Obtaining Credit for a Missed Flight
Apr 27, 2009, 6:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 1
Obtaining Credit for a Missed Flight
Hi everyone,
Not sure if this is the right forum to post in about this, but I am looking for some advice. I purchased a ticket online through a 3rd party site (RedTag.ca). I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before departing and was told that the flight left already. The lady at the NWA/Delta counter then corrected herself and said the plane is actually still there but they can't allow me to board. I have been in a similar situation one time before but they never told me that I can't rush there and make it on the plane, but this was through a different airline. I'm not sure why this situation was any different.
Anyway, they tried to change my itinerary to get me on the next flight out to the destination I was looking for but for some reason they were not able to do anything to my ticket. They said it's probably because I booked it online through a 3rd party site and they're the only one that can change my itinerary. They also said something about it being a "bulk ticket" (or something to that effect) which may be contributing to the problem in not being able to make changes to it. I think the funny thing about all this is, there were a group of students that came along not long after me that had the same issue as I did, arriving at the airport but not being allowed to board. Same airline, but they bought their ticket through Expedia. I'm not sure what course of action they ended up taking.
I waited the 3 hours until RedTag opened to call them up and ask if they can change my flight since the airline wouldn't let me board. The CSR that I spoke to said that from what they can see, the airline completely canceled my ticket all together and that they would look into getting me a credit. I followed up today, a week later, and RedTag finally got back to me to tell me that on their end, there is nothing they can do. The airline completely canceled my ticket therefore they cannot issue a credit. They suggested that I call NWA directly to see if I can get a credit through them myself but on the advice of a friend, decided to post here to get some ideas.
Is there any way for me to get my money back? Even some of it? I mean, I never even boarded the plane. Did I really lose all that money?
Thanks in advance to all replies!
Not sure if this is the right forum to post in about this, but I am looking for some advice. I purchased a ticket online through a 3rd party site (RedTag.ca). I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before departing and was told that the flight left already. The lady at the NWA/Delta counter then corrected herself and said the plane is actually still there but they can't allow me to board. I have been in a similar situation one time before but they never told me that I can't rush there and make it on the plane, but this was through a different airline. I'm not sure why this situation was any different.
Anyway, they tried to change my itinerary to get me on the next flight out to the destination I was looking for but for some reason they were not able to do anything to my ticket. They said it's probably because I booked it online through a 3rd party site and they're the only one that can change my itinerary. They also said something about it being a "bulk ticket" (or something to that effect) which may be contributing to the problem in not being able to make changes to it. I think the funny thing about all this is, there were a group of students that came along not long after me that had the same issue as I did, arriving at the airport but not being allowed to board. Same airline, but they bought their ticket through Expedia. I'm not sure what course of action they ended up taking.
I waited the 3 hours until RedTag opened to call them up and ask if they can change my flight since the airline wouldn't let me board. The CSR that I spoke to said that from what they can see, the airline completely canceled my ticket all together and that they would look into getting me a credit. I followed up today, a week later, and RedTag finally got back to me to tell me that on their end, there is nothing they can do. The airline completely canceled my ticket therefore they cannot issue a credit. They suggested that I call NWA directly to see if I can get a credit through them myself but on the advice of a friend, decided to post here to get some ideas.
Is there any way for me to get my money back? Even some of it? I mean, I never even boarded the plane. Did I really lose all that money?
Thanks in advance to all replies!
Apr 27, 2009, 8:55 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wenatchee, WA
Programs: Lifetime AA Gold-1MM
Posts: 4,909
If you arrived at the airport 30 minutes before your flight, you didn't have time to make the flight and you are probably out of luck. In most cases, you need to be checked in, through security, at the GATE, and boarding your plane 30 minutes prior to departure time, not just arriving at the airport. For most airports that means arriving at the airport at least an hour or more before your flight.
From the Northwest Airlines Web site:
"NOTE TO ALL TRAVELERS: If you do not check in for and board your ticketed flights by the specified time, all segments of your flight itinerary may be cancelled and the value of your ticket may be lost."
In addition, if you bought a consolidator ticket, you are very unlikely to get a refund. Look at the fare rules on your ticket. My guess is it says something like "no changes, no refund." At best, you might get credit for future travel from Redtag, it is extremely unlikely that you will get a refund. That's the lesson learned here, inexpensive tickets generally mean you're stuck with the ticket and have little to no recourse if your travel plans change. Plan better next time, arrive at the airport earlier.
From the Northwest Airlines Web site:
"NOTE TO ALL TRAVELERS: If you do not check in for and board your ticketed flights by the specified time, all segments of your flight itinerary may be cancelled and the value of your ticket may be lost."
In addition, if you bought a consolidator ticket, you are very unlikely to get a refund. Look at the fare rules on your ticket. My guess is it says something like "no changes, no refund." At best, you might get credit for future travel from Redtag, it is extremely unlikely that you will get a refund. That's the lesson learned here, inexpensive tickets generally mean you're stuck with the ticket and have little to no recourse if your travel plans change. Plan better next time, arrive at the airport earlier.