Same Here

did you call orbitz?

UPS delivered both my single 4th of July trip ticket, and my family vacation tickets. I knew it was worth the extra $5 to get it quick. :)

Hopefully everything will iron out in the end. I'm also hoping that we'll be able to change dates on tickets as well.

Thanks to Heathrow guy for the update!

Cheaptickets is now showing all segments cancelled except for domestic. Hopefully that will change.

I tried to log into Orbitz and it says the following:

You cannot log in at this time because an Orbitz Customer Care Representative is currently accessing your
account or processing a request. If you feel this is in error, please call Orbitz Customer Care at 1-888-656-4546.
If calling from outside the United States, call 1-312-416-0018.

Interesting.

Have you called them already to request a re-instatement?
Maybe they are going to do it without the calls to save their CSR reps and time? Let us know when you re-log on what the status is!

Ha... but seriously, could we agree to edit that idea out? May not make a difference, but I hate to see him credit you with a money making idea from your post :(

Why :D

HeathrowGuy, thanks for the update/insight. It's most appreciated.

Ugh. They won't just transfer me.

This may not extrapolate to this travel situation, and I'm not an attorney. I'm involved in a non-travel related legal issue where there is pretty solid Case Law that a contract entered into as a result of a "mistake" is voidable by either party. For example, on a purchase agreement for a house, the decimal point is in the wrong place and instead of $250,000, it's listed as $25,000. Even if both parties sign, it is voidable, at least in my state, if it can be shown to be a "mistake," which I believe is a legally defined word. I'm assuming that the contract must be voided prior to the closing, i.e., deed transfer, for one to void the contract.

There may be some correlation, however, some may argue that, upon tickets being issued, the "closing" has already occurred. It is an interesting question. My guess would be that the "closing" doesn't occur until the flight. That is, the airline reserves the right to cancel the flight, change the equipment, and probably even cancel the ticket, prior to the flight. At the point at which they accept your ticket for boarding, the transaction has been consummated. In any event, my guess is that the ticket purchaser's "remedy" is an amount only up to the ticket price paid, not actual or punitive damages. (Think if you could sue an airline for cancelling a flight that caused you to lose a $1M deal or something -- you're pretty much out of luck, I believe.).

This may not extrapolate to this travel situation, and I'm not an attorney. I'm involved in a non-travel related legal issue where there is pretty solid Case Law that a contract entered into as a result of a "mistake" is voidable by either party. For example, on a purchase agreement for a house, the decimal point is in the wrong place and instead of $250,000, it's listed as $25,000. Even if both parties sign, it is voidable, at least in my state, if it can be shown to be a "mistake," which I believe is a legally defined word. I'm assuming that the contract must be voided prior to the closing, i.e., deed transfer, for one to void the contract.

There may be some correlation, however, some may argue that, upon tickets being issued, the "closing" has already occurred. It is an interesting question. My guess would be that the "closing" doesn't occur until the flight. That is, the airline reserves the right to cancel the flight, change the equipment, and probably even cancel the ticket, prior to the flight. At the point at which they accept your ticket for boarding, the transaction has been consummated. In any event, my guess is that the ticket purchaser's "remedy" is an amount only up to the ticket price paid, not actual or punitive damages. (Think if you could sue an airline for cancelling a flight that caused you to lose a $1M deal or something -- you're pretty much out of luck, I believe.).

Good thing this same issue has been debated in depth in most other mistake fare threads on FT. No need to get into again here, especially since it looks like these tickets are being honored.

Somebody has probably already mentioned this, but if Orbitz sent out the tickets, and is now trying to call them back, then they obviously have some sort of value, as recalling UPS deliveries costs extra.

Have you called them already to request a re-instatement?
Maybe they are going to do it without the calls to save their CSR reps and time? Let us know when you re-log on what the status is!

Unless things have changed, Orbitz has agreed with Alitalia to "push" refunds or fare buy-ups, offering reinstatements only if the customer pushes back.

...Even if both parties sign, it is voidable, at least in my state, if it can be shown to be a "mistake," which I believe is a legally defined word...

exactly the point - what is a "mistake" defined as? some of you may have heard about the 27 billion JPY "error" ($270 million, or $2.7 million if you're travelocity) a trader at mizuho bank made not too long ago, and the tokyo exchange wouldn't reverse it. you gotta have rules about these things, and if you don't, prepare for mass confusion, hysteria, and speculation :D

Unless things have changed, Orbitz has agreed with Alitalia to "push" refunds or fare buy-ups, offering reinstatements only if the customer pushes back.
HeathrowGuy -- your advice is very much appreciated. Congrats on getting your tix reinstated.

Has anyone else met with similar sucess? I have 3 tix for 4-14Nov YYZ-LCA-YYZ via MXP both ways and will be calling Orbitz momentarily.
--
13F

so if my orbitz itin is not modified or cancelled, then i don't have to do anything....right?

thanks heathrowguy for the update :)

reinstated!!!! ^ ^ ^

they transferred me to the airline representative actually and he also confirmed that as well as the Orbitz agent


thanks to HeathrowGuy!

That is so Awesome!! I am on eternal hold w/ orbitz.com wating to get mine reinstated.

reinstated!!!! ^ ^ ^

they transferred me to the airline representative actually and he also confirmed that as well as the Orbitz agent


thanks to HeathrowGuy!
How long did it take you from hello to re-instated?

With CT now. They really do push the first two options as if they're the only ones!!!

After refusing both I'm on hold again.

They are still saying it was canceled due to a schedule change. HA HA i'm like i'm in Sabre right now. And the flight you said is at the same time. Your in Worldspan can you see the flight at the same time. She agreed. Oh boy. This is a pain.

Im on the phone now. Agent is talking to Ticketing Desk. I'll keep everyone posted on what happens!!

We've been on the phone with Orbitz for a while.... got nowhere. They said they'd not know what was going on until 6 or 7 tonight. They'd then email everyone.

(We had ticket#s).

How long did it take you from hello to re-instated?
10 min

Unless things have changed, Orbitz has agreed with Alitalia to "push" refunds or fare buy-ups, offering reinstatements only if the customer pushes back.

Called, didn't get anywhere. No transfer to ticketing desk, no acknowledgment that any memo or new "orders" exist (even after my prodding, she denied the existence of the 3 options). CSR put me on hold, checked with ticketing desk, returned to say that the situation is not yet resolved. Worth calling back?

My tickets are really in limbo right now. I booked through Orbitz and they have not been cancelled. They do not, however, have ticket numbers. What a mess... I am not sure how to proceed. At some point, Orbitz has got to do something, either mail me tickets or cancel.

The Orbitz agent seemed to know what I was talking about but he transferred to the 'exchange desk' (on-hold) is this the same as 'ticketing desk'?

Are they only reinstating the tickets that were assigned ticket numbers and the paper tickets were sent or are in transit?

I booked around 2pm EST yesterday. I did not get a ticket number assigned only the airline record locator number and orbitz number and my ticket has been cancelled. Also I did not receive any cancellation email, it was just cancelled online.

Called Orbitz, first got an outsourced agent who said that for ticketing information, he would have to transfer me, and that the number to call for ticketing (if I get disconnected) is 800-228-7162. I'm on hold right now waiting for that department to answer....

At first they told me no, then when I pushed contacted Alitalia, who apparently is now referring all inquiries to an internal e-mail address. She e-mailled and is waiting for response, but in the meantime I pushed her to call down to Ticketing. Still on hold.

This stupid woman won't transfer me to the ticketing desk. Says it's for "our use only"

...???!!!!! Been on the phone for about 40 mins now. ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Some dots to connect or not…

- Alitalia's bailout late last year by an investment consortium led by Deutsche Bank involved sale of securities totaling more than the capital assets of the airline. Hedge funds bought a major stake and Deutsche Bank was criticized for its overly optimistic view of AZ's finances. In the deal the Italian government's stake in the airline was to fall below 50% for the first time.

- This followed Alitalia getting crosswise with the EU last year over proposed government loans to the airline, which would have gone against EU policy regarding support of state-controlled airlines.

- The airline is under media scrutiny over possible disagreements with its auditors (Deloitte & Touche) regarding under-statement of Alitalia's losses in 2005. They may have lost more than they said. What did Deutsche Bank know and when did they know it?

- Berlusconi has promised, but not delivered very well, to run the government in a more "business-like" manner. Does this convey through to current/former government-owned/controlled enterprises?

- Italian general election is April 9.

- There reputedly are fairly voracious newspaper reporters in Italy. Some use cameras and Vespas.

- Oh, and Air Cyprus is also state-owned, tanking, and crosswise with the EU over government subsidies.

If the tickets are reinstated, it makes the airline look honorable and incompetent. If the cancellations stand, it makes the airline look crooked and incompetent. Everybody assumes incompetence, but few assume crookedness.

Short term economic losses are one thing; loss of sales channels and worldwide publicity over incompetence plus sneakiness = long term losses.

Called, didn't get anywhere. No transfer to ticketing desk, no acknowledgment that any memo or new "orders" exist (even after my prodding, she denied the existence of the 3 options). CSR put me on hold, checked with ticketing desk, returned to say that the situation is not yet resolved. Worth calling back?

You cannot be transferred directly to the Ticketing Desk. When first connected to a Mauritius-based agent, you need to ask for a supervisor, who can then transfer you to the (stateside) Travel Desk. The Travel Desk can then establish a dialouge of its own with the Ticketing Desk, and it's the Ticketing Desk that has the most up-to-date information on reinstatement.

It's roundabout, yes, but such is life sometimes...

My two Travelocity tickets arrived already this morning via Fedex, but my Orbitz reservation was showing "cancelled" when I woke up this morning. After reading Heathrowguy and Javabean's posts, I'm on the phn with Orbitz at the moment... on eternal hold rather... and they're checking with the ticketing desk. She seemed to think there was a chance I was correct in regards to a reinstatement. Will let ya'll know.

I think $5000 is the mistake fare, the business class is overhyped/overrated, 200 bucks sounds about right :) @:-)

^

oops they screw up my reservation
it is now reinstated but the return destination is Boston
"This trip starts and ends at different airports."
and there is no stopover in Milan
and seat are not assigned

what to do??

Not reinstated!

Agent stated they were working on 500 Alitalia reservations and ticketing desk would not reinstate mine at the moment. :td: She said they would get to it. What??

Customers can not speak with the Ticketing Desk directly. Oh well, at least we are moving forward.

She did offer the courtesy cancel, which I firmly but politely declined.-

I am on hold now for nearly 15 minutes

not spoke with any agent yet

This stupid woman won't transfer me to the ticketing desk. Says it's for "our use only"

...???!!!!! Been on the phone for about 40 mins now. ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

The Ticketing Desk is not intended to be a direct point-of-contact for customer interaction. When first connected to a Mauritius-based agent, you need to ask for a supervisor, who can then transfer you to the (stateside) Travel Desk. The Travel Desk can then establish a dialouge of its own with the Ticketing Desk, and it's the Ticketing Desk that has the most up-to-date information on reinstatement.

It's roundabout, yes, but such is life sometimes...

Just received (by Canada Post) the 1st pair of tickets I purchased through travelocity.ca (just before midnight PDT 4 April?). Neither of the PNR isn't being recoqnized by the AZ site. Inteerestingly, the one on the ticket has "AA/XXXXXX" so I tried the AA site. No go.

Either the other 4 tickets will come tomorrow or they won't as there was an "invalid fare basis" returned when I clicked on the fare before buying.

Not reinstated!

Agent stated they were working on 500 Alitalia reservations and ticketing desk would not reinstate mine at the moment. :td: She said they would get to it. What??

AZ unilaterally canceled hundreds of Orbitz bookings, and from what you and others have posted, it seems as if Orbitz is trying to address them in queue fashion. Whatever you do, ensure that you keep names and offices of anyone who you speak to at Orbitz.

This stupid woman won't transfer me to the ticketing desk. Says it's for "our use only"

...???!!!!! Been on the phone for about 40 mins now. ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


When I worked there, that was actually true.



Thanks to the OP! Never been to Cyprus or flown J on AZ. By next year, I'll be quite experienced!

The Ticketing Desk is not intended to be a direct point-of-contact for customer interaction. When first connected to a Mauritius-based agent, you need to ask for a supervisor, who can then transfer you to the (stateside) Travel Desk. The Travel Desk can then establish a dialouge of its own with the Ticketing Desk, and it's the Ticketing Desk that has the most up-to-date information on reinstatement.

It's roundabout, yes, but such is life sometimes...

is everyone openly acknowledging that they know about the "3 options"? or are you playing innocent, angry customer in order to get to the right point of contact?

DON'T CALL CT YET UNLESS YOU ARE READY FOR A FIGHT!!!

They might be giving their agents commision for each refund they can get you to agree on!

I'm speaking to someone in Manila having been redirected from somewhere else first. I am being told that the first two options are the only ones.

oops they screw up my reservation
it is now reinstated but the return destination is Boston
"This trip starts and ends at different airports."
and there is no stopover in Milan
and seat are not assigned

what to do??

1. Get back to a Travel Desk who can connect with the Ticketing Desk to fully reinstate the booking.

2. Wait a couple of days and then call the carriers for seat assignments.

Finally got through to an Orbitz agent! She claims "technical difficulties" so now I'm back to trying to stay awake listening to the hold muzak...

is everyone openly acknowledging that they know about the "3 options"? or are you playing innocent, angry customer in order to get to the right point of contact?

You're innocent regardless, and now no less than AZ has had to reconigze that - once u get to the right folks, just ask for straight-up reinstatement, lest you find yourself forced into a refund.

Interesting, although my tickets are not ticketed, I can now bring up the fare rules (which were unavailable until recently). My flights are still listed as confirmed, but not yet ticketed. Should be interesting to see how this one plays out.

After speaking with 'Poochie' at Orbitz (and I pulled the innocent, non-knowing customer) she said that ticketing department was still researching this fare and working with Alitalia to see if they (AZ) would "guarantee it." She said they hoped to have this resolved by this evening.

After speaking with 'Poochie' at Orbitz (and I pulled the innocent, non-knowing customer) she said that ticketing department was still researching this fare and working with Alitalia to see if they (AZ) would "guarantee it." She said they hoped to have this resolved by this evening.


Poochie??? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, you won't be able to forget that name! :D

Just got off the phn with Orbitz. I never spoke to a Mauritius rep.. spoke to a lovely girl from North Dakota. I informed her I wanted my itin reinstated, she seemed to think that wouldn't be out of the question. She put me on hold for a while so she could talk to ticketing. She came back on the line to say my tickets have been reinstated, and unless I hear otherwise or see otherwise, they will mail out paper tickets hopefully by tomorrow evening.

I just spoke to someone at Alitalia, who told me my reservation is confirmed and ticketed. In fact he even helped me out with seating assigments and adding my CO FF to the reservation....

sounds like a go!

On hold at Orbitz now for the 3rd time during the same call. CSR Sandra says the tickets were not confirmed by the airline "due to a schedule change" and as a result have been cancelled. I was invited to return to the website to rebook. I refused and asked for a supervisor. Still waiting. Total call time 18 mins so far.
--
13F

As hard as it would be to believe, I am still personally not recommending calling.

We have good news that Orbitz, CT, et. al. may be reinstating the reservations, but it looks like from anectodal evidence that not everyone at those establishments is on the same page. Several posters have reported CSRs saying call back tonight or we will send out an email tonight. I think if we just hold off calling a little bit longer, they'll have everything lined up.

Poochie??? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, you won't be able to forget that name! :D

Well I didn't quite hear what she had said and had to ask her to spell it out... Was trying to refrain from LOLing on the phone!

I just spoke to someone at Alitalia, who told me my reservation is confirmed and ticketed. In fact he even helped me out with seating assigments and adding my CO FF to the reservation....

sounds like a go!

Who did you book with originally?

And did that travel agency put you through to AZ - or did you call them directly?

As hard as it would be to believe, I am still personally not recommending calling.

We have good news that Orbitz, CT, et. al. may be reinstating the reservations, but it looks like from anectodal evidence that not everyone at those establishments is on the same page. Several posters have reported CSRs saying call back tonight or we will send out an email tonight. I think if we just hold off calling a little bit longer, they'll have everything lined up.



I hear you, I'd rather wait to call until they are all on the same page then have to call several times and get nowhere

As hard as it would be to believe, I am still personally not recommending calling.

We have good news that Orbitz, CT, et. al. may be reinstating the reservations, but it looks like from anectodal evidence that not everyone at those establishments is on the same page. Several posters have reported CSRs saying call back tonight or we will send out an email tonight. I think if we just hold off calling a little bit longer, they'll have everything lined up.

As much as I like muzak, I agree 100%. I'll let others fight these initial battles. As anyone reading the last few pages can tell, there's conflicting information that will eventually get sorted out.

As hard as it would be to believe, I am still personally not recommending calling.

We have good news that Orbitz, CT, et. al. may be reinstating the reservations, but it looks like from anectodal evidence that not everyone at those establishments is on the same page. Several posters have reported CSRs saying call back tonight or we will send out an email tonight. I think if we just hold off calling a little bit longer, they'll have everything lined up.


I second this, it definitely seems to be the best approach right now.

Did everyone who had their tickets reinstated have ticket numbers in the reservation or just the Orbitz / AZ confirmation numbers?

having taken advantage of a number of these deals (venice, iceland, hawaii), i would recommend NOT calling orbitz.

let them figure everything out. but, of course, people will still call. (i am not sure what they get out of it??) :rolleyes:

Super at intl booking is saying super at ticketing knows nothing about memo/e-mail.
...???

In an effort to grease the PR wheels, I have blogged about the subject.

AndrewC75's Blog Entry (http://www.mindspring.com/~andrew.cohen/2006/04/toronto-to-cyprus-for-200-in-biz-class.html)

I am about to update it to reflect the current possibilities....

1. Get back to a Travel Desk who can connect with the Ticketing Desk to fully reinstate the booking.

2. Wait a couple of days and then call the carriers for seat assignments.
thanks!

it is not a good idea to ask them to make Boston my depature airport too, right? :)

Just saw that Orbitz canceled a few of my legs except for the YYZ-MXP one way leg lol :).

Hopefully it will be reinstated, not calling, waiting to see the general results. ^

CC was charged...

I second this, it definitely seems to be the best approach right now.

I will third this - The guy from CheapTickets Manila apologised and said that their management would not be conferring with clients on a one to one basis any longer and that their management would try to establish a resolution to this matter with Alitalia - which will be dealt with 'en masse'.

It seems to be down to Alitalia now... I'll wait and see....

I guess any real communication will take place by email now.

Just saw that Orbitz canceled a few of my legs except for the YYZ-MXP one way leg lol :).

Hopefully it will be reinstated, not calling, waiting to see the general results. ^
SAme boat except my reservation now reads YYZ to YYZ lol.

For all those saying "why would you call?" well, um, I certainly can understand the temptation.

I've been staring at my uncancelled, unticketed reservation since last night. The anomaly is, they took off my return leg. They're *daring* me to call up and find out what's up with it, so they can say "oh, well, um, you don't have any ticket, really."

I haven't called, and I hope I won't be kicking myself for it, but, c'est la vie.

Heathrowguy, can I get you name (PM me). Or is this wrong to ask? An agent wants to duplicate whatthey did for you.

Thanks, LapLap. Appreciate your updates. ^ ^ ^

Not reinstated!

Agent stated they were working on 500 Alitalia reservations and ticketing desk would not reinstate mine at the moment. :td: She said they would get to it. What??I don't know what your problem is. As the agent told you, you are not the ONLY one with these tickets who wants them reinstated.

Wait till it's your turn. Everyone else has to as well.

Just saw that Orbitz canceled a few of my legs except for the YYZ-MXP one way leg lol :)At least it is only one leg. I had two reservations:

The first one wasn't cancelled and is still in place.
The second one was cancelled and still hasn't been re-instated.

Really weird.

We'll see what happens.

I don't know what your problem is. As the agent told you, you are not the ONLY one with these tickets who wants them reinstated.

Wait till it's your turn. Everyone else has to as well.

Sorry I offended you flyUAyounger. I'm not the enemy. We are all in this game together. ^

Anyone try to do a date change yet?? I still need to change my dates!

For all those saying "why would you call?" well, um, I certainly can understand the temptation.

I've been staring at my uncancelled, unticketed reservation since last night. The anomaly is, they took off my return leg. They're *daring* me to call up and find out what's up with it, so they can say "oh, well, um, you don't have any ticket, really."

I haven't called, and I hope I won't be kicking myself for it, but, c'est la vie.

I can see why those without ticket numbers would want to call ASAP. Those with ticket numbers appear to be in good shape, but if you don't have a ticket number your best chance to get in on this might be to get ahold of an agent who reinstates everything and issues a ticket. If you wait much longer, there's a chance the official policy will be to honor those with tickets and no one else.

I just noticed that all legs are in business now!

Apparently at orbits, the left had does not know what the right hand is doing. I called asking for my reservations to be reinstated. CS rep says that they are not being honored. Told her to talk to the ticketing desk. She put me on hold and said that she called alitalia and they said that they are not honoring the fare. She told me to call them if i wanted to fight it.

Maybe I will just wait awhile untill orbitz gets their ducks in a row. :rolleyes:

following this thread is more entertaining than watching afternoon soaps -- just hope it ends up with a couple of trips to LCA!!

Apparently at orbits, the left had does not know what the right hand is doing. I called asking for my reservations to be reinstated. CS rep says that they are not being honored. Told her to talk to the ticketing desk. She put me on hold and said that she called alitalia and they said that they are not honoring the fare. She told me to call them if i wanted to fight it.

Maybe I will just wait awhile untill orbitz gets their ducks in a row. :rolleyes:


I got this same response too. Now I'm getting mad...

-Vincent

following this thread is more entertaining than watching afternoon soaps -- just hope it ends up with a couple of trips to LCA!!

I missed the fare and I'm not booked on anything, and even *I* am watching this thread! Entertaining...

Maybe I will just wait awhile untill orbitz gets their ducks in a row. :rolleyes:

@:-) @:-) @:-) Brilliant idea. @:-) @:-) @:-)

I got this same response too. Now I'm getting mad...

-Vincent


Well even though I called, I still agree with other posters who have stated that it would be best to wait. They have 500 tickets to reinstate and still need word from Alitalia on the "final verdict" so to speak. Hopefully, each rez is reinstated, but let's give em time to get it worked out.

Having spent more than 24 hours on this like the rest of you all...I now need a week in Larnaca just to recover from this mess!!

Apparently at orbits, the left had does not know what the right hand is doing. I called asking for my reservations to be reinstated. CS rep says that they are not being honored. Told her to talk to the ticketing desk. She put me on hold and said that she called alitalia and they said that they are not honoring the fare. She told me to call them if i wanted to fight it.

Maybe I will just wait awhile untill orbitz gets their ducks in a row. :rolleyes:

or maybe we should try and get reinstated while orbitz is still engulfed in confusion? :rolleyes:

hopefully whatever the "resolution" is, it's to honor the ticketed fares for everybody (or at least 1 per traveler). orbitz should be paying us for exposing how poorly managed/organized they are when there's a problem :cool:

I can see why those without ticket numbers would want to call ASAP. Those with ticket numbers appear to be in good shape, but if you don't have a ticket number your best chance to get in on this might be to get ahold of an agent who reinstates everything and issues a ticket. If you wait much longer, there's a chance the official policy will be to honor those with tickets and no one else.

I'm not sure if the ticket numbers mean anything if they are in the 'CT canceled bin'. My concern was that by doing this, CT would go ahead and give me an automatic refund. At least by talking to someone I've established that I made contact and refused this. In fact I said that I would not accept a refund until I was given a reason for cancellation that conformed to the same T&Cs that I am expected to abide by.

Thanks to Heathrow Guy for posting his own expereinces - they were very useful!!! :-:

Apparently at orbits, the left had does not know what the right hand is doing. I called asking for my reservations to be reinstated. CS rep says that they are not being honored. Told her to talk to the ticketing desk. She put me on hold and said that she called alitalia and they said that they are not honoring the fare. She told me to call them if i wanted to fight it.

Maybe I will just wait awhile untill orbitz gets their ducks in a row. :rolleyes:
Same experience here - was told Orbitz now waiting for en masse policy. Was given "courtesy cancel" option, I declined :)

can somebody please answer this before I call Orbitz again. :)

the changes are allowed without a fee, right?

what changes are allowed, can I add an overnight stopover in Italy or ask them to change connection airport and change dates/times without a fee, if I keep the departure and destination airports the same there will be no penatly, correct?

To any who are dealing with Orbitz:
Are you calling the reg Orbitz number or another number direct to ticketing desk?

I'm not sure if the ticket numbers mean anything if they are in the 'CT canceled bin'. My concern was that by doing this, CT would go ahead and give me an automatic refund. At least by talking to someone I've established that I made contact and refused this. In fact I said that I would not accept a refund until I was given a reason for cancellation that conformed to the same T&Cs that I am expected to abide by.

Thanks to Heathrow Guy for posting his own expereinces - they were very useful!!! :-:

I missed this deal entirely (in the air) but like others, find it fascinating to watch. From past deals on this board, I would guess that 500 tix won't be honoured a la BA as this is full business, not WT+.

So, if I had tix, I would call. Time to set your res apart from the other 499, get it confirmed now, change the dates, do something to avoid being part of a batch computer process. Waiting for a mass policy isn't in my nature, I guess...

can somebody please answer this before I call Orbitz again. :)

the changes are allowed without a fee, right?

what changes are allowed, can I add an overnight stopover in Italy or ask them to change connection airport and change dates/times without a fee, if I keep the departure and destination airports the same there will be no penatly, correct?
Agent will charge you a change fee. I'd deal with the airline directly. No Change fee.

can somebody please answer this before I call Orbitz again. :)

the changes are allowed without a fee, right?

what changes are allowed, can I add an overnight stopover in Italy or ask them to change connection airport and change dates/times without a fee, if I keep the departure and destination airports the same there will be no penatly, correct?

I'd recommend not calling now. Wait until you're certain that the tickets will be honored, and you have them in hand. Then call Alitalia. Probably a week from now.

can somebody please answer this before I call Orbitz again. :)

the changes are allowed without a fee, right?

what changes are allowed, can I add an overnight stopover in Italy or ask them to change connection airport and change dates/times without a fee, if I keep the departure and destination airports the same there will be no penatly, correct?

Why on earth do you need to call them about this *NOW*?

And the answer is yes.

I have a cheapticket reservation that I booked at 3:00am Thursday morning. The complete reservation still shows up and I have a ticket number. I paid for second day air and my reservation still shows no tracking number. Should I just wait on this or should I call for a tracking number to see if they canceled shipment??

I'd recommend not calling now. Wait until you're certain that the tickets will be honored, and you have them in hand. Then call Alitalia. Probably a week from now.

I need to correct the error they made when reinstating - I don't want to return to Boston while departing from Toronto.

I am just wondering if I can change the return to YYZ and add the desired overnight stay in Italy later.

POST DELETED: irrelevant

Anyone try to do a date change yet?? I still need to change my dates!Wait!

I purchased the OSL-PVG/PEK tickets, and they originally told us that no changes were possible at any time. However, when I went to the CPH airport they changed the ticket as many times I wanted, and even allowed me to miss certain segments.

I think we should let the people who DIDN'T get a ticket number, first dibs on calling the ticketing desk. Everyone else who had ticket numberse but then their reservations cancelled should go back to work and be productive to earn some money - Larnaca is not cheap.

I understand that they are working on it, not to call, because they are trying to get a resolution with Alitalia. If you have been able to get them reinstated, great; otherwise, maybe don't tie up their phones.

Just passing that along. :)

I need to correct the error they made when reinstating - I don't want to return to Boston while departing from Toronto.

Doesn't matter. If they'd correct it now, they'd correct it tonight. Or tomorrow. Or better yet, once you have the tickets.

I need to correct the error they made when reinstating - I don't want to return to Boston while departing from Toronto.

I am just wondering if I can change the return to YYZ and add the desired overnight stay in Italy later.No...you....don't....!

WAIT! You already have your ticket re-instated. Do you think it makes a difference if you call again now or wait till tomorrow?

I didn't think so.

Laranaca isn't cheap, which is why I need to add a length stopover in FCO - but yeah I agree that there's no reason to cal *now*. wait until the final resolution before pushing your luck, once it's all confirmed (for real this time) you can play with the fare rules all you want ^

No...you....don't....!

WAIT! You already have your ticket re-instated. Do you think it makes a difference if you call again now or wait till tomorrow?

I didn't think so.

I am not so sure about that, I need the return airport to be changed and this may not be possible later because it will be *the change* as opposed to the error correction. As we all learnt the mistakes should be corrected asap :)

Wait!


I think we should let the people who DIDN'T get a ticket number, first dibs on calling the ticketing desk. Everyone else who had ticket numberse but then their reservations cancelled should go back to work and be productive to earn some money - Larnaca is not cheap.


I take it you didnt get a ticket number? Thats why youre making such a big deal about people calling? :rolleyes:

On hold at Orbitz now for the 3rd time during the same call. CSR Sandra says the tickets were not confirmed by the airline "due to a schedule change" and as a result have been cancelled. I was invited to return to the website to rebook. I refused and asked for a supervisor. Still waiting. Total call time 18 mins so far.
--
13F
I was eventually transferred to Supervisor Daniel.
Orbitz is "aware of the problem" and acknowledges that I am not the only one in this situation.
"Orbitz is pushing back with Alitalia." Me - "so Orbitz is advocating on behalf of the ticket holders." Daniel -- "that's correct sir. Ticket was confirmed and then cancelled and that should not have happened."
Daniel went on to say that discussions with AZ will take some time and no resolution is expected before tomorrow afternoon. He asked that I call back tomorrow evening.
His attitude was refreshing -- not what I was prepared for.
Total time of call: 57 mins.
--
13F

Does anyone have a reservation still completely intact with ticket number and all?

Does anyone have a reservation still completely intact with ticket number and all?Yes. On DL metal over the pond. No UPS tracking no. assigned. February. Confirmed around 12:30pm ET yesterday.

I
Daniel went on to say that discussions with AZ will take some time and no resolution is expected before tomorrow afternoon. He asked that I call back tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow afternoon!

Or worse, evening!

My heart can't take this ;)

I just got off the phone with Orbitz and am hearing the same thing as above. I was told that my current reservation is "unconfirmed" and that it's a "waiting game" as Orbitz negotiates with Alitalia. They told me that they would call me directly in a few days or would send an email. They are handling this en masse. I hope that's good for us, but I don't know.

I take it you didnt get a ticket number? Thats why youre making such a big deal about people calling? :rolleyes:Whatever.

:rolleyes:

I did get a ticket number for both of my reservations. One of them is cancelled. I'm waiting - I have a friend who is supposed to come and she DOESN'T have a ticket number. I just chased her to get on the phone ASAP.

..the ticket be re-instated? That way there is a paper trail when all this gets "solved" tonight or tommorow? Any thoughts???...just thought it would be better than be put on hold for many hours, but still informing them specific to your reservation you would like re-instatement.

Some people have referred to seeing their UPS waybill numbers on the Orbitz
file. Where do you see that?

I have 2 sets of reservations ( 2 people on 1, 1 on the other), all with ticket
numbers and seat assignments; none have been cancelled or altered since I made
them; but I cannot see any confirmation anywhere that the actual paper tickets
have been sent. Where does it show in their files?

... Larnaca is not cheap.

Neither were Iceland or Fiji. :eek: Not sure if I can afford any more of these fare error vacations!

Our friends at Orbitz just told me that AZ is cancelling all res. I think that there may be some value in waiting to call; however, there can be some value in taking advantage of the fog of combat as well.

R

Those who called, had previous had segments disappear, and had their itineraries reinstated, is all back to normal now?

Like, when you were on the phone, did the agent pull up the original reservation without any problems?

I haven't liked seeing only my outbound leg since last night. It be 'spensive to fly back from MXP one way (well, round-trip with an unused return cuts the price in half, but still 'spensive) and even more to try to go all the way from Cyprus.

advice for those calling Orbitz:

different reps handle situation differently
don't ask for the supervisor, ask the rep to call AZ, they did the reinstating not Orbitz
in fact they put me on the phone with AZ agent after the reservation was reinstated

advice for those calling Orbitz:

different reps handle situation differently
don't ask for the supervisor, ask the rep to call AZ, they did the reinstating not Orbitz
in fact they put me on the phone with AZ agent after the reservation was reinstated

Wait - AZ reinstated you?? AZ told me they would not reinstate anyone. :rolleyes:

Edited: Oh, and it's my 100th post! :)

Does anyone have a reservation still completely intact with ticket number and all?

Yes, with Orbitz, but no UPS tracking number yet.

YYZ-FCO(29 hour stop)-LCA-FCO-BOS-YYZ on AZ metal except the last segment on AA regional jet. Entire itinerary shows up on aa.com.

Could the AA flight or the fact seats were selected on aa.com yesterday have anything to do with never getting cancelled?

Has anyone actually called Alitalia in US, Canada or anywhere else today - having received a paper ticket - and asked them if their reservation (a) exists and (b) will be honored? Only asking people with tickets in hands.
I understand the calling of AZ but not Orbitz and CT etc,. as most operators are complete morons and will have NO idea how to handle this. Isnt AZ the right place to deal with this - as they made the error?

This reminds me of a scene from Wargames:

Oh, we've reached an airline! Where do you want to go?

How about Paris?

Sure! (<enters in information)

Wow, so we have tickets to Paris?

No, but we have RESERVATIONS to Paris.

Yes, with Orbitz, but no UPS tracking number yet.

YYZ-FCO(29 hour stop)-LCA-FCO-BOS-YYZ on AZ metal except the last segment on AA regional jet. Entire itinerary shows up on aa.com.

Could the AA flight or the fact seats were selected on aa.com yesterday have anything to do with never getting cancelled?

My last leg went JFK-YYZ on AA and I had selected a seat and as a matter of fact, that leg was the only thing left on my itinerary after they screwed and chopped my reservation.

hey did anybody else have their cancelled Orbitz reservation reinstated or it's just me and HeathrowGuy?

Does anyone have a reservation still completely intact with ticket number and all?

Yes; 1 of 5 itins with Orbitz was not 'ethically cleansed' of the non-US segments (AZ)!!!

Could the AA flight or the fact seats were selected on aa.com yesterday have anything to do with never getting cancelled?

I doubt it. My flight with Mrs. Alliance that ticketed had the first leg on an AA RJ from YYZ to JFK. I logged on to aa.com after they ticketed yesterday and changed the seats to the exit row. AA.com showed the full itin yesterday. Orbitz cancelled on me this morning and now on aa.com it just shows the YYZ-JFK AA leg - nothing else.

hey did anybody else have their cancelled Orbitz reservation reinstated or it's just me and HeathrowGuy?


Just you two

Does anyone have a reservation still completely intact with ticket number and all?
yes, lots of us

Does anyone have a reservation still completely intact with ticket number and all?

Yes. Three reservations for a total of six people.

hey did anybody else have their cancelled Orbitz reservation reinstated or it's just me and HeathrowGuy?


I did. See my previous post.

hey did anybody else have their cancelled Orbitz reservation reinstated or it's just me and HeathrowGuy?


Not me! I am waiting on the phone right now hoping for the best. I was even ask what Heathrowguys name was(I said I had a friend who got his reinstated). Then the agent was going to check 'my friends -heathrowguy" and try to duplicate the way the changes were made. Of course All I know is Heathrowguy :) :rolleyes: :(

Did anyone get on the phone with cheaptickets?got an e-mail about 4.30 am ET saying that AZ did not confirm my flights,hence the trip was canceled.It shows as such on AA.com(1 segm on AA,YYZ-JFK) and on cheaptickets.com.I have ticket numbers!and I did change my seat selection on AA.com yesterday afternoon!what to do?I need the tickets!should I call or wait?I'm getting nervous!

can somebody please answer this before I call Orbitz again. :)

the changes are allowed without a fee, right?

what changes are allowed, can I add an overnight stopover in Italy or ask them to change connection airport and change dates/times without a fee, if I keep the departure and destination airports the same there will be no penatly, correct?

Incorrect. You have to have the same routing. You can change your dates, get a stopover by changing the date of the next flight, etc but your routing cannot change. So if you are booked from YYZ-ORD-FCO-MXP-LCA (like me) - any changes will have to follow the same route otherwise they have to reissue the ticket (which means re-price). Atleast this is what I was told.

Not me! I am waiting on the phone right now hoping for the best. I was even ask what Heathrowguys name was(I said I had a friend who got his reinstated). Then the agent was going to check 'my friends -heathrowguy" and try to duplicate the way the changes were made. Of course All I know is Heathrowguy :) :rolleyes: :(


Did you clear this with HeathrowGuy via PM?

Has anyone actually called Alitalia in US, Canada or anywhere else today - having received a paper ticket - and asked them if their reservation (a) exists and (b) will be honored? Only asking people with tickets in hands.
I understand the calling of AZ but not Orbitz and CT etc,. as most operators are complete morons and will have NO idea how to handle this. Isnt AZ the right place to deal with this - as they made the error?

AZ is the one place where you do NOT want to deal with this - if you must talk to or work with anyone, let it be the travel agency for the time being.

I'm sitting back and watching this one...FWIW I have only YYZ-YYZ left (the first and last legs, 195 hour layover), I had ticket numbers and booked on CT. Didn't opt for overnight delivery :( .

I see someone else who booked around the same time as me (3 a.m.) still has their entire trip showing. So I don't have a clue why they are systematically altering some itineraries and not others.

I am itching to call...On one side I see the logic of the papertrail, and some people have had sucess getting their itineraries reinstated. On the other, I don't care to wait on hold for an hour simply to be told they are cancelling my res. or 'working on it'.

I do think those who have called this afternoon AND gotten reinstated are golden and will come out of this with honored tickets. So...to call or not to call... :eek:

Did you clear this with HeathrowGuy via PM?

I tried to PM Heathrowguy but I understand it may not be something he wants to give. :cool: I told the agent I would not divulge any names until I cleared it with my friend. I ended up saying I will cal back once I speak to my friend about his details

...Alitalia has instructed them to do so...I was just told to call back tommorow as Alitalia will have decided how to proceed by them...this from a very polite CRS at Orbitz named Mark.

I am waiting on the phone right now

i thought the consensus was to NOT call. :rolleyes:

Mr. Zhu's pair of tickets are still showing confirmed but no ticket #.

Mr. Zhu has not called and does not plan to any time soon.

Mr. Zhu has learned a valualbe lesson. When buying cheap tickets -- one should research destinations first. Pulling up a map of Cyprus showing a green "U.N. Peackeeping DMZ Buffer Zone" gave my heart a stop -- its location so close to Beruit did not help. Thankfully this time its all good, but next time Mr. Zhu could end up in a real war zone. Like Newark.

Orbitz knows if AZ doesn't do something the onus is on them to satisfy the customer, I'm sure they are working very hard to not be responsible for this problem.

I'm glad some people got reinstated during the golden hour.

i thought the consensus was to NOT call. :rolleyes:

Are you kidding? I was waiting patiently and asked several pages back if okay to proceed? never got an answer directly but from the plethora of post I get the message to make the call and work it out. Is this wrong? Some say it is some say it isn't. :confused: does anyone relaly know the best course to take? I don't think anyone here has the official correct answer

Mr. Zhu's pair of tickets are still showing confirmed but no ticket #.

Mr. Zhu has not called and does not plan to any time soon.

Mr. Zhu has learned a valualbe lesson. When buying cheap tickets -- one should research destinations first. Pulling up a map of Cyprus showing a green "U.N. Peackeeping DMZ Buffer Zone" gave my heart a stop -- its location so close to Beruit did not help. Thankfully this time its all good, but next time Mr. Zhu could end up in a real war zone. Like Newark.

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.

wish i didn't read this...

Are you kidding? I was waiting patiently and asked several pages back if okay to proceed? never got an answer directly but from the plethora of post I get the message to make the call and work it out. Is this wrong? Some say it is some say it isn't. :confused: does anyone relaly know the best course to take? I don't think anyone here has the official correct answer

There is no "official" answer about ANY of this. These mistake fares are all unique and there's no written procedure for handling them.

However, after you asked about calling, many people (myself included) replied that we should not be calling them right now. Perhaps not directly to you, but to the audience as a whole.

I'm not a grizzled mistake fare veteran, but i've been through 6 or 7 of these and have learned, simply, just not to call. I think that's about as "official" an answer as you're going to get, because nothing is ever official.

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.
i am sorry but that's BS i lived on Cyprus for 4 years, it was much much safer than most US cities :D

the airline which crashed was not Cyprus Air

I must be one of the lucky ones. My orbitz was never cancelled or touched. I was probably one of the last successful tickets issued (at 11:14am Central) and all on AZ/CY with no Canada - US connection.

Wife and I already have our plans to change the dates and add stopovers to do:
Toronto - 1 Day
Rome - 5 Days (Stopover 1 starts)
Naples - 2 Days
Larnaca - 2 days
Milan - 1 Day (return stopover starts)
Venice - 3 Days
Chetinje - 3 days (Wife's half Montenegrin)
Athens - 4 Days
Munich - 3 Days
Amsterdam - 3 Days
Paris - 5 Days
Bordeaux - 2 Days
Barcelona - 3 Days
Marseilles - 3 Days
Milan - 2 Days
Toronto - 1 Day

If Orbitz really does come through, then they will be getting 43 days worth of hotel bookings. They will definitely score with me!

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.

That was Helios. Different carrier.

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.

CY did not have an accident - it was private upstart Helios that had the depressurization-related accident last year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4163280.stm

Not to detour/hijack the thread (like as if I could ;) ) but I'm curious how many people here booked this that are decades away from YYZ?

In other words, I'm ex-LAX/BUR and I saw this thread at the beginning, went "Wow, great fare for people in Toronto or the East Coast, lucky them" and then ignored it... obviously this thing's gone like a house on fire ever since but my thinking was, "It'd cost me $400-$500 to go LAX-YYZ just to get that cheap fare from there, so why bother?" In a sense I'm a hypocrit for bringing this up because I got in on the ORD-MAN deal and that origin point isn't close to me either, but it's a lot cheaper for me to go LAX-ORD than it is LAX-YYZ, from what I've seen (whenever I happen to notice an LAX-YYZ fare, that is). Just curious ...

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.

I think you are referring to Helios Airways.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2101981,00.html

gldwebs, your itinerary is almost making me drool. hope it goes through for you and all of us!

Agreed. I think Cyprus airline had an accident last year due to cabin depressurization and possible cause was maintainance - all people aboard killed when the plane hit a mountain in Greece.

This was HELIOS Airline - not Cyprus Air. Please get your facts straight before posting something like that...

"It'd cost me $400-$500 to go LAX-YYZ just to get that cheap fare from there, so why bother?"

Yeah, but given the potentially flexible nature of these tickets, you can just wait for LAX-YYZ (or ATL-YYZ in my case) to get cheaper than dirt sometime within the next year, buy it, then change your AZ tickets to match.

Mr. Zhu is based in ORD but has never been to YYZ so plans to drive over.

Mr. Zhu also notes that his reservation has now been confirmed for over 24 hours.

Cypress Air.

It's Cyprus, pronounced sI-pr&s

Please get your facts straight before posting something like that... :D :p

AZ stands to lose more than these tickets are worth if they jerk around their principal sales channels over their own mistakes. No idea of volume nos. of sales but have to imagine, given AZ's own websites etc., that POing big travel agents (and wasting an awful lot of Cendant's personnel and electronic resources) over this is not a cool move for a struggling company.

Yeah, but given the potentially flexible nature of these tickets, you can just wait for LAX-YYZ (or ATL-YYZ in my case) to get cheaper than dirt sometime within the next year, buy it, then change your AZ tickets to match.
Ahsoudeska ... I hadn't thought of it that way. D'oh!@

Thanks AndrewC75 ^

I must be one of the lucky ones. My orbitz was never cancelled or touched. I was probably one of the last successful tickets issued (at 11:14am Central) and all on AZ/CY with no Canada - US connection.

Wife and I already have our plans to change the dates and add stopovers to do:
Toronto - 1 Day
Rome - 5 Days (Stopover 1 starts)
Naples - 2 Days
Larnaca - 2 days
Milan - 1 Day (return stopover starts)
Venice - 3 Days
Chetinje - 3 days (Wife's half Montenegrin)
Athens - 4 Days
Munich - 3 Days
Amsterdam - 3 Days
Paris - 5 Days
Bordeaux - 2 Days
Barcelona - 3 Days
Marseilles - 3 Days
Milan - 2 Days
Toronto - 1 Day

If Orbitz really does come through, then they will be getting 43 days worth of hotel bookings. They will definitely score with me!

Are you saying every one of these cities is a stop over on a single ticket? How much did you end up paying? Didn't the HIP kick in?

DELETED-Dupe

Are you saying every one of these cities is a stop over on a single ticket? How much did you end up paying? Didn't the HIP kick in?

No, only 2 stopovers - FCO and MXP
From FCO I can rent a car to drive to naples and back
From MXP I am getting a rail pass to travel the continent.

There is no min/max length on a stopover.

Mr. Zhu is based in ORD but has never been to YYZ so plans to drive over.

Mr. Zhu also notes that his reservation has now been confirmed for over 24 hours.

just curious why are you referring to urself in 3rd person? Sounds like bob dole. :p

im a 300 dollar flight from toronto, but what i did was route my parents through nyc (home airport) on the way home and they will stopover there for quite a while...to get to toronto for the outbound, i am adding a segment on to the end of their summer AA award trip to japan and china, having them stop in at home nyc for 5 months then continue on to toronto, since you get one free stopover in NA on an aa award (and also one free open jaw and one free stopover in the intl destination zone!)

thats if this comes through at all, anyway...

r



Not to detour/hijack the thread (like as if I could ;) ) but I'm curious how many people here booked this that are decades away from YYZ?

In other words, I'm ex-LAX/BUR and I saw this thread at the beginning, went "Wow, great fare for people in Toronto or the East Coast, lucky them" and then ignored it... obviously this thing's gone like a house on fire ever since but my thinking was, "It'd cost me $400-$500 to go LAX-YYZ just to get that cheap fare from there, so why bother?" In a sense I'm a hypocrit for bringing this up because I got in on the ORD-MAN deal and that origin point isn't close to me either, but it's a lot cheaper for me to go LAX-ORD than it is LAX-YYZ, from what I've seen (whenever I happen to notice an LAX-YYZ fare, that is). Just curious ...

Also, for those who say they had a legal connection - you do not necessarily have one. I know one case when Cheaptickets allowed an AA to AZ connection at JFK with 1:18, when as a matter of fact, the international to international MCT at JFK is 2:00.Isn't YYZ-JFK treated as a domestic flight for MCT purposes, since you pre-clear US customs and immigration in Toronto? Is the domestic-international MCT at JFK still 75 minutes?

If I'm correct, 1:18 is a legal connection for YYZ-JFK-International.

Not to detour/hijack the thread (like as if I could ;) ) but I'm curious how many people here booked this that are decades away from YYZ?...

I'm in Central WI, YYZ is about $200 RT but I think I'll burn some miles in the kids accounts. Although I am toying with the idea of driving and staying a few days with a friend in upstate NY, but I doubt I will...too exhausting to drive back after a week frolicking in the sun:)

Isn't YYZ-JFK treated as a domestic flight for MCT purposes, since you pre-clear US customs and immigration in Toronto? Is the domestic-international MCT at JFK still 75 minutes?

If I'm correct, 1:18 is a legal connection for YYZ-JFK-International.

75 minutes is legal. My understanding is that on some tickets, AZ first told Orbitz that they were cancelling becaust of MCT. When Orbitz pushed back, AZ decided that the tickets were being cancelled not because of MCT, but because the price was a "technical glitch."

HA HA you sound like my other half. Where is your sense of adventure? And the Brits go there all the time.

I'm on hold with AZ(calling for another unrelated issue!).Should I ask about my LCA trip? :D I have ticket numbers but it shows as canceled....guess thy are quite busy,been on hold for at least 5 min!

Isn't YYZ-JFK treated as a domestic flight for MCT purposes, since you pre-clear US customs and immigration in Toronto? Is the domestic-international MCT at JFK still 75 minutes?

If I'm correct, 1:18 is a legal connection for YYZ-JFK-International.

That brings up an interesting point, I only had 51 minutes between my YYZ-IAD and IAD-MXP flights. I figured that I could get in on an earlier flight, but can they actually use that as an excuse to kick out my entire intinerary??

just curious why are you referring to urself in 3rd person? Sounds like bob dole. :p

or rickey henderson. :)

or, remember that guy on seinfeld named jimmy. jimmy beat kramer up after kramer did a number on him on the basketball court (or something like that).

gldwebs, your itinerary is almost making me drool. hope it goes through for you and all of us!

Doesn't make me drool, makes me tired just looking at it! Sounds great, but it must be your first time in Europe. Next time you will appreciate few cities and more time in each one.

That brings up an interesting point, I only had 51 minutes between my YYZ-IAD and IAD-MXP flights. I figured that I could get in on an earlier flight, but can they actually use that as an excuse to kick out my entire intinerary??

As far as I'm concerned, if it meets minimum connection time, AZ should honor any reservations with a valid booking code (ticketed or not).

If it doesn't meet minimum connection time, that is Orbitz' fault, not the customers', and AZ should honor the reservations and fight it out with Orbitz.

Seriously, AZ is handling this in an incredibly poor fashion. If a company is negligent enough to offer a sale for more than 12 hours, even while more than 500 tickets are purchased, it shouldn't don't come crying that it shouldn't be held to the deal it struck. :mad: Suck it up, make some joke-advertisement to get some mileage out of it, and provide the service promised.

I'm in Central WI, YYZ is about $200 RT but I think I'll burn some miles in the kids accounts.

Burn 25k points for a $200 ticket! Cringe. Some days your kids will NEED those miles. :)

I'd like to know how many of us are in this boat.

I've started a new thread just to get a count, since this one is far too cluttered.

How about if everyone who booked just adds one entry here:

[URL=http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=545254]

I've started it off

I'm in Central WI, YYZ is about $200 RT but I think I'll burn some miles in the kids accounts. Although I am toying with the idea of driving and staying a few days with a friend in upstate NY, but I doubt I will...too exhausting to drive back after a week frolicking in the sun:)

Are these YX flights? If so, I guess NW flyers can now earn WorldPerks miles on YX flights....just not EQMs.

Doesn't make me drool, makes me tired just looking at it! Sounds great, but it must be your first time in Europe. Next time you will appreciate few cities and more time in each one.

Nah, been there several times in the past few years. My wife is a huge francophile (ok, I am now too), so we thought we will take this chance to see other places briefly enough to decide where we may want to spend more time in the future...and heck, if we get the urge we can add days here and there if we like what we see.

That brings up an interesting point, I only had 51 minutes between my YYZ-IAD and IAD-MXP flights. I figured that I could get in on an earlier flight, but can they actually use that as an excuse to kick out my entire intinerary??

Yes, and IINM, the MCT for domestic -> international (UA or AC -> AZ) at IAD is at least 60 minutes.

still on hold with AZ!I need seat assignments for my GF(another flight,don't worry!)they are not picking up!and the music is making me sleepy!

I must be one of the lucky ones. My orbitz was never cancelled or touched. I was probably one of the last successful tickets issued (at 11:14am Central) ....

My (also untouched) Orbitz reservation was made a just before 1PM EDT. The Flight Purchase Request Confirmation email was sent at 12:55 PM and the ticketing confirmation email was received at 1:08 PM.

Did anyone here with ticket numbers make a later booking?

My reservation was still not touched. Involving AC,UA and AZ flights. Booked on cheaptickets ^

Are these YX flights? If so, I guess NW flyers can now earn WorldPerks miles on YX flights....just not EQMs.

Midwest Express...NW priced out over $400.

I'm not seriously considering using the miles if I can get the $200 fare, but I just did a cursory look. I'm not booking anything until something is well confirmed as a go:)

One test of this will be when the first passengers try to use these tix on actual flights.
Who on this forum is due to travel in the next week?

One test of this will be when the first passengers try to use these tix on actual flights.
Who on this forum is due to travel in the next week?

IINM, travel on this fare was not permitted before 16MAY or so.

Yes, and IINM, the MCT for domestic -> international (UA or AC -> AZ) at IAD is at least 60 minutes.

Per post 1923, should I be able to battle Orbitz on that? I'm assuming *if* this goes through, and *if* the fare rules are used, then I won't have a problem getting an earlier flight.

Of course at this point, that's assuming alot....

My reservation was still not touched. Involving AC,UA and AZ flights. Booked on cheaptickets ^

really?mine had an AA segm and it was canceled.I do have ticket #s

Per post 1923, should I be able to battle Orbitz on that? I'm assuming *if* this goes through, and *if* the fare rules are used, then I won't have a problem getting an earlier flight.

Of course at this point, that's assuming alot....

Orbitz has some self-protecting language in its T&Cs, so probably no dice.

That brings up an interesting point, I only had 51 minutes between my YYZ-IAD and IAD-MXP flights. I figured that I could get in on an earlier flight, but can they actually use that as an excuse to kick out my entire intinerary??

AZ automatically checks the MCTs, and they usually put it on the agency queue for rebooking. Of course in this case, it gave them a perfect (and valid) reason to cancel.

As for the MCTs, flights from YYZ to the US are still considered internation - and in addition to that, you usually face a terminal change at most airports. Also, you might have to check-in again with AZ at the gateway city - the airline operating the CA to US flight does not necessarily have the ability to check you all the way through.

Standard MCTs for INTL to INTL are as follows:

JFK - 2:00 hours
IAD - 1:30 hours
BOS - 1:15 hours
ORD - 1:30 hours
EWR - 1:00 hours

Okay, things appear to be looking up at Orbitz. Congrats guys, this one's been Hell and you should enjoy the trip!

Does anyone know where Travelocity stands on this? I got my paper tickets this morning, called about adding FF numbers to the flights, and was told that the rez had been cancelled by the AZ. So, paper tickets in hand, reflecting the $33 fare, voided after issue by the AZ. Travelocity purchasers seem to be in limbo here, probably worse off because we were the first to get the printed tickets and the last to know the airline had pulled this. Based on my conversation with Travelocity this morning and what I've seen so far, it's not looking good. :mad: :mad: :mad:

IINM, travel on this fare was not permitted before 16MAY or so.


Ah, shoot. Is this really true? I was hoping to use my tix earlier than that.

My reservation was still not touched. Involving AC,UA and AZ flights. Booked on cheaptickets ^

Funny.. I had the same airlines... also through Cheaptickets.. also untouched and ticketed.

What's the INTL-INTL MCT at JFK for DL -> AZ*/DL (codeshare)?

Okay, things appear to be looking up at Orbitz. Congrats guys, this one's been Hell and you should enjoy the trip!

What prompted you to say this?

My (also untouched) Orbitz reservation was made a just before 1PM EDT. The Flight Purchase Request Confirmation email was sent at 12:55 PM and the ticketing confirmation email was received at 1:08 PM.

Did anyone here with ticket numbers make a later booking?


Made one reservation with Orbitz around 1:15pm with the ticketing confirmation email arriving at 1:22pm. UPS delivered the tickets to me at 10am this morning.

Ahh, finally something -

My trip, which had been sitting all day as unticketed on Orbitz, but missing the return leg, just got cancelled.

In the last hour Orbitz went and cancelled my reservation. (I had no ticket number). Looks like I am out of luck, but perhaps something will break tomorrow.

IINM, travel on this fare was not permitted before 16MAY or so.


SEASONALITY: NO RESTRICTION

BLACKOUT DATES: NO RESTRICTION

I think this is now the longest thread in the forum...longer than Fiji, Madrid, Iceland, etc. It's time to step away from the computer.

did anyone who didn't get a tracking number receive their tickets? if so, what booking site and shipping service?

Made one reservation with Orbitz around 1:15pm with the ticketing confirmation email arriving at 1:22pm. UPS delivered the tickets to me at 10am this morning.

Did the tracking # ever show up on Orbitz?

In the last hour Orbitz went and cancelled my reservation. (I had no ticket number). Looks like I am out of luck, but perhaps something will break tomorrow.

Same here.

Got paper tix from Travelocity.

At the end of the itinerary printout, after the last flight, there's this:

24 FEB 07 - SATURDAY
OTHER SAN ANTONIO
TRAVELOCITY.COM

What does it mean?

Yes, and IINM, the MCT for domestic -> international (UA or AC -> AZ) at IAD is at least 60 minutes.Are you sure the IAD MCT domestic -> international isn't 45 minutes? United.com will let you book a 48-minute connection YYZ-IAD-LHR.

Made one reservation with Orbitz around 1:15pm with the ticketing confirmation email arriving at 1:22pm. UPS delivered the tickets to me at 10am this morning.

Congratulations on getting the tickets. I paid the extra 5 bucks for overnight delivery, but, like most people, have no UPS tracking number or tickets yet. At least my res remains untouched.

My company's travel agency puts those there as record markers. Don't worry about the San Antonio thing.

Dear Valued Orbitz Customer,

We regret to inform you that, due to limited availability, the airline was not able to confirm the flights you requested. Therefore, no tickets have been issued for this trip and your credit card has not been charged.

Situations like this are rare; however, when they do occur we attempt to contact our customers immediately as to avoid missing out on advance purchase opportunities.
To help you understand how this situation could occur:

Orbitz is a full service travel agency. Our advanced search engine searches two billion fares within seconds from over 450 airlines. Our secure on-line booking system accesses fares and availability from the same central reservation systems that other travel agents and airline reservation agents are booking from worldwide. As you can imagine, with the extensive volume of agents booking flights at any given time, availability for a particular flight can be gone in an instant. Therefore, when your ticketing request reached the airline, availability for the flight(s) you selected was no longer available.

The confirmation e-mail that you may have received is only an acknowledgement that the flights you selected for purchase have been sent to the airline for approval prior to ticketing and does not guarantee ticket issuance.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your understanding.
We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the near future.

Please click on the following link to make your new reservation http://www.orbitz.com

Sincerely,

Orbitz Ticket Advisory Department
www.orbitz.com
Visit Planet Earth via Orbitz!

That brings up an interesting point, I only had 51 minutes between my YYZ-IAD and IAD-MXP flights. I figured that I could get in on an earlier flight, but can they actually use that as an excuse to kick out my entire intinerary??

To repeat...

AZ is supposed to advise Orbitz within 24 hours of the MCT issue, so that in theory, Orbitz could rebook an earlier flight to keep reservation intact.

So, either AZ cancelled these tickets because they PURPOSELY waited beyond 24 hours to advise Orbitz about the MCT issue, and thus trigger the cancellation.

Or, AZ sent Orbitz back the tickets within 24 hours, and Orbitz PURPOSELY chose not to rebook earlier MCT-compliant flights within 24 hours, to thus trigger the cancellation.

Both parties had seeming good reason to use the 24 hour MCT window as pretext for cancellation instead of the normal course of action of simply rebooking on an earlier MCT-compliant flight


The ancillary issue here is obviously, why would Orbitz and/or AZ permit an itinerary to even be selected if it had MCT issues. Obviously, we make our bookings based on good faith that MCTs are within the rules. If I see an Orbitz option with a 55 minute connection, I assume its legit or otherwise Orbitz software wouldn't display it.

Wow... No perk, coupon, or anything. Orbitz is truly pathetic.


Dear Valued Orbitz Customer,

We regret to inform you that, due to limited availability, the airline was not able to confirm the flights you requested. Therefore, no tickets have been issued for this trip and your credit card has not been charged.

Situations like this are rare; however, when they do occur we attempt to contact our customers immediately as to avoid missing out on advance purchase opportunities.
To help you understand how this situation could occur:

Orbitz is a full service travel agency. Our advanced search engine searches two billion fares within seconds from over 450 airlines. Our secure on-line booking system accesses fares and availability from the same central reservation systems that other travel agents and airline reservation agents are booking from worldwide. As you can imagine, with the extensive volume of agents booking flights at any given time, availability for a particular flight can be gone in an instant. Therefore, when your ticketing request reached the airline, availability for the flight(s) you selected was no longer available.

The confirmation e-mail that you may have received is only an acknowledgement that the flights you selected for purchase have been sent to the airline for approval prior to ticketing and does not guarantee ticket issuance.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your understanding.
We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the near future.

Please click on the following link to make your new reservation http://www.orbitz.com

Sincerely,

Orbitz Ticket Advisory Department
www.orbitz.com
Visit Planet Earth via Orbitz!

What prompted you to say this?The fact that a few posters apparently were offered reinstatement. That may have been a very short-term thing. So far, nobody who booked with Travelocity has posted that they have a valid rez in place or that anything was offered.

Dear Valued Orbitz Customer,

We regret to inform you that, due to limited availability, the airline was not able to confirm the flights you requested. Therefore, no tickets have been issued for this trip and your credit card has not been charged.

Situations like this are rare; however, when they do occur we attempt to contact our customers immediately as to avoid missing out on advance purchase opportunities.
To help you understand how this situation could occur:

Orbitz is a full service travel agency. Our advanced search engine searches two billion fares within seconds from over 450 airlines. Our secure on-line booking system accesses fares and availability from the same central reservation systems that other travel agents and airline reservation agents are booking from worldwide. As you can imagine, with the extensive volume of agents booking flights at any given time, availability for a particular flight can be gone in an instant. Therefore, when your ticketing request reached the airline, availability for the flight(s) you selected was no longer available.

The confirmation e-mail that you may have received is only an acknowledgement that the flights you selected for purchase have been sent to the airline for approval prior to ticketing and does not guarantee ticket issuance.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your understanding.
We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the near future.

Please click on the following link to make your new reservation http://www.orbitz.com

Sincerely,

Orbitz Ticket Advisory Department
www.orbitz.com
Visit Planet Earth via Orbitz!


I'll bet that was just an automated response that goes out whenever a pending reservation is cancelled. Not specific to this event.

Got paper tix from Travelocity.

At the end of the itinerary printout, after the last flight, there's this:

24 FEB 07 - SATURDAY
OTHER SAN ANTONIO
TRAVELOCITY.COM

What does it mean?

This is what is commonly referred to as a "retention segment." Usually an itinerary can no longer be accessed by the travel agent about 2 days after the last flight/hotel/car rental reservation. In order to keep the reservation "active" and able to be reviewed for a longer period of time, agents routinely put in some dummy segment, in this case "other" with some city code (SAT for San Antonio thus you see San Antonio).

Something like this retention segment is crucial in cases like this where there might be problems with the airline, etc.

John

The ancillary issue here is obviously, why would Orbitz and/or AZ permit an itinerary to even be selected if it had MCT issues. Obviously, we make our bookings based on good faith that MCTs are within the rules. If I see an Orbitz option with a 55 minute connection, I assume its legit or otherwise Orbitz software wouldn't display it.

Ditto,Steve!it's either orbitz's or AZ's fault!

I know this is is silly -- but... bhatnasx -- is there any chance that you can you fix the spelling of Cyprus in the thread title?

separately: while heathrowguy's post about the alternatives offered by orbitz seems like good news, follow-up posts sound like they haven't communicated it throughout the organization as of yet. i'm going to sit tight for a few days and hope that they'll have their story straight by then...

I'm still a bit groggy about all of this. If fares are not guaranteed until ticketed. And they had to go to AZ to be tickted. And they were in fact ticketed. How does AZ really think they can get around this beast? I issue tickets in SABRE and as long as it autoprices and it's ticketed. There isn't much recourse the airline can do if it's offered.

My Orbites itin was just cancelled. I had no tix numbers originally. Oh wel...

Mr. Zhu's flights have been canceled.

What to do?

To repeat...

AZ is supposed to advise Orbitz within 24 hours of the MCT issue, so that in theory, Orbitz could rebook an earlier flight to keep reservation intact.

So, either AZ cancelled these tickets because they PURPOSELY waited beyond 24 hours to advise Orbitz about the MCT issue, and thus trigger the cancellation.

Or, AZ sent Orbitz back the tickets within 24 hours, and Orbitz PURPOSELY chose not to rebook earlier MCT-compliant flights within 24 hours, to thus trigger the cancellation.

Both parties had seeming good reason to use the 24 hour MCT window as pretext for cancellation instead of the normal course of action of simply rebooking on an earlier MCT-compliant flight


The ancillary issue here is obviously, why would Orbitz and/or AZ permit an itinerary to even be selected if it had MCT issues. Obviously, we make our bookings based on good faith that MCTs are within the rules. If I see an Orbitz option with a 55 minute connection, I assume its legit or otherwise Orbitz software wouldn't display it.

I booked on CT, not that it really matters, it's all the same company in the end.

If it comes down to it I will use that excuse (I could book it, so it's not my fault, it's yours) and demand they reinstate the tickets with an earlier YYZ-IAD flight. But it could all be a moot point, no sense in worrying until some sort of definitive answer comes down the line either way.

Wait, there is not a whole lot else to do. I will probably wait to tomorrow and then call asking why my reservation was cancelled. Hopefully they will have an official response by then.


Mr. Zhu's flights have been canceled.

What to do?

did anyone who didn't get a tracking number receive their tickets? if so, what booking site and shipping service?
I booked my tickets on Orbitz at 1115 yesterday AM. No tracking number ever appeared and my itin. has been cancelled except for my BOS-YYZ leg on MQ. But my paper tickets did just arrive......

anyone know the MCT in milan and/or rome? this is a transfer from an intl flight to an intra-EU flight...
sry if this was already asked...

thnx
r

Wait, there is not a whole lot else to do. I will probably wait to tomorrow and then call asking why my reservation was cancelled. Hopefully they will have an official response by then.

Better yet.....Mr. Zhu will go get some ice cream!

Still given they took over 24 hours to cancel my reservation, I don't think they can get it away with it.

No communication from anyone is bad form too.

My ticket that had ticket numbers issued is still ok - and Alitalia confirmed it is ok to travel.
My other ticket which had NO ticket number, just got cancelled by ORBITZ. On with a supervisor now.

Alitalia is trying to cancel this on me. Who was successful in getting re-instated and for what dates?

My ticket that had ticket numbers issued is still ok - and Alitalia confirmed it is ok to travel.
My other ticket which had NO ticket number, just got cancelled by ORBITZ. On with a supervisor now.

Please update us on what the Supervisor said.

Mr. Zhu's flights have been canceled.

What to do?

Mr. Zhu should hang tight and see what happens over the next few hours/days.

Mr. Zhu might end up going to Cyprus after all.

Orbitz International coordinator says as of 4.00pm EST, Orbitz is still awaiting clarification from AZ and has NOT made a decision on what action to take on any of these tix.

I'm still a bit groggy about all of this. If fares are not guaranteed until ticketed. And they had to go to AZ to be tickted. And they were in fact ticketed. How does AZ really think they can get around this beast? I issue tickets in SABRE and as long as it autoprices and it's ticketed. There isn't much recourse the airline can do if it's offered.AZ has very much an FY attitude on this. I called Travelocity this morning after receiving the "Issued by Alitalia" paper tickets, Travelocity called AZ after noting that the rez had been cancelled by AZ, got some Italian AZ rep on the phone who kindly offered a) refund of fare and taxes (and I eat the shipping charge? Screw you AZ!), or b) the option to pay the difference between what they charged for the fare and what they wanted to charge for the fare. I passed. I'm really hoping Travelocity and the rest will come through on this. The CEO has claimed they're big on "customer advocacy" so now's the tim