US Rebooking Fees - Fair?

[OnMedic]

We booked a US Air flight from LV to Orange County about 6 weeks ago. Our travel plans have changed and we are now staying in LV for the entire week and have booked RT BUF-LAS for $109 plus TX.

When I went to cancel the US Air, I was told we would get a voucher/credit ticket to use, but it would incur a $100.00 cgange/rebooking fee. The original flight was only $49.00. So I will pay an extra $50.00 to use this?

I can understand not refunding, but to slight customers like this? This is nt much of a customer focusis it? There are many others out there I will intend to fly with before US Air Again!

Cheers

 

[CarolA]

Let's see, you got a $50 airfare (which USAir is losing money on) which was NON refundable and NON changeable and now you are upset that the airline want's to charge you to do these things. Personally the FAIR thing to do would be to require that if you book NON refundable tickets you fly those flights with no changes. This is the deal you made for the $50 fare.

The airlines are bleeding red ink and these Fees are actually one of the few profit centers.

If you don't like them you have some options, but not many (SW maybe JetBlue) ALl of the others charge at least some fee. I think DL and AA charge $50 (which means you would still be stuck!)

 

[Lewisc]

Most airlines offer fully refundable fares to accomodate passengers who need flexibility. Most of us book restricted tickets. We trade off flexibility in exchange for lower fares. A few airlines like SW give full credit, most have a change fee.

It's not the airlines fault you didn't check first.

 

[NancyIL]

Obviously, if the fee to cancel or change the tickets is more than what you paid, you just eat the cost of the cheap tickets.

By the way, American Airlines also charges $100 per ticket to make any changes.

 

[OnMedic]

Even 4 months in advance? Maybe there should be different windows that you receive less credit. The $49.00 is the standard fee regardless of which airline for this short hopper. Was not a deal or a special.

 

[CarolA]

If it was not a "Deal" it would have been a full fare ticket.
Full fare tickets do not require you to pay a change fee. So even if you didn't realize it, you were booking a "sale' type fare. I just priced this route at "full fare" Fare is $130. For that price I can change anything at any time. (USAir also shows fares up to$512 for this routing!)

 

[DebbieB]

$100 has been USAirways' change fee for years. So it's not like they changed it after you bought the ticket. Some airlines only charge $50 but either way you would be out of the money. It's not a question of fair, that's the terms you bought the ticket under. I ate a $250 ticket for my niece last year, she could not go within the year and the money was lost, only she could use the credit, it could not be transferred to another person. So after that, I bought ticket insurance.

 

[treloarf]

You can fly Southwest & not pay a change fee. I think that is why USAir and alot of these big airlines are in the situation they are in - they're not flexible & they charge the business flyer outrageous fees - for Southwest - I am so glad they came to Pgh.!!!

I had been so loyal to USAir for years (because all my neighbors worked for them - USE TO work for them). But I just booked SW for Easter & have already changed & was not charged a change fee.

 

[bicker]

No, it's not that, really. What caused the major airlines such trouble is their heavy debt-load, from having to pay into pension funds, maintenance on older aircraft, and their higher labor costs as their employees gained more and more seniority. That's why it is believed that through bankruptcy, many of these airlines can emerge as healthy strong airlines: They're either having the debt forgiven, having their pension funds taken on by the taxpayers, abandoning leases on expensive-to-operate aircraft, and basically ripping the seniority system to shreds. All to give us $50 airfares!

 

[Letsbgoofy]

OnMedic,

It's not USAirways alone that has the change fees. As much as we might not like the fees, they are made clear when you purchase a discounted ticket and you have to live with it. If there were no fees, people would book as far out as possible and continue to change or cancel their reservations as their plans changed. It's already hard enough to get someone on the phone at the airlines - imagine the wait if everyone were changing their plans!

 

[snowbunny]

That's why it is believed that through bankruptcy, many of these airlines can emerge as healthy strong airlines: They're either having the debt forgiven, having their pension funds taken on by the taxpayers, abandoning leases on expensive-to-operate aircraft, and basically ripping the seniority system to shreds. All to give us $50 airfares!

With the side benefit for all corporations of helping to change the perception that a decent pension for a lifetime of service and health insurance are not basic necessities, they're luxury perks that no reasonable person should expect. Making the $50 airfare a neccessity unto itself...

 

[bicker]

An unsustainable necessity, for a luxury item like vacation travel, is no necessity at all.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

You should have learned a lesson from this and that is to read the ticket restrictions BEFORE you purchase them. Practically every airline has some change fee for nonrefundable (i.e. very cheap) tickets. You either pay NOW or pay later. That's the price we all pay when the public demands incredibly cheap airline tickets.