said, "We can switch you to the direct flight that leaves at 7:40AM and arrives 20 minutes earlier than your original flight. I snatched that offer right up! Then today I saw there was a $25 voucher per person. My return flight had changed by a little less than 30 minutes so I thought I'd give it a whirl to try and cancel the flight. No problem at all. They canceled the flight and I jumped on Kayak and booked the same flight for $100 less and minus the $24 seat choosing charges. I will probably be a loyal Airtran customer now. This is our first time using them flying from Milwaukee to Orlando and I am excited. I also just read I could use vouchers to cover my baggage fees and since I didn't use the vouchers for our outbound flight I will give that a whirl. A penny saved is a penny earned...especially in this economy.

I hope you get to go twice and have a fantastic time...but I agree with the other poster who recommended speaking with a supervisor. I see rules bent and broken all the time all over the place. I see no reason why airlines can't or won't do things to keep their customers happy...they know there are other options and prices out there and people will choose to go somewhere else.

Have a wonderful vacation OP!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Again, your opinion. I never once said, "This is the airline's fault." Yes, I have the opinion that the fees are too high.

The poster at issue is equally entitled to profer an opinion.

 

[DVCBELLE]

Hey OP - I think you've learned an important lesson here...always book with AirTran! . Seriously they have been fantastic with me. I had my outbound flight booked with a layover in Atlanta. Then they switched the flight time so we only had a 40 minute layover...NOT doable with three kiddos. So I called them. I think even before I had the whole story out of my mouth the customer service rep said, "We can switch you to the direct flight that leaves at 7:40AM and arrives 20 minutes earlier than your original flight. I snatched that offer right up! Then today I saw there was a $25 voucher per person. My return flight had changed by a little less than 30 minutes so I thought I'd give it a whirl to try and cancel the flight. No problem at all. They canceled the flight and I jumped on Kayak and booked the same flight for $100 less and minus the $24 seat choosing charges. I will probably be a loyal Airtran customer now. This is our first time using them flying from Milwaukee to Orlando and I am excited. I also just read I could use vouchers to cover my baggage fees and since I didn't use the vouchers for our outbound flight I will give that a whirl. A penny saved is a penny earned...especially in this economy.

I hope you get to go twice and have a fantastic time...but I agree with the other poster who recommended speaking with a supervisor. I see rules bent and broken all the time all over the place. I see no reason why airlines can't or won't do things to keep their customers happy...they know there are other options and prices out there and people will choose to go somewhere else.

Have a wonderful vacation OP!

I have almost the exact same story with Airtran! I will be hard pressed to book with anyone but them in the future! My connection through Atlanta became too tight and they didn't blink an eye to change my flights (including the destination airport b/c they did not have any afternoon flights and there was one to an airport 40 minutes away!!) Then I was bummed when the coupon came out since I had just changed but they changed my flight times again and this time I called and cancelled. Then went through Kayak booked my flights and seats using the coupons and saved $100!!

Which might come in handy since I booked my hubby though Travelocity on the flight and after a week of going back and forth with them - they still can't seem to get the flights straight (even after agreeing to make the change!!!)

I have learned very valuable lessons .... always book direct with the airline and always book with Airtran!!

 

[kstategrad]

I've never flown with AirTran before, so I am very happy to hear that they are so good!

What I wish I'd known though, was that I could book through Kayak to save those Seat choice fees. I know, I sound cheap, but $24 is $24, KWIM?

I am just happy to have 4 round-trip tickets for under $500, and it's thanks to all the nice people on this board who pointed me in the right direction.

Again, thanks, fellow DISers!!

 

[msmayor]

When you post on a forum, you're going to get all types of responses. The initial poster doesn't get to control what's said. But in the specific post at issue, you didn't get an opinion. You got a sensible response that included the poster's typical procedure.

Airlines LOSE money on the nonrefundable fares most of us pay. You feel the fee is ridiculous. The business owner/service provider does not agree. Odds are (opinion alert!) that even paying the change fee, the ultimate price of the tickets in question is less than the cost of four refundable tickets for the same dates and itinerary.

If we want to be able to make changes, we need to purchase the level of ticket that will allow said changes (or cancellations) at no additional cost to us. I'm guilty of it too. I may need to cancel my upcoming trip. Yes, I will lose money - but I chose to purchase the ticket type I did. I could have spent several hundred dollars more and been able to make any changes I want, up to cancelling my ticket - and get back every penny I paid.

To quote an off-price store: An educated consumer is our best customer. It's not the airline's responsibility to make exceptions because a customer thinks the fees are ridiculous.

Interesting you mention that...I did PRECISELY that last year when purchasing airfare to get my family to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise. The outbound fares on Southwest were decent, but the return fares were HIGH...the cheapest ticket was $225 just for the return! I knew I needed these tickets and didn't want to risk waiting to purchase them for a price drop, so I actually spent MORE (paid $269 each on the return) by using the Anytime Fare which provided actual refunds...not credits...when the fare goes down. I was convinced the fare would come down and didn't want credits to use as I knew we had no trips planned that would use them up.

I was rewarded a few months later when the fare came down to $170 per ticket, and was easily able to put $400 back into my bank account.

 

[AveryandLilysmom]

Oh boy, Northworst. I do have experience with this, unfortunately. I hate to say it, but you can pretty much expect you'll have to pay the fee. Northwest is very, very inflexible.

I am originally from MI, very familiar with Northworst (as they are called). Last year I booked my parents on a flight from Detroit to Orlando. Their own fault, after I booked the flight my parents said they'd like to go one day earlier. Northwest was going to charge $100 for each ticket, just to change the departure flight segment by one day ahead. Had they tried to change the departure flight too, that would have meant another $100 fee for each ticket. And I need to explain, that doesn't even include any pricing increase if the new ticket is more expensive, that was purely just for the "convenience" of changing the ticket.

I spoke with 4 different individuals, kept getting different answers (go figure) and kept calling until I got someone who (1) wasn't rude (which with Northwest isn't the easiest) and (2) actually explained fees to cancel the ticket vs changing the ticket. In the end the cheapest thing to do was cancel the ticket. They still had to pay $100 each ticket for cancelling and then re-booking (like I said, inflexible about this), but the remainder of the money was applied to the new reservation (and even credited since the new flight segment to Orlando was actually cheaper that the original fare).

SO, like the other post said, keep calling until you get someone who will be willing to tell you honestly what your cheapest option is with paying the fees. It probably will mean paying the fee and re-booking an entirely new reservation.

Just my opinion, I don't know where you live, or your flight options from your closest airport, but if you can fly SW from wherever you are, chances are you'd be better off cancelling that ticket and re-booking with SW, especially if there is any chance your plans may change again (lest you want to pay Northworst AGAIN for your convenience!). Best of luck!

 

[kstategrad]

Thanks. We live in the suburbs of Memphis, so Southwest is unfortunately not an option. Memphis is a Northwest hub city, so it's usually the cheapest. We've flown Northwest several times before and have never had to change a ticket, so I honestly did not know what was involved if we would have to make any changes.

We went ahead and booked new flights with AirTran, for less than what Northwest wanted to charge us to change our flights.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Northwest's customer service department (I contacted them via email last night before I booked the AirTran flights).

At this point, we are probably just going to keep the November Northwest tickets, but we can't stay in FL for 11 days in both September and November. We're thinking we'll just use one leg of the November fare to get us to FL, and then stay for a few days and take a rental car back home. I know this means that we won't be using the second leg of our tickets, but like I said, we can't stay in FL for another 11 days so close together. If we don't fly back down there in November, we're out almost $1000 that we spent on the tickets.

NorthWORST, that's funny!

 

[mommy*RN]

I've never flown with AirTran before, so I am very happy to hear that they are so good!

What I wish I'd known though, was that I could book through Kayak to save those Seat choice fees. I know, I sound cheap, but $24 is $24, KWIM?

I am just happy to have 4 round-trip tickets for under $500, and it's thanks to all the nice people on this board who pointed me in the right direction.

Again, thanks, fellow DISers!!

Watch your flight times! If they change, call to see if they will cancel and then jump on Kayak to re-book the fares with the free seat picks. Chances are high that they will change...so you may still get your $24 back!

 

[msmayor]

I've never flown with AirTran before, so I am very happy to hear that they are so good!

What I wish I'd known though, was that I could book through Kayak to save those Seat choice fees. I know, I sound cheap, but $24 is $24, KWIM?

I am just happy to have 4 round-trip tickets for under $500, and it's thanks to all the nice people on this board who pointed me in the right direction.

Again, thanks, fellow DISers!!

Well, I guess that's one way of looking at it. You actually have 8 tickets...4 of which you've already sunk cost into and will only benefit from if you spend MORE money on another trip (lodging/meals/etc.). If you end up not using those tickets as it, you'll either forfeit what you paid OR still have to pay $600 to change them to another date that will work.

Either way, you're out more money.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Either way, you're out more money.

Plus the additional cost of the second vacation. It just seems it would have been more reasonable to pay the extra money - the $319 - to Northwest originally, to change the tickets to September. So it means the tickets would have cost $80 more each than they did when they were first purchased. That's a LOT less expensive than two trips, no?

 

[kstategrad]

Plus the additional cost of the second vacation. It just seems it would have been more reasonable to pay the extra money - the $319 - to Northwest originally, to change the tickets to September. So it means the tickets would have cost $80 more each than they did when they were first purchased. That's a LOT less expensive than two trips, no?

Believe me, I wish I'd paid the $319 when I saw it, but I couldn't b/c I did not have confirmation from my TA that my vacation package had been changed. By the time my TA got back in touch with me, the price had gone up to $671. Hoping it would go back down, I kept checking, only to see it keep going up.

I did not want to take the chance that the change fee would keep going up, so it was necessary to look for new flights. Spending the $466 was LESS than paying $150 per ticket to Northwest to change the tickets I had from them since I have no guarantee (and don't know the likelihood of) the ticket prices will go down again enough to make my change fee under $600.

So, yes, I have two sets of tickets right now, but I choose to look at it as having two sets of tickets for less than it would have cost me to have ONE set of tickets for the correct date.

 

[kstategrad]

Watch your flight times! If they change, call to see if they will cancel and then jump on Kayak to re-book the fares with the free seat picks. Chances are high that they will change...so you may still get your $24 back!

Thanks for the tip!

 

[averysmom]

NW changed our 5:30 PM flight to a 7:00 AM flight back in December - with no notice... I printed out a receipt of our return flight when we checked in for our departure and that is when we found out.

We went right to the desk and explained that we were losing an entire day of our vacation, that we had plans that day, etc., etc. and they said they could do nothing. Called NW on our cell phone for over an hour - nothing.

It came down to if we wanted to fly home - then that was the flight we'd have to take.

I'm STILL mad about it!!!

 

[crashbb]

Watch your flight times! If they change, call to see if they will cancel and then jump on Kayak to re-book the fares with the free seat picks. Chances are high that they will change...so you may still get your $24 back!

Unless (as is likely) the fares have gone up by more than $6 each. In which case, she'll lose money.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I did not want to take the chance that the change fee would keep going up, so it was necessary to look for new flights. Spending the $466 was LESS than paying $150 per ticket to Northwest to change the tickets I had from them since I have no guarantee (and don't know the likelihood of) the ticket prices will go down again enough to make my change fee under $600.

The fee does not change. It is $150 per ticket. Your cancellation* fee will never be under $600 for four tickets.
The price of the different tickets changes.
At least one poster pointed out earlier in this thread that Delta/Northwest had been having a fare sale that ended at midnight last Friday. When you checked the cost then, the new* tickets you wanted were each $70 less than the tickets you hold.
The next time you checked, the tickets you want were each $17.75 more than the tickets you hold. The last time you checked, enough tickets had been sold at that price to cause your price check to result in the next lowest price available for four tickets, or by $150 each.

IMO - it would have been sensible to first contact the airline about the conditions involved when cancelling/rebooking, then contact the travel agent about changing the trip dates.

*The charge IS for cancelling a nonrefundable ticket - because that's what the passenger is doing. That ticket needs to be cancelled, and a new one purchased. That's why passengers who purchase nonrefundable tickets are required to pay both the cancellation fee and any additional ticket price.

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's the thing...every single airline makes changes to their schedules..with the possible exception of SW...at least domestically. And if you book a non-refundable fare, you need to understand that it is 'non-refundable'. You did not buy a particular seat, on a particular flight, at a particular time. You bought a ride to your destination on that particular date. Everyone who travels needs to know what they are buying. Every airline has it's rules written out...but most travelers don't bother to read those rules.
For the flight time changes that the OP wrote about, there wasn't enough of a change for most airlines to make any concessions for...it is usually a change of 2+ hrs or so, and even then they don't 'have' to give you anything.
So, add to that, the fact that the OP wanted to not only change her flights, but change them to a completely different month and you can perhaps see why the airline didn't want to make those changes...that's why it's a non-refundable fare. It's cheaper, so you take your chances...you certainly shouldn't expect an airline to make changes to a different month when you try to say that the changes, by less than 2hrs. don't work for you.
I am not arguing with the OP, I am not trying to be insulting or 'flaming'. In fact, I have yet to see anyone being particularly nasty here. Most here realize how the system works.
I have made the above statements simply to educate others in how the system works...knowledgable travelers are the happiest travelers. Yes, those fees are high...but they are written on each airlines site...you should realize what you are getting into before buying airfare. You need to educate yourself on what the possiblilities could be.
No one should book non-refundable flights with any expectation of being able to make any changes to those flights free of charge. When you book, you need to understand that the times can change..and if those changes are within a few hours of your original flight times, then you are pretty much stuck with them. Most airlines will allow you to make changes to different times/flights, if the change is over a few hours, free of charge.

When I flew to Ft. Lauderdale last Dec (day after Christmas), I flew SW and booked fully refundable fares. Why? Because I just wasn't sure if things were going to work out. That way, if something changed, I could get my money back. Each fare was close to $700 each...we had three traveling. It wasn't cheap. But, when I knew things were firmed up, I was able to find a non-refundable fare, for our return flight, that saved us about $600. I was able to call SW and get the original flight home canceled, the new cheaper flight home booked and a credit to my credit card issued. It was all very easy to do. But, I had planned ahead and paid a ton of money to be able to make those changes down the road...just in case.

So...again..this isn't meant to be taken as insulting, or flaming. Nothing could be further from my intention. The thing we have to remember is this...this is a public forum. Yes, we need to feel that we can come here and vent and post of our experiences. And we need to feel that we won't be insulted or 'flamed' in the process. And I, personally, don't see that happening here. That is the job of the moderators. We try to keep things on an evel keel here. But people have to understand...if someone sees something posted, even just a venting post, they will post about the 'could have, should have' scenarios. And as long as they are polite they will be allowed. Just because someone disagrees with what someone else says, it is not going to be deleted as 'rude'. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and viewpoint..as long as it is stated in a polite manner, it's okay. Everyone needs to expect their post could be disagreed with and realize that it's going to be okay.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I wanted to quickly weigh in here - I am somewhat new to the Transportation board but I will have to say that I think the frustration that comes in with this board is that no matter what question is asked there are always people who come on and say rules are rules, or you knew what you were getting into or insisting that you are cheap if you don't do this or do that.

Usually when people post, they are aware of the rules, but are asking what the leeway is...as we all know the travel industry is absolutley a YMMV type of situation. Telling someone, that's what you signed up for so deal with it (sometimes that blunt, other times not so much) is not helpful. The OP came on here and asked a question and actually found a solution that worked for her. Had she gotten that solution without the posts of reminding her of the rules (which IMO were somewhat condescending) then I think she would have been much happier. I guess I personally don't understand the constant desire of some to always remind people of the rules or to act as the morality police. I often see posts on this board where people have the same gripe, so I do believe it is an issue. And usually the opinion isn't just posted once but over and over in the thread. It seems like there are times that people thrive on disagreeing and pointing out that mistakes the OP made. Typically the OP is aware of their mistakes and don't need to be scolded about it. It doesn't just happen here but I do think it happens a lot more on this board than others.

Maybe a way to get around that would be to set up FAQ posts for each airline and when someone wants to post what the rules are they can simply refer the OP to the appropriate thread and then those who have info that can help that particular poster then they can post that.