Hello All,

This is my first post on flyertalk, but sadly not a happy one. I need advice.

I booked a regular economy international ticket through Priceline (no bidding, just a normal ticket) to travel from Chicago to XX on airline YY. A couple of weeks after I booked my ticket, a Priceline representative called me and informed me that my itinerary had changed. When I asked her what had changed, she said that "it appeared that only the flight number for one of the legs of the journey had changed". I also got a corresponding email from Priceline saying:

"We are contacting you today to confirm the operating carrier(s) and stopover location(s) for your trip. As part of our quality assurance audit procedures, we discovered that this information may not have been disclosed post purchase in the itinerary on our website. This information is now updated on the Priceline website. Please return to the priceline website to view your updated itinerary.

We recommend that you contact the airline prior to each departure to reconfirm your flight schedule in the event there is a schedule change. Many airlines allow you to do this online, and provide additional online check-in options which can reduce baggage costs. You will need your Airline Confirmation number(s) NNNNN online. On the day of departure, please remember to check in at the desk of the operating carrier noted on your itinerary."

A couple of days back, when I logged into the airline website to just check my reservation, and got a message telling me that the confirmation number NNNNN does not exist!

I called Priceline - the first time I called, they tried contacting the Airline directly for me, but couldn't get through. The second time I called Priceline, a representative of their 'Travel Services Team' told me that they will not do anything, I should call the airline myself (!!). I called the airline, and was informed by the airline that after any itinerary change, the reservation has to be re-confirmed within 'n' hours, and since Priceline did not do so, the reservation has been canceled! Further, this is something I should deal with Priceline, and not with the airline.

Meanwhile, my significant other (SO) has already also booked a ticket on the same flight (initially the SO's travel plans were not confirmed) - so I need to be on it! The SO's flight was also booked through Priceline, however the ticket is confirmed. The SO's and mine are different reservations in the same
plane.

Priceline, on the next call, refused to take any responsibility, and blamed the airline. After a significant argument, they sent me an email with the following:
"Your airline has notified us of a schedule change not reflected on our website and we need to review alternative flight options with you."

So, my questions are as follows:
1) What options do I have?
2) If the reservation got canceled - what happened to the $1100 I paid to Priceline?
3) There are very few tickets now left on the plane, and cost $3K+ - but I have to be on the same flight as my SO. Or, Priceline would have to put both the SO and me on a different flight.

I would like advice on how to approach this situation and what to do next.

Thanks