This can't be happening - unbelievable!!!

[one_cat]

I bought our airline tickets to wdw 3 months ago on US Air. They have changed our itinerary 3 times so far. The last I was mad about because they want us to fly through Philadelphia rather than Charlotte which will add 2 hours to our flight. But this is the last straw. They have changed the days. Our original tickets - coinciding with our ressies at wdw were May 2 through May 9. They changed our flights to May 3 through May 10. I am now trying to reach them to fix it. What a &^*(&#$*(&#*($ mess!!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Iagree, one_cat, that is really a bummer. A few hours, one way or the other, is acceptable, a whole day surely would have me calling also. Good luck.

 

[Liz]

Can they do that? Just change your dates? I hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction. What a mess!

 

[adamak]

I'm sorry. But that's precisely the same reason why I will NEVER fly US Air ever again. They did it to me once on our family reunion in WDW. They switched some of us to a late flight out and an early flight in. Then changed mine to a different date WITHOUT notifying me. I only called them after knowing that they had switched the other party. It's ridiculous. And don't think this is abnormal. That's their tactic to save money. I truly believe they have phantom flights that never get off the ground.

US Air has no customer service. Good luck. And please yell at them / their manager to straighten things out.

 

[DonnaS]

United did this to us a year ago last December with our flight to Europe. We ended up having to cancel our trip because it made it too short.

 

[RitaZ.]

I was just going to ask the same thing, I didn't know they could do that... If you bought your tickets for May 2, it means that you need/want to fly on that date, not the following day.

Good luck!

 

[Claudia1]

That is totally unacceptable! I would insist that they give you flights on another airline for the same dates and similiar to the origianl times.

BTW, I have gone a few rounds with the airlines and have learned that anger slams doors shut very quickly. Persist, firm, respectful, but victimized gets you farther. I'm not talking about manipulation here but effective communication. You are a victim of their schedules. They will not pay your wages for an extra day off or pick up the tab for messing with your ressies. You did you part by making the reservations and providing proper payment. They need to understand that you cannot change your plans by a whole day without some major compensation or change. I don't like their voucher system for compensation, either. They usually give you a large amount (we once had $750/person) but give it to you in smaller voucher amounts and the vouchers cannot be combined. Using 3 - $250 vouchers is vastly differently than having $750 to use all at once. That's 3 trips instead of one big one. They also expire in 1 year.

'nuff said. I don't like dealing withb the airlines, either.

 

[kylara]

I thought if the airline changed your flight, they had to offer you a refund or book you on another airline. You might want to look into the regulations regarding this before you call so that you will know your rights.

 

[Towncrier]

I believe that kylara is right. You are entitled to a full refund of your ticket. They will try to talk you into rebooking. Unless they offer you a better deal, I would take the refund and look elsewhere. Good luck.

 

[DonnaS]

I was able to get a full refund without problem.

 

[WillyJ]

Totally unacceptable!!!

I agree with John- get your money back and go to another airline; legal or not, that is inexcusable for them to jerk their customers around like that, and they don't deserve your business. .

Good luck with it!

 

[nativetxn]

How frustrating for you. I think I would ask for a refund and book my flight with another airline. Good luck with this.

 

[Snow White]

Wow! What a mess...that's just not right for them to do that to you! I hope you can get this cleared up quickly!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I too can NOT see how they can just change the dates like that!!! We learned our lesson last year when we tried to fly Delta to MCO. It was an early morning flight (5:30) that was to arrive at 10:30. We got there at 11 PM! That was 12 and a half hours late!!! Missed all our first day ressies. The other time we decided to go the "non-usualy airline", we did a charter with similar results. We have vowed to go with NW from now on! It is usually a few dollars more, but much more dependable in the long run!

 

[jfulcer]

For our December trip to WDW, I booked my family's Midwest Express flights months beforehand. They emailed me to say that our return flight was bumped up by 3 hours so I called them and told them it ruined a bunch of plans and asked them to rebook me on another flight the next day.

They rebooked me without question the next day, extending my vacation another day. It just broke our hearts to have to stay in WDW an extra day. That's also why I'm happy with Midwest Express. Great, flexible customer service.

 

[minnieandmickey]

Well I guess I'll add US Air to my list of airlines that I won't fly on anymore.
America West(not only changed our flight but changed the airport we flew out of which was 5 min away and went to 45 min away)

Frontier Airlines (cancelled our flight and had to go on standby on another airline and didn't get any comp for it)

Horizon/Alaska (actually this is because they cancelled my DS step kids flight and they had to fly out the next day at an airport that was 6 hours away with no comp so far)


I think I'll stay with Southwest for now on, so far they have been the best.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

The problem with the getting your money back route is that you may have missed the window to be able to book another flight at a decent price, especially if you booked far ahead of time. Do a search on the net, Orbitz and Expedia are good and make sure you can book something reasonably first!

 

[Mamu]

Are you using sky-miles because I have never had this happen. I thought once you booked and paid they could not change you flights.

We always fly Southwest to Florida the flight leaves the time it scheduled and returns on time unless there is a weather problem.

I do not think I would be patient. I would totally lose it. I'm the kind of person who is always prepared and on time.

Good Luck with the airline. Sending Pixie Dust that this can and will be straightened out.

 

[jipsy]

Wow. I have flown alot, and I have NEVER had that happen. I agree with the others, arm yourself with your information on your rights, and as Alex said, make sure you can get a new flight at a reasonable price before asking for a refund.

 

[scarlett873]

Originally posted by Mamu
Are you using sky-miles because I have never had this happen. I thought once you booked and paid they could not change you flights.

the airlines do reserve the right for schedule changes, but they are to notify you in a decent amount of time just in case it doesn't work with your schedule. they are always updating their schedules by minutes or sometimes hours. i used to be a travel agent so i had to deal with this all the time. you can call the airlines and reschedule another flight on the same carrier or you can try for a refund due to an unacceptable schedule change assuming that they can't get you back onto another flight. it's a possibility that the original flight has been discontinued and they just chose something with similar times, it just ended up being a different day. but i would double check on other available flights with different carriers before you demanded a refund...just in case... one thing i have learned is don't get angry and snippy over the phone with them. they won't budge if you do that. if you don't like the answers that you are getting with the airline agent ask to speak to a supervisor. and if all else fails, sometimes you can get more accomplished in person. if you live near the airport or a ticketing office (not a travel agency), they may be easier to deal with. sending lots of pixie dust your way!!!!! let us know how this turns out...


brandie