How to fix your trip
If you’re reading this, something has gone wrong on your trip. Maybe your airline lost your luggage. Or your hotel couldn’t find your reservation — and left you homeless on vacation.
What now?
I’ve been mediating travel disputes my entire career, and I know what to do. I write the syndicated Travel Troubleshooter column every week and am National Geographic Traveler magazine’s ombudsman.
When vacations head south, I get the call.
But first of all, let me say “I’m sorry.” Chances are, you haven’t heard that yet from anyone — and if you have, it probably wasn’t sincere.
I’m sorry you had a negative experience. Really.
Now … about that call. Before you pick up the phone or fire off an e-mail to me, let me share a few insider tricks for fixing a derailed trip. You know, things like whom to write, what to say and where to go when no one listens.
If I had to distill everything into one simple rule, it would be: The sooner you speak up, the better your chances of getting what you deserve.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here are my strategies for making things right when they’ve gone wrong:
Don’t wait. Instead of writing a letter or calling when you get home, mention your problem before you check out, deplane or disembark. The person behind the counter frequently is empowered to fix the problem on the spot. Leave without saying something, and you’ll have to deal with an outsourced call center where operators have 50 ways (or more) to say “no.”
Keep meticulous records. When you’re having the vacation from hell, record-keeping is critically important. Take snapshots of the bedbug-ridden hotel room or the rental car with a chipped windshield. Channel Perry Mason. Keep all e-mails, brochures, tickets and receipts. In extreme cases, I’ve even seen travelers print screen shots of their reservation to prove they made it.
Take a deep breath. Stay calm. Even though you may feel like ranting about your trip, resist the temptation. You’re going to need to stay focused to get what you want from the company. If you have to, take a few hours before sitting down in front of a typewriter or computer to compose a letter. A levelheaded letter is far likelier to get results than a threatening one.
Talk is cheap. Picking up the phone may seem like the easiest way to register disapproval with a travel company. For immediate gratification, there’s nothing like chewing someone out by phone. In fact, the phone can be problematic because no usable paper trail is created. (Although many companies record call-center conversations, you won’t have access to those tapes.) It’s better to do everything in writing.
Write tight and polite. The most effective e-mails and letters are very short — no more than one page, or about 500 words. They include all details necessary to track your reservation, such as confirmation numbers and travel dates. They’re polite, dispassionate and free of spelling errors. There’s a real person on the other end of the process reading the e-mail or letter, so something as seemingly insignificant as bad grammar can determine whether your complaint is taken seriously or taken to the circular file.
Read the file. If you’re dealing with a big travel company, chances are I’ve got a file on it with helpful hints on its customer-service record and the best way of contacting it. Check out your company’s file.
Start at the bottom. If you’re already back from your vacation and need to contact a travel company, go through channels. Give the system a chance to work. It may. Then again, it may not. Start by contacting the company through its customer-service department. The point of this exercise is to collect evidence that you gave the company an opportunity to make things right. That could be important later if the company tries to blow you off and you need to go to court.
Cite the rules. Your complaint has the best chance of getting a fair shake if you can convince the company that it didn’t follow its own rules or broke the law. Airlines have what’s called a contract of carriage: the legal agreement between you and the company. Cruise lines have ticket contracts. Car-rental companies have rental agreements, and hotels are subject to state lodging laws. You can ask the company for a copy of the contract or find it on its Web site.
Tell them what you want, nicely. I’ve already mentioned the importance of a positive attitude. I’ll say it again: Be extra-nice. The two most common mistakes that people make with a written grievance are being vague about the compensation they expect and being unpleasant. Also, make sure that you’re asking for appropriate compensation. I’ve never seen an airline offer a first-class, round-trip ticket because flight attendants ran out of chicken entrees.
Copy all the right people. Yes, customer-service representatives review the list of everyone you copied on an e-mail or letter. When they see you’ve shared a grievance with a few other folks, it will give the complaint more weight. The people you copy will depend on the type of grievance. Just think of it as the exclamation mark at the end of your letter. Here’s who else to send your letter to.
Press ’send’ or mail. E-mail is a perfectly acceptable way to file a grievance. A few things to keep in mind: If you use a Web-based form, keep a copy of the letter (don’t just type directly into the form and hit “send” because you won’t have a copy). Make sure your subject line describes the grievance. “Flight 123 query from passenger Jones” is preferable to “I’LL NEVER FLY ON YOUR AIRLINE AGAIN.” If you need a return receipt, snail mail still works best.
Be patient. The typical grievance takes six to eight weeks to resolve. Yes, six to eight weeks. A lot of them are faster, but many routinely test the eight-week limit. There’s no excuse for dragging things out, of course, but patience is a must when dealing with travel companies.
Turned down? Get it in writing. Don’t accept “no” for an answer by phone. Ask the company to put it into an e-mail or letter. That way, you have something to add to your file. I hope you won’t be rejected, but if you are, you want cold, hard proof that the company gave you a thumbs-down. No worries, you’re not out of options.
Appeal to a higher authority. Did you get a form letter politely asking you to take a hike? It’s not over. Every travel company has a vice president of customer service or a manager who is in charge of dealing with passengers or guests. That’s who needs to hear from you next. These executives go to great lengths to keep their names and contact information from becoming public. But a quick online search will reveal the contact person. I list many of them on my site.
Take another deep breath. Don’t overreact. Simply enclose copies of all of the correspondence with a cover letter to the VP, politely asking the company to reconsider its decision. Copy the same group of people. Be pleasant and nonthreatening, but firm.
Take extreme measures. If the company still says “no,” you should consider the “Hail Mary,” a respectful but insistent letter overnighted directly to the chief executive officer along with the disappointing string of “nos” you’ve received. This is a little-known loophole in the system. Something FedExed to the top exec has an excellent chance of being read by that person. Another last-ditch option: Consider disputing the charge on your credit card.
Go to court. Most travel-related issues would be handled by a small-claims court, which doesn’t require that you hire a lawyer. Travel companies like going to court about as much as the average person does, so filing a complaint may be enough to get the airline, car rental company or hotel to see things your way.
Know when to say when. Sometimes, the cost of pursuing a complaint, in both time and money, outweighs the benefits. Going after a travel company for nothing more than an apology may not be the most productive thing to do. Pick your battles.
Troubleshooting a trip isn’t difficult. With the right information, a positive attitude, realistic expectations and, above all, patience, you can resolve 99 percent of all travel grievances. The other 1 percent? That’s my department.
Send me an e-mail if you’re stuck. I’m here to help.
Sign up for my 
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very useful
thanks
On july tenth i booked a hotel reservation with travelocity. Not only did they book us at thr wrong hotel. Iwas unable to change my booking since it was the same day service. I was stuck at the hotel of their choice. When i arrived at the hotel i was not even booked. NO information was given to the hotel yet travelocity had already deducted the two hundered dollar fee on my credit card. It took hours for the hotel staff to get in touch with travelocity to clear up their mess. What shoud have been a RELAXING GET AWAY turnd into a RESERVATION NIGHTMARE!!. I would have been better off booking it on my own. I do not recommend using travelocity their policy & procedures are not customer friendly and will leave you stranded at their mercy and they don’t have one. Their website can be misleading if you do not take the time to read the fine print.Trying to fix errors either of their making or simple mistakes on your part will leave you with a very bad experience.YOURS TRULY A VERY UNHAPPY CUSTOMER TRIP ID#691916474864.
Hi -
By the time Spirit Airlines gets done charging for luggage $25 for the first bag), Cokes ($3 per can), and SEAT ASSIGNMENTS, their airfare is higher than the major carriers. When did airlines start charging $20 for seats up front, $12 for any window/aisle seat on the plane, and $7 for any center seat? It would seem that the only way to avoid paying for a seat is to stand up! Wouldn’t you think that a seat assignment would be included with airfare?
By the time I paid for the “add-ons” with Spirit for a flight from Atlantic City to Tampa, I could have paid less on Continental, Jet Blue, US Airways, or United from either Newark or Philadelphia. To add insult to injury, the seat charge was imposed AFTER they took credit card information and confirmed my flight, yet before I was done with the reservation. There was no notice of an additional charge until after I was committed – no turning back once you get to the seat assignment page. When I called to gripe, I was told (basically) “too bad, so sad – it will cost you $110 per ticket to cancel”. Never again.
I’ve flown Spirit many times in the past. I’m afraid that this will be my last time.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Excellent article!
THANK YOU
My 15yr Anniversary Vacation to Kona, HI
Purchased from Priceline
Flight, United Airlines
Stayed at Royal Kona Resort
Picture the worst cliche of a hotel under a freeway overpass with a view of the railroad tracks and a train that passes every 30-60 min. No this is not my hotel in Hawaii that I was paying for, but a Comfort Inn located in South San Fransisco where United Airlines decided to put my wife and I after hours in the airport trying to get to Kona where I was already paying for lodging. This is the Vacation we had save for two years for. This is a celebration of our 15 year wedding anniversary.
We got on our United Flight from Portland, OR (connecting in San Francisco, CA and than onto Kona, HI) and were taxiing to the runway when they found that one of the lights on the doors was out (not the door just the light). Our flight was running a few minutes late, but we still had lots of time to make out connecting flight (many others on the same flight trying to make connecting departures). I told my wife that someone would finally show up with a replacement part smaller than my thumb which ended up being true. We took off almost 2 hrs late. We tried to be good sports about this and broke out our reading materials. Several other people asked to de-board and try to catch different flights so that they could make their connections, only to be told that we would not be returning to the gate, but sitting on the runway while they looked for the tiny bulb replacement.
United directed us to their Customer service. Because of United’s practice of filling every seat on every flight, the next direct flight to Kona was 3 days away. So they tried putting us on a flight to one of the other islands so that we could “puddle jump” from there to Kona. We sat through two stand by flights, both were again brimming and full. The “drunk on power” girl at counter of one of these stand by flights decided not to accept the volunteers who were willing to give up their seats for a later flight. We continued to sit in the airport patiently. We stood through the United Customer Service desk three times before they finally sent us to the horrid hotel in the paragraph above. We were given food vouchers and told that they were good for the hotel restaurant. The South San Francisco Comfort Inn has no restaurant. These were only good back at the food court of the airport (inside the security zone) where we had just come on a 20 min shuttle ride. The hotel room is cramped and could use a wash. I was very glad that I stopped and bought clean T-shirts at the airport gift shop. Yes, they had already sent our luggage on ahead of us. We ate at the Hungry Hunter Resteraunt on the shuttle line, waited again for the shuttle to return and crashed after a very long first day.
The next day we had several hours to kill before our confirmed seats on an afternoon United flight witch would take us to Maui so that we could catch a flight to Honolulu where we could get the last flight out to Kona (still trying to make the best of it I teased my wife that not only do I take her to the best places but also to all of the Islands). Please keep in mind we are still paying for hotel in Hawaii. We walked over and down the freeway overpass to get to South San Francisco; walked around and took some photos in the park behind the city hall building. Again we got to the airport early so that we could pass through security with time to spare. Ate lunch in the food court on our dinner vouchers from the night before. We checked with a United Supervisor, David Niven (wore a suit) to make sure our tickets were in order. We checked again with customer service who assured us that we had everything we needed to make our multiple jumps to our final destination. This flight was full, but the flight attendants were very friendly. We landed in Maui, only to be told that one of the ticket components we were supposed to have had not been printed by United. We had boarding passes for our last leg from Honolulu to Kona, but Customer Service had not printed the actual ticket portion for a flight on their partner Hawaiian Airline. We were told to the United ticketing desk outside the security area. This is a sea of people that we have less than a hour to traverse and then make it through this airports security. The United desk reprints our stack of tickets and tells us to go catch out flight, but back up at the Hawaiian Counter they tell us that United had printed exactly what we just had, and that we were still missing this crucial component to our ticketing. They were going to try to send us back through the same ticketing and security circus again. We pleaded, and reminded them that this was our only flight option that wouldn’t leave us stranded another night. With 15min left before our flight they finally find enough compassion to call down to United and try to help us (we had to provide the United phone # to Hawaiian Air because they flat out refused to look it up). Hawaiian finally hand wrote a note for the next leg of our trip and put us on the flight. Honolulu was determined to strand us but my wife had come armed with the card and phone # of the note writer in Maui who reluctantly vouched for us. We got to Kona on the last flight into the airport right as our rental car was closing and our luggage which had come ahead of us was locked securely in United Air’s lost luggage citadel. The Avis Car Rental place pulled out of site as we exited the gate and their employees, anxious to finish closing hung up on us three times when called. We managed to flag down the only cab still in the Airport (the only anyone left there). Fifty dollar cab ride later we made it to our destination the Royal Kona Resort. Things had been tough and I had read horror story reviews about the old (unrenovated portion of the hotel). Sure enough these unimproved units was where Priceline had put us…I paid $270 for a room upgrade to stave off any further unpleasantness. Still wearing the same unmentionables as we left Portland, OR in…we got to our less than truly improved room and crashed again…Just too tired to care about the very dirty carpet, water spitting air condition unit, black mold tub fixtures and stained ceiling.
Day three we still have no luggage and Avis Rental Car refuses to deliver their car. So after a way overpriced breakfast on the Kona strip where a guy goes table to table selling time share activities. We stop at an ABC store for new clean shirts and sun screen (also packed in my check on that they charge $40 for now). Same underwear still. We pay another fifty bucks to get back to the airport, where United opens their lost luggage claim half an hour late. We finally check our car into the hotel registery (yes, they charge for parking) and by late the third day of our trip we are finally on vacation. We had a good time. We argued a bit the first couple days out of exhaustion, but it was Hawaii…can’t really have a bad time. We had spent close to half of our spending money trying to get to it and on the upgrade which I was dubious about. My lovely wife, who worked months of overtime in prep for this get away, made it in the water less than five minutes before stepping on a sea urchin (requires a tetanus shot). Still nothing could bother us after the gauntlet of getting there. We went to the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens which was so gorgeous. We went Geo-caching, ate roadside BBQ, toured a coffee plantation, and saw Painted Church.
We head home! Kinda glad to be going back. Then I find that with extra seats added onto the plane (a full to the brim flight again), the seat in front of me now comes less than 3 inches from my face when the person in front of me reclines. I decided to ignore the encore in-flight presentation of Pink Panther 2. The adult kid behind my wife’s seat never got comfortable and spent the entire flight shuffling and kicking. No one slept on the Priceline imposed overnight flight ($1500 extra to pick my own flight times).
After all of the troubles that we had with the friendly skies of United, we were promised to get some sort of recompense from the airline. I returned home to find an email with a voucher for a whole $250 dollars off my next flight with them. This made me so excited! It was right up there with my last stimulus check which was supposed to solve all of our financial troubles. $250 dollars for the lost hotel and vacation time. $250 dollars to cover the extra taxi trips to the airport, four clean shirts and extra meals. Now I see why the travel industry is trying to convince us to embrace the poor economy and take a vacation at home this year. Never thought I’d say it, but a week in an RV doesn’t sound so bad. We are normal people; work regular jobs. I work customer service and pride myself in solving my customer’s problems and exceeding their needs. I didn’t receive this treatment. From any of your companies representatives (it took 3 hour long phone calls with Priceline, just to book this trip, because your computers kept losing their locks on the pricing). Finally if you think that I am being unnecessarily negative or sour grapes; trust me I have left things out just for the sake of space. Thanks for the trip of a lifetime Priceline, United Airlines Hawaiian Airlines and Royal Kona Resort.
Nolan Kidwell
Portland, Oregon
kidwell1972@peoplepc.com
After a marvelous Med. cruise we arrived at the airport for a return trip home. During check in the USAirways rep said nothing about a flight delay. It was only when went through security and arrived at the gate were we told the flight was late. The flight was 9 hours late! By the time the plane arrived, they had to call another crew because the original crew had been on duty for too long to make a transcontinental flight.
The USAirways lounge was on the other side of security and we were not allowed to go back there.
They gave us $25 dollar food vouchers, but the restaurants were on the other side of security as well. There was a snack bar and pizza place avialable for access.
I think USAirways should have provided a free ticket? What do you think?
I have been flying commercially since 1946. I have flown all the current U.S. carriers and too many foreign ones to mention. I will state that of all the U.S. carriers, Continental is, in my mind, one of the very best for resolving customer problems. Traveling overseas, I have found through the years that Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa and JAL have provided very fine service.
Today, I have been on the telephone for almost one hour attempting to get information from United Air Lines representatives. I was connected to a UAL rep in, yes, that’s right, India. Not only was it a bad connection, but I could hardly understand the man because of his poor English.
What has happened to the United States? Why does the traveling public have to be subjected to such horrendous service? Why are we having to pay for certain seats on a plane? Why are we being charged to check luggage? Why do we have to put up with nit-wits, who are not native born Americans at the reservations counter? It just continues to get worse. I am ready to say, “To Hell with it all” and forget using airlines. My days of business travel are long gone and there surely is no joy in getting hassled at the airport, on board jam-packed planes, delayed or cancelled flights, on and on..
I am going to take the train and relax a bit more. ALLLLLL ABOARD!!!!
Semper Fi,
Jim D.
I recently booked a hotel in France through Travelocity.com and my credit card was charged before I even arrived. When I arrived, the hotel had my reservation and the stay was relatively uneventful. However, the last day when I checked out they told me that I had never paid and would not let me leave until I had paid. Now I have a second several hundred dollar fee on my credit card. After talking to Travelocity and several people plus several phone calls to France (where they said they couldn’t find my reservation), they have found the reservation and are willing to refund me the amount I paid in France. They will not repay the currency conversion fee on my credit card for it unless I go through customer service and register a separate complaint. Plus the amount I paid from the hotel was $160 less than what Travelocity charged me!
Thanks for all of the info. I have to admit, I had already made the call before reading this advice – and the woman on the line was as rude as the flight attendants! So I took the next step and made a video explaining mine and my husbands’ experiences and posted it to YouTube. Since I don’t actually want anything from the airline, but just to let people know our experience and reconsider ever using them, I prefer to appeal to the court of public opinion. And from what I hear, this can also be very helpful in getting a response and compensation (if that’s what you’re looking for), as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cl9M4jlkog
please help. we booked a trip through travelocity and found out my work won’t let me go at that time.. after spending 3 hrs on the phone the bottom line is they won’t do anything except keep our money. they have told so many lies its ridiculous. this is $1100. we booked on 8/15 and cancelled 2 days ago. we already called the hotel and they said no penalty. we just want a credit for future travel. we looked on your website for a name but couldn’t find one. can you give us a name to contact. is this really legal to keep someones money? thanks tom
sorry about all your tavelocity problems ; but james please do not even consider amtrack; several years ago i thought it would be neat to take a n amtrack trip to bc vancouver from delray beach fl. a sleeper comartment ; what an expensive and nightmare of a trip; as bad as the airlines are they are paradise compared to trip on amtrack.
Two years ago, I missed my VA London-San Francisco flight at the end of my Singapore->London overland trip by train trip..Two weeks before the flight and after a week on the trans-siberian railway, I called orbitz from a shady hotel in Moscow @$1/min begging them to let me change my “non-refundable” flight (which I bought by mistake since it is not at all clear changes were not allowed) but after 45 mins on and off hold, Orbitz wanted $450 more to change the flight to *any* other day or time. Was pretty unhappy at just that, but told them to cancel my ticket since I wasn’t going to make it, and try to get the fees back later. That never happend. I’m out $650 and kind of ruined my one in a life time adventure.. My return ticket to London was also voided.
Orbitz says my business is with VA and VA says it cannot do anything since Orbitz is the agent and the suggested I can recoup the fees if just Orbitz submits a refund request. I just want the fees which IATA says I am entitled.
So out of 1,000,000 points, I give Orbiz, 1 – since at least they answered the phone. But I would have been way better off buying a ticket from basically anyone else.
Looks like I didnt know non-refundable meant non-changable for less than 50% the ticket price. Still like Virgin Atlantic though :)
Matt
I think we all have stories to tell on bad customer service. One thing I can recommend is that when you call in to an airline/hotel/car rental company and get an uncooperative person, don’t waste your time and efforts. Thank them for their help(?) as soon as possible and call back in. I have yet to get the same person and you have a chance of a person without an attitude. When you are going on a trip with a connection, try and take an earlier flight rather than chance missing your flight. Sure, you may be waiting at an airport but it beats the heck out of losing a night on a vacation or a meeting. Last flight of the night? Just don’t! Check out your hotel reviews on line. If they say they are undergoing construction, don’t expect to get a remodeled room. Just stay elsewhere! If you are not an experienced traveler, use a travel agent rather than an online booking service. They won’t make the mistakes you may and will serve as your advocate. Not everyone can plan a trip…I fly 40 weeks a year and can do it my sleep, but even I use a travel agent.
I see so many complaints by your readers about problems they’ve encountered because they’ve booked their own travel on-line. These are prime examples why folks should rely on professionals. Your local travel agents are experienced people who know which airlines are more likely to travel on-time, which hotels are clean and reputable and which tour operators will actually deliver what they promise. And, you have a local person to call or walk in and see if you have a problem. They have reputations to uphold in their community and don’t want angry customers. Let someone who is good at what at they good, be good at what they do.
I flew United last week between Richmond VA and Columbus OH and every United employee I encountered was great. Even the TSA agents were polite and cheerful. Just wanted to put in a good word for them.
I am a former airline stewardess (back in my day we were called stewardesses and were proud of it) so I admittedly am a very particular passenger. I normally fly American Airlines… it seems to me that the Flight Attendants have become progressively more curt at about the same rate that services have been dropped. On a flight across the country these days, a Flight Attendant has only two beverage services to perform; yet the F/A have become more and more surly. They really don’t like being interrupted while they read their magazines in the back row that they now reserve for themselves! In my day we were never allowed to sit in a passenger seat let alone read a magazine!
I appreciate your article and the great information your provided…however, I’ve decided to protest the progressively curt behavior by American’s F/A in a way where it hurts…their pocket. I no longer fly American Airlines, nor do I recommend them to my friends or colleagues… Instead I am flying Virgin America and recommending them to everyone who ask!
Helen – former Stewardess
Excellent article, thank you for posting this!
Like everyone else, I was tired of the poor service from the big airlines. I flew Jet Blue to Cancun and I have to admit, they were great. It seemed that they all liked their jobs. I thought it might be a fluke so I tried to more times on Jet Blue to Cancun. Jet Blue is now my Airline of choice. Big seats smiling flight attendents and great pilots. I’ve been flying for 40 years and after watching the customer service go down hill, it is refreshing to have a relatively new airlines that jnows what Customer Service is all about.
Elliott, as always a great article. Thanks
Excellent article. While I only travel a few times a year, I have to say something about bad customer service. As a part time customer service professional, I guarantee that I do my job well, with a smile. But, there are times when I wonder how I accomplish that often exacting task. From my pleasant hello, people tend to believe that is open field time. I have been accused of everything under the sun, by saying, “hello.” Once, I listened to someone rattle off their distaste about an animated film that the company I work for had nothing to do with at all. I simply said, “I understand your concerns. Would you like me to find the number for the studio that produced that film?” That led to a nasty tongue lashing, complete with profanity, accusing me of being a smart donkey.
So, my point is this, customers need to remember that customer service people are people too. We pretty much live our lives that way everyone else does. And when strangers feel comfortable launching into tirades after a warm “hello”, is it any wonder after a period of time, we are going to snap as well?
I would like to share a few stories with you, demonstrating how keeping your cool does help.
On a flight from Newark to LAX, the world’s worse thunder storm was in full swing. Bad enough that it was pouring during a Friday night as well. The long line of people in front of me were down right nasty to the gate attendants. (Folks, the airlines do not control the weather, contrary to popular consent.) So, when I made my way to the ticket counter, I started off with, “You’re having a fun night, aren’t you?” That got a very weak and tiny smile from the attendant, and then he went back to business. I stopped him im the middle of his frantic typing and said, “Look. I am in no hurry. I understand you probably don’t have any relation to Mother Nature. I can fly out tomorrow morning.”That produced a bigger, but still very tired smile. He booked me on the first flight out the next morning. When I arrived at 6am, I went to a very empty ticket counter, checked in, and then I realized I was booked First Class round trip. I didn’t ask for anything, but a different flight the following morning.
A hotel room door was wide open upon arrival in Gatlinburg on a different trip. I went back to the front desk, and told the desk clerk I didn’t feel all that comfortable going into a room at 3am with the door ajar. No problem. Different room, free upgrade.
On a different trip, I was tired and ordered room service. It arrived twenty minutes later, I tipped the person and settled in for dinner. When I lifted the lids, I noticed they were child portions. I called back and said I didn’t have any children, wasn’t planning on having any, and perhaps my order was for someone else, or was it there way of suggesting I really should start a diet. The operator laughed, FIVE minutes later, two adult portions arrived, with complimentary dessert and no additional bill.
Folks, while I know traveling is never flawless, being nice, making tasteful jokes, being empathetic, not blaming people for things they didn’t do or couldn’t control will help smooth out the wrinkles.
In July I took a railroad tour of Alaska that I had been planning for a number of years. Things pretty much went as planned until the next to last day. We had vouchers for a riverboat cruise for Saturday afternoon. But due to low tourism they riverboat company had cancelled Sat afternoon cruises and the cruise only went in the morning. We had already taken our morning tour. I was a bit miffed – we really wanted to go on the riverboat and would have preferred it to the morning tour we did go on. Our flight out of Fairbanks was at 11 AM the next day, before the Sunday cruise time. I called the Alaska tour company through which I booked the package. I spoke directly to the travel agent I had booked with (I had the foresight to bring her name and number with me). I explained the problem and told her I wanted one of two things. Either refund the money I had already paid for the missed riverboat cruise or book us on a later flight back to Anchorage. We weren’t flying out of Anchorage until later Monday evening so had plenty of time.
It took an hour or two for her to get back to me but she was able to get us on standby for a 10PM flight Sunday evening. Changing the ticket would have cost an extra $100 per ticket fee. I told her I was not willing to pay the fee since the error was their fault and not mine. She suggested I go to the airport earlier in the day to make sure I was on the standby list. After breakfast I asked the deskclerk if she could get me the shuttle to the airport. The shuttle wasn’t running at that time so the hotel manager drove me out to the airport herself in her own car. The ticketing deskclerk for Alaska Airlines checked and the 10PM flight and it wasn’t even half full so she just gave me confirmed seats with no additional fee. Printed out the boarding passes and I was on my way.
I had only found out the riverboat cruise had been canceled on Saturdays because I was checking at the hotel front desk about getting a shuttle to the river and they thought the company wasn’t running cruises on Saturdays. They called the company to check it and even asked about when the Sunday cruises were running. I have to say, for customer service, everyone I met and everywhere I went in Alaska was top notch. Everyone was extremely accommodating. Every hotel had a free airport and train shuttle, in most instances the Alaska Railroad will check your bags straight through to your hotel. They depend on tourism in Alaska and as the saying goes “They know what side of their bread is buttered”. If you want good customer service go to Alaska. It’s beautiful up their in the summer and it is fairly expensive but they really treat you right.
I, too, am tired of the poor service on most airlines today. However, I just returned from a trip to Phoenix on Allegiant Air. The flight was five hours late in taking off. However, the Allegiant staff told us upfront how long and why the delay (unlike United, who uses the 15 minute excuse over and over for hours). The Alamo agent gave us back the rental car keys gratis, so we could leave the airport if we desired. And Allegiant brought pizza (10 boxes full) and drinks to the waiting area not just once, but twice, during the 5 hour wait. And the flight left when they said it would. Amazing!
I’ve figured out why items lost at Northwest Airlines (and likely others) will never be found. Just where does your stuff go? Read on . . .
Northwest sees Lost & Found as a ‘courtesy, not an obligation.’ Contractors clean out each plane at the end of the day, but some are sloppy and leave stuff behind for tomorrow’s crew, often in another city. Planes do not fly regular routes, but are mixed around as needed.
So, your lost item can turn up in another airport that your plane went to days after you flew.
Most important, ‘courtesy, not an obligation’ means they will NOT call you, even if they know your name and phone number (so much for putting a business card inside your items).
So your item is now in some strange city, they can’t tell you which city the plane went to, they won’t call you even if they know your name and phone number, and after 30 days they GIVE your stuff to a giant store in rural Alabama where it’s sold cheap. I’m not joking. Go to unclaimedbaggage.com — they claim they get 7,000 additional items every day. (Hmmm, a little math tells me that’s around 7,000 unhappy airline customers every day.) Yes, they
have a luggage section. As far as Customer Service goes, this is corporate suicide, mixed with a little gross stupidity, and topped off with ‘why don’t you take a flying leap, loser.’ But look at all the money they save on phone calls!
The sad part is, the executives are the people who made this choice, but the poor schmucks at the baggage claim counter get all the grief.
Don’t believe me? Go to any Northwest Airlines baggage claim and tell them you’ve lost something common, like a box, or a blazer. I did, and they showed me blazers and boxes, all with people’s names on them. It’s obvious who they belong to, the owners have typically tried to find them (in another city), but Northwest is clearly not making any attempt to contact the owners, even if they live in another city.
You’d think they’d look up their own *CUSTOMER* in their database, or even their Frequent Flier system, (I checked; yes, they do have computers) to tell you they’ve found your stuff.
They cannot tell you where your plane went after you got off or even look up your name in their system, as that violates their ’security rules.’ (Huh??)
Sounds more like simple, lazy, “We couldn’t care less about your stuff, which we have squirrelled away in some off-the-wall distant airport where you’ll never think to look, and we can’t be bothered to return it to you or even tell you where we’ve hidden it. We won’t try to contact you, even if we know exactly who you are. By the way, we’re dumping it in 30 days. Have a nice day.”
Sorry, you’re not going to get your stuff back.
Your stuff is going straight to Alabama from wherever they’ve hidden it. There it will be sold for pennies on the dollar.
Kiss it good-bye forever.
Northwest has no Lost & Found central office, their local baggage claim agents rarely (and some never) answer the phone.
In their defense, I must admit, if you can miraculously figure out which city they dropped your stuff in, they’ll be glad to give it back to you when you ask for it in person at that airport’s claim counter. If you can figure out where it might be (pick an airport — they only go to a few hundred) and then get them to answer the phone, they’ll send it to your airport at no charge. They just won’t tell you which cities your plane went to after you got off. Catch-22 for you.
Delta is buying them. Delta seems to be mildly more interested in returning lost items (at least they have a central phone number you can try) but they cannot help you for now.
Thanks, Northwest. I’ll be sure and remember this any time I’m shopping for a plane ticket, for the rest of my life. And, don’t worry, I’ll be sure and tell all my friends. Personally, we now travel by car whenever we can.
Kidwell1972 – OMG, I am so sorry for all your troubles, I truly am. Your story was a real eye opener. Thank you for sharing. Some say it’s just the luck of the draw with these online travel sites and companies…I was always afraid to book through any online site. You confirmed why. I sincerely hope better travels for you and your wife.
Thank you sooooo much! Continental “mis-placed” my luggage. I’ve never had my luggage lost before. This was the first time I flew on Continental, and I tell you what! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!
The funny thing is, the lady I was checking my luggage with was giving me straight attitude. I did not get her name, but I do remember the time I checked in. I just wish I had gotten her name. Because you know what? I was thinking as soon as I walked away, “I hope she does not “mis-place” my luggage!”
And sure enough, with no surprise. It was misplaced and put on another flight; and with no explanation mind you either!
I recently picked my children up at the Atlanta airport as unaccompanied minors with Delta Airlines. All procedures followed to get to gate but when I finally found my children the gate agent did not check my id(required) nor did I sign a logbook(also required). I did not leave the airport without speaking to a supervisor who looked at me like this was no big deal and told me to call Delta Corporate. I have done this twice now and was told by the second person that “my manager does not take phone calls”. That is a direct quote. I have emailed the CEO directly, the TSA, the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, WSBTV, USA Today, and also Handelonthelaw.com. Any more suggestions? Has anyone else had similar experiences?