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Feb. 21, 2007 I am not a frequent flier. I have made about 50 flights in my life, mostly international. As I traveled around contiguous land masses, like Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America, I always preferred bus or train. It costs much less and you see much more. In 2004, I took a preliminary trip to South America, from Los Angeles to Lima, mostly by bus. However, the Darièn Gap in Panamà and Colombia prevents you from going all the way by bus. Also, bus fares in Mèxico and Colombia proved higher than I had thought. Combined bus and air fares amounted to $700 each way, and it took a week to cover the 5000 or so miles. It would probably take 4 more days from Lima to Buenos Aires, at a cost of another $300. So I decided to fly from LA to BA. As I mentioned in my previous article, I bought the ticket online from Orbitz Travel, and I wouldn't go so far as to say Orbitz swindled me, but, constructively, it was the same thing. I entered my starting and finishing cities and the other information on Orbitz's questionnaire, and a number of alternative flights were listed. Most were direct flights that cost over $1000, but there was one plan that offered a series of three flights for only $400. Naturally, I chose that plan, which perhaps a really seasoned flier would have known better than to do. I deliberately scheduled the flight months in advance, and Orbitz promises to inform you promptly if there are any problems. I was to fly from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, then from Costa Rica to Perù, and finally from Perù to Buenos Aires. It was no bother for me, even if I had to loiter around the airport 8 hours in Costa Rica. I gave my notice where I was living that I would vacate by December 10, 2004. Just 36 hours before flight time, I got an e-mail from Orbitz telling me that my first and third flights had been confirmed, but my second flight canceled. I called, and after an interminable wait, I was told that I could not cancel the confirmed flights. So I had a flight from LA to Costa Rica and another from Perù to Buenos Aires, with only 15 hours to get from Costa Rica to Perù on my own. I was very upset and angry, so I e-mailed Orbitz saying that they had left me with an impossible situation. They told me I'd have to call on the telephone if I wanted to discuss the matter. I dialed Orbitz, got a recorded message, telling me to wait for the next available representative, with an estimated wait of 10 minutes. I sat with the phone at my ear for an hour and a half. It was 5 PM on the day before my flight. I just had to hang up. I rushed out on the street to a travel agency, and they told me there wasn't anything thed could do about my tickets from Orbitz. But they were very helpful. When I gave then all the information, they tried to find a flight from Costa Rica to Perù at the right time. The only availability was a business class seat in the same plane from which I had been bumped, for $800. But I was very lucky. They found a flight from Los Angeles to Lima that very night for $400. I bought it, went straight home, picked up my baggage, bade everyone farewell and took buses to Los Angeles LAX Airport. I merely trashed the first flight I had already confirmed, and flew straight to Lima, where I arrived about a day before the third flight of the original plan, which was still in effect. I stayed in a hotel in Lima and caught the plane for Buenos Aires the next day. So the result was that the flight cost me $800 instead of $400. I considered making a claim against Orbitz, but their insurer doesn't even have an e-mail address. I'd have to do it all by phone from Buenos Aires, with precious little hope of rectifying the whole matter in any case. So I merely accepted the loss. It was still cheaper than any other flight, but cost me a lot of anxiety. So if you plan to use Orbitz, be careful. They're not swindlers; they are just ill-organized and incompetent apparently. Still dollars lost are dollars lost. ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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