I’m glad they will consider waiving the fee, HImom. I didn’t think anyone would do that any more. I hate change fees. I was thinking that Southwest was the only one who didn’t charge them anymore. However, I had a flight that I forgot to cancel (maybe it was one hour prior), and even though it was a refundable ticket, they would not refund it. Usually with our corporate travel, even if someone forgets to cancel it, it’s still refundable after the fact
That is a huge benefit with Alaska, Bunsen. I hope they don’t change it. I’ve never had status with them, so I haven’t had the benefits. But come October, I’m going to ask for the Gold 75K status match. Hopefully they won’t laugh hysterically. I actually do fly that much with them, but always get credit on Delta instead.
I wish every time an airline crew notices that someone is recording them with their cell phone, that they would do what this sharp gate agent did. Who whips out their cell phone to record the gate agent when they are unable to get them a new seat on a full flight?
Sadly, we had had to cancel and rebook flights when my physicians ordered me not to fly due to infections. I had to pay the change fee for myself and companion but was refunded by United for the change fee and had the full price of the ticket to apply to another ticket.
@busdriver11, it goes with the territory, when you have chronic health issues but still need to be places that you can’t drive to from HI. We have been flying with our kids since they were 6 months old and have never had the numerous problems that many people have been having lately. We work as well as we can with the airlines and try to resolve things as early as possible, for our sake and theirs.
Most of the personnel in the airport and airlines in HI are pretty nice and try to work with most of the customers. It’s those few folks that woke on the wrong side of the bed that make life challenging for everyone. If I had to choose one of the worse places to resolve a dispute, it would be in the middle of an airplane that is trying to load passengers–everyone loses in such a scenario.
I am not following you here @Busdriver11. Based on my own experience my opinion is that the airlines have discretion and could have exercised that discretion to have the ticket put in the child’s name. Just like they did in my situation. And I believe that more so after this Delta situation when I read that the TSA said this:
Doesn’t mean the airlines has to, but they can if they so choose.
True, HImom. But often, people just don’t care, they are oblivious to everyone except themselves. That is why people bring warm strong smelling food on flights, take off their shoes so you can smell their socks they haven’t washed in weeks, fart continuously, wear big backpacks that smack everyone who is sitting in the aisle, shuffle cards loudly (10 times), when everyone around them is trying to sleep, smack and pop their gum continuously, keep their window shade up when it’s light out and others are attempting to sleep, and fully recline quickly without looking behind them…I could go on forever.
But most of these things are just inconsiderate, and not delaying. However, it’s along the same lines. I’m entitled, I don’t care about anyone else, it’s about me.
@HarvestMoon1 - anything out of the ordinary requires a call and a higher manager’s approval. Can’t just roll onto a plane and demand what you want no matter how cute the kids might be.
I agree @BunsenBurner but the Schears in their most recent interview said they advised the airline staff at check-in of their situation and were cleared to board. I am not privy to what their tickets read but the staff at the check in desk knew of the switch.
Except, based on your own experience, you say you don’t actually know if your husband’s ticket was put in your child’s name or if they cancelled/refunded his ticket and got a new ticket for your child.
So what exactly are you saying? I feel like two different people are posting under your user name.
Are you saying that you are certain that when your husband was unable to get onto a flight, the airline just switched names and put your child’s name onto the ticket? Or what are you saying?
Delta just told me they will absolutely not do that under any circumstances.
Well, if they said it, it must be true, right? At this point, I’m really not believing a single word they say. Mr. Schear said that he flies all the time. He doesn’t appear stupid, so I’m assuming he knows better. If we accept that he’s telling the truth, perhaps the staff said, “Okay, whatever, move along. Next.”
I didn’t listen to his interview, so I’m curious if he answered these questions. What did he pay for his son to get on the earlier flight? Did he buy a new ticket, and what did it cost? Why did he say it was a problem on the way over to Hawaii (though they let him bring the carseat on, supposedly)?
Change of the name or a new ticket? I bet it will be easy to check. Every ticket has a long (13?) digit number. If only the name is switched, the number will stay the same. If a new ticket is issued, then I guarantee that the number will change. Your cc and airline mileage account will have all of this info.
@Busdriver 11-- It was you who quoted me incorrectly as saying I did it through a “name change”.
But based on the TSA’s statement in my #205 I would argue that they could do it through a name change or any way they so choose. There is no federal regulation preventing them from doing so as long as they run the name through a database for security purposes. . Whether they choose to do so in any individual circumstance is up to them and perhaps to avoid issues with consolidators they re-book instead --net net it is the same.
But this is turning into a "debate’ which is going to get us moderated and I think my posts on my position are pretty clear.
I personally would like an apology from Mr 15 min of fame. For wasting all of our time arguing airline rules. However, perhaps this will be helpful for the airlines, so people actually have a clue from now on.
I thank God that people can’t just switch names on flights. Could you imagine how difficult it would be to get from point A to B if people were buying up the cheap tickets and reselling them? It’s bad enough with airline fares as it is.
I’m wishing the crewmembers would start whipping out their cellphones and recording bad behavior from customers!
Harvestmoon, do you not see the problem? You start off with arguing things like this:
And then you follow it with personal examples about how it had been done for you. But then, maybe you’re not sure. But hey, they could have done it. But now you weren’t certain that it was done.
Just because there is no federal regulation doesn’t mean that airlines are going to do this if it is against their policy. Of course they aren’t, they would lose a ton of money.
So I’m thinking that what you’re saying is that maybe it was done for you, maybe not…unsure. But hey, they could do it for this family? Why would they stop everything, forget all the airline rules, and spend the time and effort to somehow magically change the names (that Delta says they cannot do) for this one family? What makes them so special? Are they exceptionally amazing that everyone else should wait, and the rules should get waived and changed…onboard the aircraft, when everyone is trying to get on and go? Is it the loudest mouth and the biggest complainer wins?
Harvestmoon, I suggest that you start from your earliest posts and review them. Look at the responses to them and you will understand why people are thinking something different than what you think you said. Read it with an open mind. I have also posted conflicting posts before, and it wasn’t until I reread them that I understood why people were confused.
Do you know this family or have some connection with them? You seem to not question them at all, so that would make sense if you knew them.
So here’s another one for you. I definitely have sympathy for him, as it is difficult to sit on a long flight when someone is spilling into your seat. I wonder why these passengers did not book an extra seat (though we know, expensive). However, I don’t have sympathy for his proposed solution, to allow him into a crew seat or make someone else sit there. Umm…really? Hey, force someone else into my seat so I don’t have to sit there, or give me a seat that I’m not allowed to sit in.
I wonder if the airlines have (or should have) some sort of specific rule posted…if you are over this size, or cannot fit into this size seat, you must purchase an additional seat. I have heard that Southwest enforces additional seats being purchased, but what do they do if it’s a full flight and there is no extra seats? I also have sympathy for larger passengers. It is hard enough to fit into a seat if you are thin, but if you are large or tall? Yikes!
We have been flying with our kids since they were 6 months old and have never had the numerous problems that many people have been having lately. We work as well as we can with the airlines and try to resolve things as early as possible, for our sake and theirs.