Itinerary Changes

[karfest]

I booked my airfare for our March 28 flights in August. I was able to pick the exact times that worked for us as we have to make connections and also have a 2 hour drive to/from the airport. (too expensive from GB)

 

I booked on American through Cheap Tickets.

 

Since then, there have been no less than 12 itinerary change notices sent to me, most of them just changing various segments of the flight by minutes.

 

I just received an e-mail that changes my flight out of LAX post-cruise from a 12:35pm departure to a 1:38 departure. We will arrive in Milwaukee at 9:50pm instead of 8:17pm. When I originally booked this flight, we had a 12:15 departure with an arrival in MKE at 7:50.

 

So, do I have any recourse here since my original flight is now leaving 1-1/2 hours later and arriving 2 hours later than I had originally booked? Or am I just at the mercy of the airlines?

[CruisinMatt]

Hi Karen, sorry to hear about that. At least you're coming into MKE, we are coming into ORD and staying a night in a hotel to recover from jetlag! ;)

[karfest]

Hi Matt!

 

 

We'll be cruising at the same time! Seabourn transatlantic sounds very high class- leave your Wisconsin manners at home;)

 

I also considered ORD but that is such a long haul when we get home. I found some really good rates on last minute flights on Midwest and this whole "time change" business on American has me steamed. I thought I read somewhere that if they changed your flights by more than an hour you could cancel, but maybe I imagined that!

[Globaliser]

I just received an e-mail that changes my flight out of LAX post-cruise from a 12:35pm departure to a 1:38 departure. We will arrive in Milwaukee at 9:50pm instead of 8:17pm. When I originally booked this flight, we had a 12:15 departure with an arrival in MKE at 7:50.

 

So, do I have any recourse here since my original flight is now leaving 1-1/2 hours later and arriving 2 hours later than I had originally booked? Or am I just at the mercy of the airlines?

Is there an earlier AA flight - but still practicable from your cruise - that would get you to MKE any earlier than your currently-booked itinerary? If there isn't, then as things have turned out you're not going to be home any later than you would always have been in any event - you have to remember that you would never have had the option of getting home at 7.50 pm anyway in the event.

 

Schedule changes are one of the unfortunate facts of life if you book your air fare early.

 

If there is an earlier practicable option, you could ask to be re-booked onto it, if there's space.

[karfest]

Thanks, Globaliser-

 

I booked early because there weren't alot of choices and there are even less choices now! I guess I will stick with what I've got, I just hope they don't change it again or I will have to take another day off from work. (is that a bad thing?!)

[DanJ]

At least they didn't move the flight ahead my 90 minutes, or you would likely not get there in time. Some of the stories I've read say that sometimes 1230pm is too early for a flight out of LA anyway. At least now you won't have to be in such a rush leaving the ship.

[Globaliser]

I booked early because there weren't alot of choices and there are even less choices now! I guess I will stick with what I've got, I just hope they don't change it again or I will have to take another day off from work. (is that a bad thing?!)

Since when is a day off work a bad thing? :)

 

It reminds me of when my former travel agent (who's now left the business) used to phone me to vent whenever it was schedule change season. It happens twice a year, about a couple of months before the new international season's schedules come into force. All the airlines finalise their schedules according to the slots they have at the slot-restricted airports. Inevitably, there are lots of changes. Equally inevitably, some particular airlines always managed to make many of their connections illegal, so that passengers would have to be laboriously re-booked onto different flights wherever there was availability. It used to drive her mad.

[kelmac]

I just notice today that our American Airlines flight segment (DFW to FLL) for May 30th had a change in aircraft--so our seats changed and they put my wife in the row behind me and on the other side of the aisle. We arrive in FLL at 3:15 instead of 2:43. Good to check these things from time to time--no problem, I just fixed the seating and we always fly in early when cruising.

 

If you book early, just plan on things changing!:rolleyes:

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[WCAB]

We booked an 11:00 a.m. flight from FLL to LAX in November, since then the flight changed to 10:30, that was going to be too close for comfort so we called American and they changed us to a 4:30 p.m. flight. We had booked on line They were realy nice about the change and did not mention any penalties for making the change.

 

Carol

[WASUP]

we also had a change with AA and they changed the time and the airport, we had tickets for Miami and when they changed the departure time by two hours, they also let us change the airport we departed from, now we are leaving ot of Fort Lauderdale. We paid 430 a ticket to Anchorage and back via Vancouver and when I looked at the new flight ticket price, it was 605 to do the itenrary. Now I hope they dont change it again.

[karfest]

Our return flight changed yet again so I went on the AA site, found a flight going through DFW rather than ORD that would be acceptable. I called Cheap Tickets and explained that my return flight was now getting in 3 hours later than I originally booked.

 

She put me on hold to call AA. Within 5 minutes she was back with my flight changes made!! No Charge since my flight was more than 90 minutes different than the original one I booked. They didn't automatically change this because they don't want to change your connecting airport without permission. Anytime I can avoid going through O'Hare, I'll take it!

 

American sent me a new itinerary and now all is well. Until they change it again...:)

[CruisinMatt]

Congrats Karen!!! :) Bon Voyage!

[karfest]

Thanks, Matt-

 

 

Have a great time on your cruise- not too long to wait now! Won't it be great to get out of this horrible weather?

 

Now I start worrying about getting to my flights when the weather stays this crappy. I guess that's why we go a day ahead!

 

Have Fun:D