Taking the kids: When travel plans go awry
Dr. Abby Huang and her family were boarding a flight in Philadelphia when she got the call nobody wants to get, especially when they're heading off on vacation. It was Huang's brother calling to tell her that her elderly mother had died. Understandably shaken, she and her husband, Dr. Neil Fishman, quickly gathered up their two kids and their carry-on bags and went to tell the American Airlines agent that they wouldn't be boarding the flight. The agent wasn't especially sympathetic. Even though the flight was so overbooked that the airline was offering to compensate passengers for giving up their seats, the Huang-Fishman family was told they would have to pay $400 per person to rebook their flights to New Mexico. "We had no choice," Dr. Fishman said. Even worse, they couldn't retrieve their luggage and had to wait until it was returned the next day before they could leave for the funeral. (No longer must passengers be on board for their luggage to be sent to the destination, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Lara Uselding says.) Ultimately, their travel agent was able to get the fees reduced -- $100 per person -- and rebook them several days later, after the funeral. "We didn't want the kids to miss the entire vacation," Dr. Huang explained when we met at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort outside Albuquerque later that week. But I questioned why they should have had to pay any change fee at all in such a dire circumstance. According to Marita Hudson Thomas, spokesperson for CheapTickets, (www.cheaptickets.com), "Most airlines have bereavement policies that allow customers to change/cancel tickets without penalty. ... We will work diligently with our airline partners to help the customer and get them where they need to go." "Our normal change fee is $75, but we really try to look at each case on an individual basis," adds Judy Graham-Weaver, a spokesman for AirTran Airways. "But it is important for passengers to contact the airline BEFORE they are scheduled to fly. If it's after the fact, it's harder to help them." American Airlines recognizes that they should have done better and after they received my inquiry, they sent the Huang-Fishman family a nice note and a $400 voucher. The family didn't get cash back. The reality is that travel plans go awry every day for a variety reasons -- an elderly parent is hospitalized, there's an emergency at work, your son's ear infection prevents him from flying, your daughter breaks her ankle on the eve of your annual ski trip. Flights are delayed (30 percent of the time, according to recent government statistics), connections missed, and bags get lost (to the tune of 12,000 a day on domestic flights, reports the U.S. Department of Transportation.) And that doesn't even count plans derailed because of a fender bender on the way to the airport, long security lines (that happened to us in Phoenix), or a canceled flight that makes you miss the cruise ship. Savvy travelers know it's wise these days to figure in extra travel time wherever you're going, especially if you're planning a holiday trip. Before you book, check your options in case you have to change your plans. Southwest Airlines, for example, doesn't charge anything if you must change your flight, but will charge you the difference in fare. Jet Blue charges $35 for online changes plus the difference in fare and American Airlines charges $100. I recently ran into trouble when I booked a frequent flier flight for one of my kids' significant others -- and then they broke up. Luckily, the Jet Blue agent felt my pain. While I couldn't return the "miles" to my account, I was able to put the ticket in my name and then change the dates and even the destination for the change fee -- much better than losing an entire ticket. Thanks, Jet Blue! Next time, Dr. Fishman says, he'll buy travel insurance. That probably is a prudent move these days, as growing numbers of families are discovering. The insurer would have reimbursed the costs for changing their flights and hotels and assisted with the arrangements, said a spokesman for the U.S. Travel Insurance Association. The insurer could have tracked their luggage, too, said Dan McGinnnity, a vice president of AIG Travel Guard, (www.travelguard.com), a leading provider of travel insurance in the United States. Most important, travel insurance can cover out-of-pocket expenses and, if necessary, medical evacuation when someone gets sick or injured while traveling. TravelGuard has just initiated new plans that insure kids 17 and under for free. (Check www.insuremytrip.com or www.squaremouth.com to compare plans from different companies.) politely -- what the airline can do for you. The same is true when dealing with a hotel, cruise line or resort. Be prepared that they may not give you cash back, but may give you vouchers for another trip or a future stay. That's better than nothing.
Remember, you can always contact customer service for a refund later -- or your favorite columnist. |
