FlyingSloth

Just wondering about my situation because several things are new for me. I was in Singapore before the pandemic, and ended up extending my stay in Singapore from March to July due to flight cancellations and concerns about the pandemic. I booked a EVA Air flight with Chase Travel (I have a CSR) and I used all miles except for a few dollars on the CSR card for the booking. I am packed and ready to leave Singapore tomorrow with EVA SIN->TPE->SFO->PDX when I got an e-mail a few minutes ago saying EVA SIN->TPE is cancelled, making the rest of the trip not possible.

I know that the itinerary can be cancelled and the UR points and and credit card payment can be refunded. However, the problem is I actually need this itinerary! But this itinerary is not available until 19 July at the earliest. That is a long time to wait. I already have no more accommodation in Singapore, and I already have non-refundable accommodation paid in Portland.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice? I know that SIN->TPE->SFO should still be available with Eva Air for numerous days, the problem is I also wanted the SFO->PDX United flight, and I wanted it on one itinerary for the two free checked pieces of luggage on the United flight. I also wanted the United flight, because as a nervous flyer I feel more comfortable on a B737-900 than a E175 (which seems to be the only plane being used between SFO or LA to PDX during this time, with the exception of the United SFO->PDX flight that I booked).

- I've never used Chase Travel before.. I normally book direct with the airlines all of my life. But I wanted to use the Chase UR points I've been saving up for a year. I have no income and no employment, and so I decided to use all my UR points to get back to my home country after being in Singapore for several months longer than intended due to the pandemic and flight cancellations over the last few months.

- I've never had a flight cancelled before that I booked with a CSR card. This is my first Sapphire card. Skimming through the travel cancellation / trip interruption coverage points, so it seems like carrier cancellation is NOT COVERED? I thought that was the whole point of trip cancellation. Or maybe I don't understand at all how it works. Does it matter that I'm also returning to the U.S for medical reasons? It's so confusing how a carrier could cancel a flight at the last minute, leaving me once again stranded with no accommodation and non-refundable accommodation at my intended destination, and that it would not be covered

- Because I'm someone who cannot sleep on flights due to anxiety, and also can't take medication for it.. I have been gradually adjusting my sleep schedule for the past two weeks to prepare for this itinerary.. the timing makes the most sense. So I really want this exact itinerary on a different date as soon as possible. But I'm not sure what to do as the next availability is not until 19 July at the earliest.

I'm very confused what to do as I'm packed and ready to leave tomorrow. I have all my bookings and plans in the U.S already. I've never had a flight cancellation so last minute. EVA has not even listed the reason for the cancellation.

craz

Sorry to tell you, you are so SOL. Unfortunately welcome to the 1000s if not 10s of 1000s of folks waiting for Refunds. I still havent gotten back my pts from an early April tkt thatt was CXed in March or a late May tkt CXed late April

Basically you cant rely on seeing your UR pts probably for months to come, unless EVA works differently then all the other carriers

What you need to do is contact Chase Travel and let them know EVA CXed your flight and you want a full refund of both pts and $s paid. Id also lodge a complaint with DOT if Chase tells you like they do to everyone that they secured a voucher for you to use on EVA within the next x months.

Then you are going to have to either stay put till EVA has flights that work for you or pay out of pocket. If you chose to pay buying a roundtrip and not using the return may be a lot cheaper .then getting a 1 way. Friends who purchased tkts direct from the carriers for the same flights I was on got refunds, but since we went via Chase a TA the carriers wont deal with us and only with the TA which they simply ignore

FlyingSloth

Just want to note that when I opened up chat under Chase Travel, the chat rep offered to refund the points immediately. I didn't even ask for it. He just typed he could refund it. But I said I really need the same itinerary, and that it doesn't show available until at least 19 July. The airline isn't open 24 hours, so I suggested that we wait until the airline is open to see if they can offer any solutions. But I mainly just wanted to see what other options there may be or any kind of compensation (if any) as I'm particularly worried about additional costs in Singapore, as well as some of my non-refundable plans in the U.S since apparently I'm not leaving tomorrow. This is all just very confusing as I called EVA Air just last night before sleeping and they said everything with the flights was confirmed. Very very confused why I need to wake up and see that the flight for tomorrow is cancelled.

edit: to clarify.. I didn't ask the chat rep whether the points would post back immediately.. he just typed that it could be cancelled and refunded.. hmm I probably should have asked whether it would be immediately or not.. I've also called Chase Travel and spent 1 hour on hold and talking to someone.. who said their "offline team" will need to follow-up with me later since the airline hotline isn't open 24/7.

hotturnip

I just find this story terribly sad. Really. It just seems to sum up all the bad stuff about the current situation.

Is this an EVA ticket? What airline ticketed it? Check the ticket number for the first 3 digits and find out. The airline SHOULD be responsible for re-routing you on this short of notice, but they may just try to shunt you over to Chase Travel, in which case you might see if they can find a re-route for you. But if you want to get home, you may not be able to be picky about things like aircraft type and routing. However, the booking airline needs to make good on this, either with your directly or through Chase Travel. If you REALLY need to get home, you might have to get creative and just get a refund on this ticket, and book a new itinerary. It might be necessary to do separate tickets. Find out what major hubs you CAN get to from Singapore, then see if you can book separate tickets to PDX from there. This is the sort of thing that's worth racking up debt on a credit card.

It's also possible that showing up at the airport tomorrow, an agent there might be better equipped to help you.

I hope you'll be ok and not homeless and depressed.

hotturnip

Hey, I just looked on Expedia. There's an itinerary SIN-HKG-SFO-PDX on July 7 for $1,125. It's 30 hours, but still . . . There's a somewhat shorter itinerary the following day. So you CAN get out--you just may not have the itinerary you want.

FlyingSloth

Thank you for the kind words friend. I really was surprised by the cancellation this morning, especially just 1 day before, and there's no typhoon or anything. It does appear like EVA cancelled it for some unknown reason, but perhaps because the plane was only half full? For me that seems a bit crazy. Sometimes flights are also half-full pre-coronavirus too. They could have also used a smaller plane instead of cancelling it. *sigh*

I prepared a lot mentally for leaving Singapore and returning to the U.S. Because I really cannot sleep on airplanes, I picked an itinerary that is 22 hours long. Which is long, but it's still manageable. The other flight I was considering was the SQ flight from Singapore to LAX. I just thought that 16 - 17 hours on one plane is too long for someone who suffers from a lot of flying anxiety and panic attacks, also L.A county in general has become a COVID hotspot within the last few weeks. When Taiwan opened up transit passage on June 25, I thought it just made perfect sense to book the Taiwan flight with the stopover.

I called EVA's office in Singapore, they said since the flight was cancelled tomorrow, there won't be any EVA support staff at the airport to ask in person. So now I'm just waiting on Chase Travel's follow-up and follow-up to the e-mail I sent to EVA to see what I could do. Yeah, I also learned that the trip cancellation / interruption protection does indeed have a very narrow scope and does not cover carrier cancellations. I am also going to look at paid travel insurance plans going forward as I think that makes sense during the pandemic. Does anyone have suggestions for travel insurance plans that also covers COVID-19 related problems?

craz

100% true, the rep would put in for a Refund, simply putting in for a refund = ZILCH, as I said I have 2 tkts where they submitted for a refund and still Nothing as its up to the airline to give the TA the needed info code in order to process each tkt 1 by 1

Now if EVA was different from all the other carriers and actually would process the submitted request is something else but not something I would bank on, especially as Wave 2 is hitting all over = most likely whatever restarting was done will be curtailed

What if EVA C its next flight as well?

paperwastage

moral of story:

fewer hands touching your ticket the better (even during regular times)

best to pay cash, directly to airline if cancel or alter, can talk to airline directly (or take refund and rebuy)

*i understand not everyone has enough $ or credit limit to do this




how long was the cancellation? more than 24 hours or within 24 hours of flight? there can be a difference (within 24 hours, you techncially can show up at the airport and demand someone to help you)

as you noticed, every insurance(even chase's insurance) uses same/similar names - you need to check and know exactly what is covered.
for future reference, you want this type of insurance (not endorsing this product, just pointing out what you need to look for)


https://www.travelinsurancereview.ne...-interruption/
of course, this wont help now (known event, cant buy it when you are stuck in singapore), and wont help if all flights are cancelled (early parts of the quarantine to stop all flights). fine print may even exclude pandemics and make it useless

a lot require you to buy it on a roundtrip departing from primary residence. so technically it wont cover this SIN-USA trip (again, you have to check the details)


good luck


https://www.changiairport.com/en/fli...ll&searchTerm=
it looks like EVA uses SATS for some services. you could show up at the airport and try to find EVA (or get SATS to assist you). Again, more hands handling this = harder

SATS is an airport agent, often handling ground items (eg check in kiosk, baggage handling, food services etc). this way EVA offshores the responsibilities to a 3rd party, often cheaper or more reilable than staffing their own in every airport

philemer

Reopened after removing some rude/unhelpful/snarky comments.

If you can't be helpful DON'T post.

Often1

First, focus solely on getting yourself to PDX. Why BR cancelled is really not worth any of your time and it will only cause delays in getting a solution.

Second, on the day of travel, it will be BR which reroutes you. Call them (no chat or email) as soon as they open and ask for rerouting possibilities. Focus on getting to PDX, not whether you wind up having to pay for a bag or wind up on a slightly smaller aircraft. Just look for reroutes and be flexible.

Third, if BR cannot / will not help, call Chase. Talk about reroutes, not refunds. Your specific routing may not be available until the 19th, but there are other combinations between SIN and PDX. Again, focus on getting to PDX, particularly because you do not have housing in SIN and you do have it in PDX. If there is a lousy connection somewhere, so be it.

The key will be to find what works and accept it on the spot and without hesitation.

hotturnip

I hope you'll follow up and let us know what happened.

FlyingSloth

Here's an update. Chase Travel never even followed up with me. Their so-called "offline team" was supposed to follow-up with me by e-mail and phone "within 12 hours." Which never happened.. no call and no e-mail. I reached out to the airline directly. I must have sent 15 e-mails to various company e-mails I Google'd on the web. I got a reply from somebody at the airline and they were able to help me make the change to the next available date.. which in this case was a week later.. so at least an extra week here.. in case of some other problems or other cancellations.. hopefully things will work out somehow. So far, I'm 3 for 3 with flights getting cancelled that I've planned in the last few months. I also have a medical problem with my eye that can strike any morning when I wake up.. so there's always that risk that I wake up and I'm in too much pain to take the trip, which also adds a lot of stress to all the planning.

The airline was great though.. I'm glad this airline was so professional and helped me out by e-mail. They are one of the best I've flown with in the past.

One other piece of info.. I chatted with Chase Travel to ask why the itinerary didn't update with the info.. and I also let them know that their "offline team" never contacted me back.. the chat rep in Manila (all of their customer support is Luzon based).. told me that the notes said that I "refused help"... HUH? and I asked how come the itinerary hasn't updated since the cancellation and date change.. the chat rep didn't have an answer for me.. just copy and pasted any changes should be made through Chase Travel itself.. Overall, not a really great experience with Chase Travel but good experience with EVA Air.