
Since I started taking questions on the comments of my Ask Rick post, some really interesting travel and airline issues have come up. The one I’d like to focus on today will touch a nerve for a lot of travelers I bet, because it highlights one of those airline policies that, to many, seems to defy logic.
Barbara writes:
My husband and I purchased airline tickets for ourselves as well as one for my stepson. My stepson was not able to make the planned trip. Because he was not checked in, the airline sold his ticket (that WE paid for) to someone else. How can an airline do that? Aren’t we entitled to something if we pay for it even if we don’t use it?
Barbara, in most cases in life, when you buy something it’s yours whether you use it or not. However, that’s not necessarily the case with the airlines. When you purchase a non-refundable ticket, it is governed by the exchange and cancellation rules of the airfare. Ironically these rules are in the category called “PENALITIES”.
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I had a couple of minutes this morning, so I picked another question from the Ask Rick Post (in the comments) to chat about.
Elliott Asks:
I have a question about posted delays that get rescinded. My girlfriend was on the last ORD - CVG flight on United, and got a message that it was delayed 2 hours several hours prior, certainly before most passengers would have arrived at the airport. Flight info. online and on the phone confirmed the delay.
We decided to go for dinner with the extra time. As our meals were arriving, she got another message, saying the flight was now leaving on time. So, we quickly got the food to go, and rushed to Ohare as fast as we could. She made the flight, but it was fairly close.
The question is about the airlines responsibility had she missed it. Since the delay was posted, and seemed pretty official, would UA have been held responsible for honoring her ticket,and any extra expenses? Or are passengers supposed to be at the gate on time, even if they know there has been a significant delay posted? Even as a fairly frequent traveler, I have never encountered a situation like this.
Excellent question Elliot.
You have run into a relatively “new” and increasingly common issue caused by the proliferation of flight status notification tools (SMS, Email).
There are several variations of this question I would like to address. First some background.
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This post has been moved to a special section.
I get a lot of questions from readers regarding travel tips, airline policies, fare pricing, and more. I do my best to answer every question, but as most of you know, there just aren’t always enough hours in the day to get to everything.
I thought it might be a good idea for me to start a weekly segment on the blog where I choose the questions that seem to come up the most, or those that shed some light on issues that affect all of us as travelers. I’m calling it Ask Rick, and it will debut this Friday.
Please submit any questions you have about the airline industry, travel, or anything else that you think might make your life in the air a little bit easier. My hope is that over time, we’ll be able to cover a wide range of issues, and everybody will be better prepared when they’re planning their next trip.
Update
Now Posted: