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“We were floored”

August 4, 2008

At a time when passengers expect their airline to charge for anything that isn’t bolted down, hearing about one that doesn’t is a “man bites dog” story that can give the rest of us hope.

But here’s one from reader Andrew Calvo, who recently booked tickets on United Airlines’ Web site.

Yes, United Airlines.

It all started when a friend tried to buy tickets from Newark to Frankfurt, but ended up with the wrong dates. Calvo didn’t notice the error until he received an email confirmation.

The rules on ticket changes are pretty onerous and well-enforced at United, as they are at all of the major airlines. It is a less well-known fact that reservations can be canceled within 24 hours.

So you can imagine Calvo’s surprise when he tried to fix the problem.

We immediately got on the phone with United, and explained to them that we accidentally booked Friday instead of Sunday, and just realized it.

Fully expecting a cancellation fee, change fee – pretty much everything they can throw at us, the rep said, “Not a problem, I’ve canceled your entire reservation, and you will receive a full refund on your credit card. Just go back to United.com and re-book the correct date.”

Calvo couldn’t believe it.

We were floored. Not only did they not give us trouble for canceling the reservation, they didn’t charge us a penny for the cancellation, and we received a 100 percent refund on the flight!

I honestly didn’t know it was possible that airlines would actually do the right thing for a change. I just wish I could say it’s a sign of things to come, but unfortunately, I doubt it is.

He’s probably right, but I hope he isn’t. I would love to see some compassion returned to the ticketing process instead of these “gotcha” rules that leave many passengers with worthless vouchers.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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8 comments

  • Drew

    One of the little known rules in airlines (and I’ve had to do this twice now) is that you actually do have 24 hours to make cancellations without penalty… I’ve done it on United and USAirways in the past, primarily because I’ve made plans for a business trip and then, later that day, the trip has changed. Both times, I’ve been able to cancel my reservations without a charge… Sometimes, things DO work in your favor.

  • Joe Farrell

    Yep – free look for 24 hours – same as they’ll hold your ticket at the same price for 24 even if the fine print states that prices subject to change until ticketed.

  • David
  • Marcy

    I had a similar experience with American Airlines a few months ago. I booked two coach RT tickets to Guatemala (at a very low price) on AA’s Web site, only to realize about a day later that I needed to return on a different date. I called AA customer service and they were very nice and accommodating. The agent changed my reservation with zero hassle or additional charges.

  • http://www.sanmateorealestatenews.com Lenore Wilkas

    I discovered this a couple of months ago when I booked, using miles, and the computer changed my ticket on me. I had been watching for weeks and was ready to reserve a SFO/OGG trip. The problems had been with the outbound flight and when I finally saw it available from SFO, I clicked on the make reservation button. Imagine my surprise when all wa completed and they’d done that SFO to OGG but 3 days later than I had input. Called them. The cancelled the trip and returned the miles and I tried once again but gave up on leaving on a non-stop and had to route through SFO-LAX-OGG on the outbound. You really do have to watch them closely because they are playing games at all hours. At least they’re willing to correct their mistake, that is if you notice it immediately.

  • Joel

    “At a time when passengers expect their airline to charge for anything that isn’t bolted down”: this made me laugh, especially with United losing a row of seats that wasn’t bolted down: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008090782_webunited04m.html

  • kenish

    A ticket is a document that binds both parties to the Contract of Carriage, correct? Most states have a 1-2 business day recission or “buyers remorse” period for contracts. Are the airlines violating this by only allowing a 24 clock hour period? Someone with legal expertise, please comment.

  • Bill Rowell

    oh yeah, it’s a travel fact, but sometimes you’ve got to help them out. I travel A LOT (250,000 miles a year) and my former travel agent (I LOVE Horizons Unlimited) had mentioned over the phone while changing yet another of my flights, about the “24 hour Void” policy. Later in life I ran into the “oops, I know you were going home (Knoxville to Dothan, AL), but could you ‘Stop off’ in Anaheim and fix a customer’s problem?” from my boss. I was on the phone in seconds talking to my Airlines Platinum line and was informed of the $75 – $100 – $125 – whatever charge and I asked “even if it was booked yesterday?” after many seconds of silence I hear “Ohhhhh, Yeahhhhh, no charge” If I wouldn’t have asked, that charge was going through. It’s happened a couple of times, and goes to prove that knowledge, and a pleasant attitude CAN be worth something….

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