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.
Harrison Coerver has a problem with his upcoming National Geographic tour. One of his days has turned into a more than six-hour journey from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. Can he get it changed back to a nonstop flight?
JetBlue loses Jean Michielli-Pendl’s bag for 43 days, ruining her 50th anniversary trip. At first, it offers just $181 to cover the cost of replacing necessary medications, clothing, and even a wedding dress. Is that enough?
When Ray Cook damages two tires on his Sixt rental car, the company promises to cover the expense of replacing them. But months later, he’s still waiting for his money.
Brian Landmann books award tickets on Lufthansa through United Airlines. But when United changes his itinerary, he’s left with an impossible connection. Can he get United to fix this?
Even though Lauren Stokowski has proof that she boarded her KLM flight, the airline insisted she was a no-show and forced her to pay for another ticket to get home. Can KLM fix this problem and refund her money?
When Booking.com refunds Elaine Treacy for a canceled vacation rental, it transfers her money to someone else’s credit card. How can she get her money back?
American Airlines promises Joseph Muskovich compensation for a lengthy flight delay. But despite repeated promises, it never pays. How can he get American Airlines to honor its promise?
Douglas Berry books a Princess cruise online and pays for the fare and travel insurance with his credit card. But then Princess cancels his cruise — and then charges him a $3,718 cancellation fee. Can it do that?
When Natasha Bird rents a car from Thrifty, she notes damage to the front bumper. So why is she getting a bill for $2,212 for the same damage?
Eric Weiman rents a car from Enterprise in Germany. He is later accused of damaging the car. When he disputes the charges, Enterprise threatens legal action. Can he get them to drop the claim?
