The Travel Troubleshooter is a weekly consumer column that solves travel problems. Missing cruise refunds, lousy airline service, car rental surcharges — it’s all fair game for this feature. Each story presents a problem and fixes it in a quick Q&A format.
Sunita Gupta’s husband makes a detour to the ER shortly before his Virgin Atlantic flight. She cancels their tickets but must pay $850 to reschedule a future flight to a random date. What are the chances of a refund?
Oceania hands Murray Cohen a bill for $5,929 after he’s hospitalized on a Mediterranean cruise. Why is his travel insurance company dragging its feet on his claim?
James Ould’s airline schedule should mean that he’ll save a bundle on the carrier-imposed fees on his ticket. So why won’t American Airlines see things his way?
Nancy Caruso’s AAA travel agent quotes her a $386 rate for a rental car. So why does Hertz charge her an extra $72? And why won’t AAA refund the extra money she had to pay?
When Joane Perry cancels her Canadian vacation, her online agency leads her to believe she’ll have a year to use her flight credit. Her cancellation confirmation says otherwise. Is there a way to clear up this misunderstanding — and save her airline tickets?
Winnie Lanoix’s mother dies before she can visit her in Fort Myers, Fla. But neither her online travel agent, JustFly, nor American Airlines, will refund her fare. Why not?
After a series of mishaps, including a missed flight, Anupam Shovakar wants Turkish Airlines to step up and make things right. So why won’t it?
Marla Osgood cancels her Princess cruise under the worst of circumstances: Her husband is dying of cancer. But the cruise line refuses to refund her vacation, citing its refund policy. Can this vacation be rescued?
When Terry Flores checks into her VRBO rental, she’s greeted by overflowing garbage and dead chickens. After cleaning up the mess, is she entitled to some kind of refund?
Kevin Kordosky’s girlfriend is pregnant, but thanks to the Zika epidemic, they’ll have to cancel their Caribbean vacation. Can they get a refund?
