Change of plans? Too bad
Question: I recently booked a multi-city trip through Orbitz first from Chicago to Fayetteville, Ark., and then on to Washington. Unfortunately, my plans changed and I wasn’t able to leave Fayetteville until two days after my original departure date.
I contacted Orbitz by phone to change my second flight, which was on Northwest Airlines. After being on hold for two hours, I was told that my itinerary “wouldn’t be released” by United Airlines, the carrier I had flown from Chicago to Fayetteville, because I had already used the first part of my ticket. United would allow a change, but only if I took another United flight.
But United couldn’t get me to Washington on time. I needed to be on the earlier Northwest Airlines flight. In the end, I had to pay for a second ticket on Northwest, which cost $665.
I’ve used Orbitz many times and have never encountered a problem with an airline holding my reservation. I feel strongly that I, as an Orbitz customer, should not be penalized for a problem the airlines have with each other. I’d like to get my $665 back. Can you help?
– John Knapp, Minneapolis
Answer: You should have been able to change your flight after paying a change fee and any fare differential. And when you couldn’t, your online agent should have stepped in to help — even if it meant finding you a new ticket.
I’ve checked with both United and Orbitz to see what went wrong. When I contacted United, it said it had never heard of a reservation being “held” in the way you describe. But between what Orbitz was telling you and what United and Northwest were telling Orbitz, it’s hard to know exactly what was going on.
You did the right thing by contacting Orbitz. The company Web site promises unrivaled service with a “seasoned customer care team” that monitors everything from air traffic to weather data to ensure you’ll have a pleasant trip. Putting people on hold for two hours probably isn’t something Orbitz would want to be known for.
It’s a little ironic that United and Northwest are two of the airlines that started Orbitz in 1999 (they no longer own the online agency). You would think that they could have worked out their differences on this one.
A call to United probably wouldn’t have hurt, but in the end, I think it was up to Orbitz to resolve this problem. And when I contacted Orbitz on your behalf, that’s exactly what it did.
“Ultimately, as the customer’s agents, the buck stops with us,” said Brian Hoyt, a company spokesman. “We could have done more to improve the level of service this customer received and we apologize to Mr. Knapp for this gaffe in service.”
Hoyt said there were “multiple steps” along the way — from the customer to the airline - that could have been improved, and that Orbitz is working to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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