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I booked a flight this morning and somehow booked the wrong weeks, just shifted a fortnights holiday to a week later, not a big deal but it meant I arrived at my destination on my birthday when I had wanted that day in the middle of my holiday. So I looked to see if I could change my flights, strangely if I tried to change my booking it said no flights were available for the dates I actually wanted, but if I did a fresh search they were.
So I thought I would see about cancelling and then rebooking, expecting figures to come up saying what the cancelation charges would be before finalising the cancelation (I thought I could cancel within 24 hours free of charge) but it cancelled before giving any confirmation of charges until after the cancelation, and it has cost me a grand. I will have to ring the airline in the morning to see if they will be merciful, but I suspect not.
I feel a little sick now.
No use to you now, but I've had success in the past phoning the airline directly after screwing up my booking and offering to pay to change it - especially if it's showing seats available on the day I want to change to.
Many years ago, me and my younger brother were working the ski season in Kitzbuhel. My Mom decided to come out for a visit and booked flights to Strasbourg instead of Salzburg and the airline were great at sorting out her mess.
I’ve no idea if they are so understanding these days?
airline?
No use to you but for anything other than cheap flights I've had success with independent travel agents. Its what they do for a living, it normally works out cheaper and any issues are on them.
This internet culture has basically pushed everything on to the consumer and pushed many people out of a job. Its rubbish.
It is Singapore airlines, I was going to phone them to sort it out, but you have to book a phone appointment with them to change bookings, that takes a few days, and I thought I was up against a 24 hour deadline to cancel.
I know it is mainly my fault, but their website and service offerings have contributed.
I did something similar with Ryanair a few years ago. I was charged to change the date, only to find out afterwards it would of been cheaper just to of written off the wrong flight as to book the correct date was cheaper than the bloody amendment fee.
No use to you but for anything other than cheap flights I’ve had success with independent travel agents. Its what they do for a living, it normally works out cheaper and any issues are on them.
My Daughter in Law is a TA she booked herself on the wrong flight once 😂 I always double check stuff when she books for us
Ouch.
A few years ago GF turned up two hours before her train left St Pancras to get a train to Munich only to be told by the guy at the counter that she was late. She was a bit confused as it was silly early.... Like 8:00.
She was a day late.
Pre internet booking I managed to pay for flights and accommodation that were a week different in timings. The guy renting the house in Sweden took the booking by week of the year. I thought I knew the 28th week of the year but i was wrong. Rynair let me move the flights for a fee. But my the time I realised weekend flights were crazy expensive. So we stayed an extra 5 days some where really cheap to fly on cheap days. So it all came good in the end
Last year I booked Hook of Holland to Harwich return, instead of the other way round. Realised mistake 30 minutes later when I got round to reading confirmation email and telephone call sorted it out. My cabin of choice wasn't available, so I stumped up the extra for a fancy cabin at the front with minibar included, which will spoil it for me next time when it's standard cabins.
Worth trying to a human. You never know.
I dunno why (I do, it's because I'm an idiot), but our hol booking always seem to have multiple moving parts that could go wrong. (Worse during covid mins, multiple bloody tests and certificates.)
A simple week on Fuerte. Book the flight, book the leave, book the accommodation, book the car. Then cancel the car to change lead driver (head injury, told not to drive for six months. hey ho) . Then alter the booking so two of our adult kids can come. Then hassle to pay for the booking as my bank declined the payment twice (no I'm not being scammed). Cancel and rebook.
Then check details a couple of days before we leave. And I've booked to pick up the hire car on a different island. Sigh. Cancel and rebook with a different company. (Sorry Autoreisen and thanks Cicar, you're both great.)
So er, yeah. Sympathy.
Aye. OP, you're not alone...
I turned up at the hovercraft with a car full en route to the Alps. 'Bit early' says the man. 'Errrm, an hour or two mebbies' says I... The booked crossing was +24hrs. Ahem.
Another time, in the kitchen rehydrating after a great ride. Phone goes. 'we're just coming through customs, we'll see you landside' - my chums and I inbound from different countries meeting up for a bit of ski mountaineering. 'Errrm, my flights tomoz (it wasn't)' says I. 'Well, we'll see you tomoz then' said a very chilled chum. I had to pay £400 for the flight I'd just missed and they had to drive from Bourg St Maurice to Geneva and back to pick me up. Many beers were bought to compensate.
Another +1 for the not alone crew!
Booked flights in the wrong month, changed them immediately and got charged the same again! If I had have cancelled and rebooked it would have been free but the airline wouldn’t budge after the event.
My sympathies.
RM.
You have my sympathy, you travel enough stuff goes wrong.
When backpacking I turned up to Auckland airport a day early by accident. The return bus to town was about £20 each way so I slept on the floor in departures. At least I got on the flight.
When travelling to Switzerland with my son at Basel airport, I left him to collect the bags while I went to get the hire car. I exited on the French side and he (correctly) went to the Swiss. Queued for 20 minutes to be told I was in the wrong country, and the hire desk on the Swiss side shut 10 minutes ago.
In Amsterdam I went to the gate for Leeds flight, it was right flight time but wrong airline, mine was at other end of the airport and the gate was about to close, and it's a big airport.
Talk to the AI Chatbot, it might be more helpful than you expect 🙂
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/16/air-canada-chatbot-lawsuit
If you book online and directly with the airline you are legally entitled to cancel without charge within 24 hours if the booking, if via a travel agent, even if it’s the airlines own agent like Ba holidays, where you can book flight and hotels/cars etc, the minute you book, you are at the mercy of their t&c’s.