<p>Does anyone have experience booking air reservations through studentuniverse.com? Was it good, bad, neither?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Haven’t ever heard of it, but I always use kayak.com. They seem to consistently have the best rates and I like their website’s methods of helping you weed through the flights you don’t want to even consider.</p>
<p>D booked her flight for study abroad program through Student Universe. No problems so far. But I second the recommendation for kayak.</p>
<p>I booked some flights through it few years ago. It can be cheaper sometimes (though not always!!)
The student has to present his student ID when checking in.</p>
<p>Have had more misses than hits with finding flights on studentuniverse. Check out [Cheap</a> student airfare deals, hotels, travel | STA TRAVEL | Home](<a href=“http://www.statravel.com/]Cheap”>http://www.statravel.com/)</p>
<p>I just booked a one-way flight for D to go abroad this summer through the StudentUniverse. It was $1,800(!!!) cheaper than booking the same flight through the airline directly.</p>
<p>my dd used Student Universe regularly over past 4 yrs in college. Mostly for travel abroad but also some US trips. She has always had good luck and good discounts. I would advise check against other sources first (I like kayak, itasoftware, and travelzoo) before booking to be sure if getting a good discount.</p>
<p>Our daughter has used it extensively over the four undergrad years. Student Universe has always given us the best fares, but often it will tell you there are no student-fare seats available on the specific route you are exploring. So if you plan to use this service, book early!!</p>
<p>I just booked a flight for July and saved over $100, plus I got non-stops when everyone else was offering me layovers. It’s my first time booking through them, but so far I’m happy.</p>
<p>Used it. Best fare I found anywhere, and no problems. Didn’t have to present student ID, but one should be prepared to do so (I think I did have to have my student status verified through a college email or something like that, but I could be misremembering).</p>
<p>I second the suggestions to also check STA and Kayak, but I’ve had positive experiences with all.</p>
<p>They used to require the student ID. Now they are verifying your student status when you order the tickets</p>
I do not recommend student universe. Two friends and I used it this last semester (Fall 2014) for a study abroad experience in Denmark. We had to change our return flight home and contacted StudentUniverse through a CHAT representative a month before our new return flight date. We were told that there would be a ticket change fee (understandable) and that everything would be processed and we would get our tickets.
Well, that didn’t exactly happen as promised. Five international phone calls later over the course of 3 weeks, wracking up to over 2 hours worth of phone time, and we finally have our tickets home.
A phone representatives actually lied to me about contacting me with the new tickets (we’ll send a CONFIRMATION email in 24-48 hours. Didn’t happen. Repeatedly.) and then lied about the hours of the other department—the one who actually handles flight changes and who I couldn’t contact. I looked up this department while on hold and found a 24 hour phone line to them and their actual hours. Every time I talked to a new representative the ticket change fee was higher—starting with around $350 and ending up to $800-750 per ticket—and the other girls and I just grew more desperate.
Each time we called they always settled on a flight. They provided us with a flight number, times, and destinations, but after never receiving confirmation of the booking, we called. Every single time we called, the flight was different than the one that we had been promised. First we had a layover in Chicago, we called back, and were told that we had an over night layover in Houston. We made arrangements to stay with a family member, but then after once again never receiving the confirmation, we called. This time they told us that we were flying into Dulles for an overnight stay. Luckily we also have family in Virginia. However, after not receiving ANOTHER confirmation, we called. We immediately asked to talk to a supervisor. The representative said that he was on an emergency call, and that those could take hours. We promised to call back every hour, on the hour, and finally, after ANOTHER call, we were able to talk to a supervisor and work out the flight changes
It all worked out in the end. (Mostly. I still have to actually get back to America and talk to them again about my outrageous phone BILL)
My POINT is: check reviews before using these kinds of services. I’m sure often everything works out fine and dandy—but when it doesn’t, you should be aware that studentuniverse failed me on multiple occasions when all I needed was a way to get home
Avoid doing business with Student Universe at all cost!
A month after my first flight had been deemed ineligible for my trip to Italy, I booked a second flight. While waiting for the consulate to approve my second flight, I submitted a transaction dispute for my first one. To put things in perspective, I’m leaving in July, and this is the first time I’ve traveled alone like this, so I just wanted to get everything done asap before the time gets the best of me.
Student Universe refused to refund me the first flight, so I had my bank involve and they disputed the transaction for me. Now Student Universe determines to screw me over with my second flight, by canceling it, if I don’t agree to pay for the first one.
Since the flight is tied to the eligibility of my visa documents, and I’m leaving in 4 weeks, I don’t have enough time to send my paper back to the consulate and have them approve another flight. It would take them at least a week to even get back to me.
I have been planning for this trip for a very long time and cannot afford to skip it all, so I will unhappily pay for both flights. They’ve lost a customer.
I booked S upcoming flight through them. Didn’t seem to be a problem. He needed a one way fare to Europe and any of the regular sites were way more expensive for the one way ticket. It’s still more expensive than 1/2 of a round trip but enough so to make it worth while. Once the booking was completed I was able to go directly to the airline website and upgrade my 6’3" S to economy plus. Same as if I’d booked with the airline directly.
@iAbc21 If I understand your situation you booked a flight assuming other needed legal matters would settled as you anticipated. When they did not you wished to change the flight. Is that correct?
Flights are categorized as non-refundable, changeable with a fee, fully refundable or changeable without a fee. If you booked the lowest cost fare it was most likely the non-refundable. It probably had a high change fee option.
No airline is going to care if your personal legal matters interfere with a flight you booked. The flight is not tied to the eligibility of your visa documents, your ability to travel is tied to those docs. It is not the fault of the airline or booking agent.