Sick at the airport, so why won’t Airberlin refund my ticket?
After an unexpected medical emergency, Osmar and Aracely Alvarez ask their airline for a refund. But Airberlin defers to their travel agent. Can anyone help this couple?
The Travel Troubleshooter
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.
Vueling rescheduled my flight, but didn’t bother to tell me
Judy Weidel’s flight from Rome to Palermo, Italy, is rescheduled, but no one bothers to tell her. She has to cancel a hotel and find a place to stay — at her own expense.
There’s no smoke in my hotel room, so what’s this $250 charge?
When Samantha Armstrong sees a $250 charge on her hotel bill, she’s told it’s because she smoked in her room. Just one small problem: Armstrong doesn’t smoke.
Hotels.com left us waiting in the rain for our room
Gail Jaworski’s room isn’t ready when she and her husband arrive in Barcelona, Spain, and they’re left waiting in the rain. Although they eventually check in, she wonders: Who’s responsible for this late check-in?
Can’t go to Florida — can I get back my fare saver code from Southwest Airlines?
James Cheung’s family vacation is washed out because of Hurricane Matthew. So is his Southwest Airlines 50-percent discount that he received after this summer’s IT meltdown. Can our advocacy team recover it?
There’s a hurricane coming, but Spirit Airlines has a hand out
With Hurricane Matthew bearing down on South Carolina, Brenda Williams has to cancel her vacation. Why won’t Spirit Airlines offer her a full refund?
Renault got me lost — can you help me find a refund?
James DiProspero’s rental car is getting him lost. Is the company responsible for hours of missed vacation time?
Help! Alitalia misspelled my name and won’t change it back
When an Alitalia representative misspells Barbara Stuckey’s name, she’s sent on a wild goose chase to get it fixed. Does she have to buy a new ticket?
Oh, did we say dollars? We meant euros
When Kara van Wyk’s airline charges her in euros instead of dollars, her airfare bill takes off. Can her tickets be saved?
Hey Hotels.com, when were you planning to tell me I needed a visa?
When Jane Torres books a hotel “near” Hong Kong International Airport, Hotels.com omits a key detail. She also needs a visa. Now what?