Alaska Airlines pays Ashley Cates $239 when she’s bumped from her flight. Then it stops payment on the check. Why? And is there anything she can do to get the money back?
From the category archives:
The Travel Troubleshooter
Ellie Capers’ 12th-grade class has plans to volunteer at a marine lab in Baja, Mexico, when the swine flu outbreak forces them to cancel their trip. Their airline offers them another option: a vacation in Las Vegas. Are they stuck with a trip to Sin City? Or did their airline fail to help them?
Joshua Smith’s fiancee spends an extra day in Athens after her airline forces her to recheck her luggage. Whose fault is this snafu? Her online agent’s? The airline’s? Or hers? And what, if anything, can be done about it?
After a death in the family, Art Wallace tries to cancel his pre-paid reservation at a Days Inn. No can do, he’s told. The rate is totally nonrefundable. Appeals to Days Inn are useless. Is Wallace going to lose the money?
First her flight is canceled. Then she misses another flight after her bus breaks down. Finally, Rebecca Canter decides to cancel her Australia tour. But her tour operator refuses her request for a refund. Can it do that?
Nallan Chari’s flight is canceled, but his online agency is dragging its feet on a refund. The reason? The airlines involved, including Continental Airlines and Jet Airways, haven’t sent the money to the agency yet. How much longer should Chari wait?
Julianna Lipschutz cancels her British Airways flight when her father falls ill. He eventually dies, and Lipschutz is left with the hope that the airline will refund her nonrefundable ticket. But a year later, there’s still no refund. Is the airline going to keep her money?
When Ed Boston books a two-star hotel in Flint, Mich., he expects a reliable property with minimal amenities — not the dump he ends up in. He asks his online travel agency if he can change hotels, and it says “no.” What now?
Question: I’ve been saving my Delta Air Lines frequent flier miles for many, many years to take my wife on a 20th anniversary trip this year. I received all of my statements by regular mail. A few months ago, I asked the airline for a PIN number so I could look at my account online, [...]
He books a refundable rate at the Holiday Inn, but when Harvey Kaplan’s hotel changes its name and his card is charged early, it refuses to adjust his rate to a cheaper, prepaid price. Now his charge card has sided with the property. Is he stuck with the bill?
Elaine Farkas cancels her hotel room in Sedona, Ariz., but her credit card is charged for the night. Now her online travel agency claims she was a “no show” and refuses to refund any of the money. Is Farkas out of luck?
Vanessa Thompson checks into what she thinks is an all-inclusive hotel before her cruise. Then she discovers she doesn’t have a reservation. When she’s allowed in, she discovers there’s nothing all-inclusive about her room. Is she entitled to a refund?
Nancy Giese books an overnight tour to Chichen Itza, but when she arrives in Cancun, she’s told she only has reservations for a day trip. Now her tour operator is refusing to refund the difference between the tours. Is there anything she can do?
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