carzygirls

So the latest with Continental is to charge $150 to change your airline after you purchase a ticket. It could be 6 months in advance or 1 day, doesn't matter, $150 to change flight to different day.

In my mind it is simply a means to piss the customer off and charge more money but to them... the reasoning... they booked your air space and that air space could have been sold to somebody else so they are out that money if they switch.

So ok... they may not be able to sell that seat again so they charge $150.

So why then... if you book a round trip ticket and decide not to take the first leg they immediately cancel your return flight??

My scenerio is my GF had round trip from newark to miami and then back... We decided after to take a quick trip to Cabo first instead so I booked all our tickets to Cabo then Miami and was going to use her return ticket to come back from Miami...

WRONG...

Ticket cancelled because first flight was a no show. So they sold her seat to somebody else and kept her money anyway.

So now we are at the airport trying to get her a flight from Miami to Newark and all we were told was to call 1-800-fuckmecontintental to work something out.

Well... on hold for HOURS... not minutes... HOURS. Apparently, instead of just making it right at the gate they now tell all customers to dial the airlines 1-800 number and of course, everybody does, so you can't get through. If you do they tell you they can't do shit.

Took 4 hours of off and on the phone at the airport to finally get a fucking ticket and had to first, get her cancelled ticket by the airline active again and then pay $150 to make the change in flight.

Totall bullshit, it never used to be like that. I'm not even talking about the snacks, pillows, and blankets that were pulled...

tical

I hate when they do that. I try to fly southwest since they don't have change fees but most airlines dick you on that.

One way tickets might be better next time.

MetaMan

Um im pretty sure within the USA it is $150 to even change your flight WITHIN the same airline. pretty nuts, happened to me before.

David!

Most airlines used to allow last minute stand by, so you could try your luck and not pay a change fee, now no more.

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blackmonsters

I've paid it before but considered that was better than them telling me to buy
another ticket at full price since they couldn't resell the seat I canceled.

Kind of reminds me of when I was looking for a roommate.
I found one and he paid the full month then his other buddy got a better
place and he moved out of mine after two weeks and asked if he could get
two weeks rent back.



Uhhhhhh, no.

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carzygirls

It is... but that wasn't the only issue. Problem is they cancelled her return flight already paid for because first leg of flight was a no show. So they likely did sell the seat just the same and it took 4 hours to finally get her ticket open so ticket counter could then book another flight and charge the $150.

My post has a couple points all of which fuck the customer...

TidalWave

American Airlines charged me a $150 change fee to UPGRADE TO FIRST CLASS.

Stupid motherfuckers... I was like, IM UPGRADING!!!!!

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The Heron

Should have called BEFORE, then it would have been easier.

96ukssob

$150 is not something new, they have been doing it for a while. But not only is it $150 but also the change in the fair. Ive had this happen to me where it was cheaper just to buy a whole new ticket.

Most tickets they sell, they lose money on (based on average seat value). Most income from the flight is from freight, food and people buying last minute tickets and business/first class. For any airline to keep getting passengers, they have to stay competitive by lowering prices, so maybe they lower the cost by $5 RT and then they know at least 2 people on that flight will change their flight and they end up making $10.

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MrMaxwell

Airlines are a terrible business
Terrible
Never invest in airlines

It's a horrible bitch trying to stay profitable

AdultKing

The phrase is "captive market", they charge it because they can.

carzygirls

If you have a ticket for a plane, do you call ahead and make sure you still have that ticket?

"Excuse me, i'm just making sure my ticket didn't get given to anybody and that the money I spent actually still reserves me on my flight for today?".... end ass fucked customer call

Adraco

A ticket booked as a round trip ticket is more often than not cheaper for the individual legs. It's been a real problem to the US airlines, because many times you could book a round trip ticket cheaper than a one way, so seasoned airtravellers did that and never showed up for the first leg or just flew the first part and then never returned. I've done so myself plenty of times, just because it saved me money compared to only buy the single one way which I really only needed.

It is in the terms and services agreement, that you are to call ahead and check the flight is on time and the reservation is still valid around 24 hours before the flight is scheduled. Not that many people do that, but they stick it in there just to be able to dick with you if you haven't and then something happens to your flight. And at winter time and so with many cancelled flights, it prevents people from coming to an already crowded airport only to be delayed for many, many hours.

They also need to charge $150 to change a flight to get rid of all the low lifes trying to change everything, every time. People used to buy/reserve tickets months ahead only to then suddleny "change" them with very short notice to the next available flight today. It caused the airline to have to do lots of changes and it caused troubles with their internal capacity planning. The slimmer they needed to trim their organization, the less they need trouble makers who can't plan and just want to change all the time. So they charge a fee which will prevent any "funny changes" and more or less only those who really need to change will do it. So it's not really a fee based on actual costs, it's more of a prevention fee, to prevent and deter people from wanting all kinds of crazy changes over and over again. Plus you can usually book a full fare ticket, in economy I think they are known as Y class tickets, and at full fare price, they usually include one change for free. But in any kind of discounted or deal ticket, they don't want trouble makers and thus charge a prevention fee, because they know they have something which you want or need.

If you are a no show on the first part of the trip, it is again in the terms and services agreement that they are then within their rights to cancel the whole trip. Because for the most part, it doesn't make sense to keep a spot open for you on a return flight when you didn't travel out in the first place. They need to fill their planes and it doesn't make sense to gamble on someone who's already shown to be a "loser" for them (leaving an empty seat, thus resulting in a loss of revenue) it is much better odds to free up the seat and hope someone will take it as a last minute ticket or something. Then at least they have a chance of selling it.

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suesheboy

Insane with and adracos logic is flawed.

If I pay rent for 2 months and don't show up the first, I shouldn't be evicted AND they keep my rent. A no show is still a paid leg which you lost. You not being on the plane means less weight and a lower cost to fly.

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carzygirls

Yeah, I don't buy the logic either.

- It is cheaper to buy a round trip then two 1-ways but it is not cheaper to buy roundtrip as opposed to one 1-way.

- Also, it takes about 1 minute for a teller to change a flight.

- But the point about not showing up is total bullshit, the ticket was paid for, both ways. I can do what I please with those tickets. Continental can

Paul Markham

Yes and some here don't see that the extra charges are a way to stay profitable and keep the planes maintained.

Let's cut airlines profits. Who cares if a few planes fall out of the sky.

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carzygirls

There's something to be said for customer service

Cancelling your ticket, making you call 1 800 number at the airport and on hold for hours, etc.

It's bad business...

Contintental could say, we charge $50 dollars more per ticket because we maintain our planes better, provide you snacks, and offer you a blanket and pillow and they would be much more profitable with better customer service. Oh yeah... we don't ass fuck you with cancelling your flight, charging obscene prices to simply change your flight, and we actually care about our customers.

Don't you think that would be much better in the long run? Think about it... $50 each passenger rather then $150+ for the few that need changes. Things happen, plans change, and accommodating those changes ain't that hard

blackmonsters

I think the only logic they used is that probably 99% of people who miss the
flight out don't need a flight back in.

So they resell 99 seats and only piss off one guy.

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borked

They resell the tickets in any case...
Iberia (Spanish national airline) is I'm told the absolute worst for that. And my one and only ever time I ever flew with them they overbooked the flight: I arrived 1h15' before departure - 15' within their 'recommended' 1 hr check in time for a flight from spain to france only to find there were no more seats - this is on my return leg. They had oversold the flight and all the others (bar me and 2 others) all had checked in. Physically no space left. The Spanish guy I was with (who lived in Madrid) told me everyone checks in 'on-line' so maybe there is a check in but a no show. The check in dolly told me the same - go to the gate, wait until everyone's boarded and maybe there'll be a seat left.

I did that, but found out I wasn't the only one. There were two others in the same boat as me - both coming back on their return journey. Anyway, got no flight, was offered the next one (the last of the evening), 2 hours later and offered a full reimbursement (after much howling by me and one of the other 2) of the maximum tariff for that flight (not what we paid), which amounted to ?550 in cash, dinner provided by them with Champagne and then a bottle of champagne on the flight after we bled it some more to the flight stewardesses.

In the end I met a great guy who lives only 30 mins from me, who we still see cos their kids are the same age as ours, who has a farm so great fun for the kids, a great dinner and arrived pissed as a fart on free champagne. And ?550 in cash better off, cos the ?250 ticket I had wasn't even paid by me, but a business-paid ticket.

So, although as disgusting as it is, that particular scenario played out really well for me. However, I'd *never* fly them again for that reason, cos next time, it could be the last flight of the evening, or I could have the kids, or it could be a connecting flight bleh - it's just disgusting that they are allowed to do that, within the rules of aviation. The world over.

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Paul Markham

Maybe you should apply to them for a job as MD.



Airlines flying planes at 6,000 feet or what ever they fly at should be profitable. It;s like complaining about security checks, it's to keep you safe. Yes they need to be checked to make sure they keep the planes to a high standard, but it costs money.

People will go for a plane fare $50 cheaper all the time.

Keeping you hanging on is because they don't have tons of staff answering the phone, because tons of staff costs money.

The World went for cheap flights decades ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-cost_carrier#History

Because customers demanded it.

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fuzebox

I thought the fact that airlines will cancel the rest of your itinerary if you miss a leg was common knowledge.

You can either book a more flexible fare, get flight insurance, or build an elite status high enough for them to waive change fees. There are solutions if you play the game right.

blackmonsters

That's some really shitty planes you've been flying on.

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carzygirls

Airlines fly at around 30,000. 6,000 you would slam right into the bottom of the rocky mountains

Cheaper airfare was back then, this is now. What I am saying is times have changed, customer service you used to get at the airport to make sure your taken care of is piss poor now. They tell all customers to call a number which inevitably is always busy.

I've flown for many years as most have, and I see an extreme drop in customer service, outlandish fees, etc. etc.

I didn't even mention the 2 tickets I bought for the 11th that I wanted to change to the 12 and just completely abandoned because it was better to just buy another ticket. My girlfriend bought a round trip ticket, I bought 2 1 way tickets rendered useless, then my GF bought me a ticket 1 way to match her roundtrip. Out of the 4 tickets only 1 ticket was valid when we tried to check in.

That may confuse you a little but none of that should have happened with decent customer service from the start, which, has deteriorated over the past couple years and hence my entire rant /

suesheboy

Allowing on line change for a $50 fee seems reasonable - no human interaction - no cost - just pure profit.

Anything above that is horse shit.

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JFK

An industry person booked his flight from Phoenix back to Toronto back in January. When he got to the gate, he got put on standy, because the flight was oversold. He lucked out at the last sec, because they booted some people off the plane, for bad paperwork or something. But its totally ridiculous, that they should be able to get away with shit like that

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