I have just come back from the airport after 4 hours of trying to get my father on an emergency flight we booked this morning to see his 94 yo mother before a complicated surgery and am confused about my options. Earlier when we booked, we were asked to go to a copa office or email Copa a credit card statement and a copy of drivers license matching the name on the credit card statement because it was flagged by the fraud department. A few hours after sending the supporting documents, the charge hit the credit card so we thought nothing of it.

Fast forward to tonight, the flight is at 130am so we arrive around 930pm to make sure everything is ok. The initial CSR rep said the ticket was not paid. After showing the bank charges on the account, a supervisor comes out and says its out of her hands because the fraud department is closed and he cant fly out since the charge is flagged. I immediatley called 1800 FLYCOPA and was told to simply bring the credit card and its owner to the counter. 3 hours later im picking up the suitcase that had already been tagged and sent to the plane and the phone rep still says the counter can fix it and the counter says they cant do anything without fraud approving it, which they cant reach until the morning. Of course I could choose to rebook the flight paying $500 more than my original price and deal with the double charges with my credit card company later. Furthermore, the flight he is confirmed for is no longer available so on top of paying more he would get there 4 hours later, too late to see my grandmother before she goes in. Our other option is to "try again tomorrow".

Do we have any recourse in this situation? I feel the situation is extremely bizarre and had they told him before, the flight wouldnt be possible we could have rebooked elsewhere. My father was denied boarding from his confirmed flight which he was checking in for 4 hours before flight time and the best they could come up with is, "Just call in the morning and MAYBE he won't have to pay any extra to fly tomorrow."

Any suggestions?