Here to help
The Elliott Advocacy team mediates hundreds of cases between passengers and airlines every year. These are the tales of those troubled consumers who contact us with their airline problems.
It weighs you down, it costs extra, and airlines love to lose it. Luggage is something most travelers wish they didn’t have to worry about — which is exactly why you should think about it before your next trip.
Selecting the right luggage might be the easy part. Knowing your rights when your bags are lost or misplaced isn’t. (And if you travel enough, your luggage will eventually get lost.) Read more “The ultimate guide to losing and finding your luggage”
From phoning a travel agent to clicking an airline site, there are many ways to book air travel. Maybe too many. So what’s the best way to buy airline tickets?
It depends. Here’s a guide to help you sort it out. (last updated Jan 5, 2021) Read more “The best way to buy airline tickets”
Last August, an Air Canada agent made a mistake that set off a terrible chain of events for Sarahy Sigie Reyes. The end result? Sigie was detained in South Korea for 15 days against her will and at her own expense.
Now Sigie and her husband want the Elliott Advocacy team to convince Air Canada to pay for its agent’s mistake. But with the carrier routinely refusing to refund passengers even when required to do so, can we succeed?
We’ve reported on some pretty egregious happenings across the travel industry during the coronavirus pandemic. However, after reading about Sigie’s experience, I think you’ll agree that her tale is the worst of all. Read more “An Air Canada mistake caused me to be detained in Korea — for two weeks!!”
Well, that didn’t take long. The U.S. airlines have quietly started tightening their rules again, even as COVID-19 cases take off in America. And now, travelers want to know how they can get an airline to waive its rules. (reprint) Read more “How to get an airline to waive its rules now”
Last February, Susan Dunlap was excitedly planning an adventure to Hawaii. Unfortunately, soon after she made the reservation, the coronavirus made it clear the trip was ill-advised. Despite her hopes for a full refund, American Airlines quickly issued a hefty $2,635 future flight credit.
Now, Dunlap is afraid that the pandemic will make it impossible to ever use that flight credit from American Airlines. So she’s asking the Elliott Advocacy team to mediate a cash refund instead.
But can we? (Reprint) Read more “If American Airlines gave you a flight credit, this is what you need to know”
If you send your child on an international journey, you better make sure they’re old enough to fly alone — on all portions of the itinerary.
Tessa Hadlock was confident that her worldly 13-year-old child could fly alone to Spain and back. Unfortunately, she was only half right. On the way home from Barcelona, the airline denied her son boarding. It turns out the child wasn’t quite old enough to fly alone after all. (Reprint) Read more “Is your child old enough to fly alone? You better be absolutely sure!”
Can you fly without a mask at this stage of the pandemic if you have a doctor’s note? Since late summer, the blunt answer from most airlines is no. Katheryn Stueckle’s son can’t physically tolerate a face covering, but she has no problem with American Airlines’ updated mask requirements. However, she would like a refund for the flight she purchased before the airline changed the policy.
American Airlines says she purchased the flight after it eliminated medical exemptions to the mask requirement. As a result, it denied the refund.
Can we help? Read more “Can you fly without a mask if you have a doctor’s note?”
