Thousand dollar mistake
 

In another thread I asked if a 30 min connection (Co to CoExpress) was possible. Several said not likely.

Despite my asking the travel agent for a 3 hr layover in IAH, she booked the 30 min connection. When I got to EWR this morning I went to the self-service kiosk (no checked baggage) and saw some options for flight changes. I was a bit rushed and made a mistake, switching from the 1:30 flight via IAH to a 7PM direct. That's the last flight of the day, and company rules absolutely positively forbid taking it outbound (as in loss of job for non arrival).

I went directly to the club and asked if they could get me back to where I was, if not exactly to where I wanted. The club agent made a few calls and said the fare class was not available and I'd have to pay $1050.00 more to get it back. Gulp!

I asked if standby was possible and she said no. I asked for the club supervisor and the agent said she was "busy". By this time, it is about 1:00.

I decided to head for the gate and see if the gate agent could get me on as a standby. I explained and she called a red-jacketed fellow over; I explained again and he said, "I don't see why not." About 5 minutes of clicking and I had what I wanted, original 1:30 to IAH, layover (and a nice dinner at a seafood place whose name I can't remember) and here I am in OKC. The only thing I lost out on was a nice exit row seat. Still, I had a window near the back.

By the way, the original flight arrived 10 minutes before the connector the travel agent put me on. By the time I got off the first leg, that flight would have had to be one gate over to make it.

By the way, if I had to pay to get on an earlier flight, I would have, although I'd have first checked for cheaper alternates (different airlines, or airports, or possibly using miles). Anyone who has been unemployed for a while would easily pay 1K to get their job back; I'd have paid just to avoid the risk of losing it.

As you might imagine, I am not happy with the agent in the club. Generally, they're better than most and far more customer service oriented.

Steve

Glad it worked out. Your dinner in all likelihood was at Pappadeaux in Term E.

You could just sell some headphones to make up the $1,000 (if you had to pay it)

The club agents can be quite variable. While the expectation is higher in the club, and some are indeed excellent, I've been let down in the club as well, sometimes with my jaw on the floor completely baffled at what just transpired.

The redcoats, OTOH, are usually pretty good.

In this case one should be getting the 'free drinks' in the PC and selling them to the people sitting right outside using the 'free wifi'.

A day pass is what, $50? Why not guest two people in for $25 apiece? Win-win.

Glad that it worked out for you! I bet you were not as stressed after boarding the flight!

They would likely have removed you from the flight anyway, and maybe let you back on with the "just take any open seat" command. Been there, done that DEN-IAH-OKC...never again (especially now that I have UA nonstops at my disposal).

I found agents at PC are friendly but totally unhelpful. $1000ish cost changes seems to be the standard answers. Gate agents on the other are more practical and willing to help a passenger in distress.

Let me see if I got this right.

You're mad at CO club agents because:

A. Your travel agent booked the wrong flights.

B. You changed flights on a kiosk without understanding what you were doing.

C. When trying to fix your error, they quoted you the fare differential?

Things seemed to have worked out well enough for you. I would suggest that if you have followed through on A, or at least B at a minimum, then you wouldn't have put yourself in such a position to begin with.

I think you are forgetting a few letters there... And the ones you listed don't seem to have bothered the OP very much.

The guy made a mistake, admitted doing such, asked for help, and the woman wouldn't even get a supervisor for him. Nothing in the tone of this email warrants the venom I detect in this post.

Term B - IAH Club Agent
 

Just depends on who you get. I was in the IAH Term B club this past weekend and asked the club agent to change my return from JAX from the 5:-- to the 3:-- on Friday, as the website threw up the "technical problems" message.

Anyway, the website gave me a price of $150 to change with no fare differential, where this is before it below the error message. However, when the club agent did it, he literally tapped away at the keys for about 15 seconds and then came back with a fee of $700 to change the flight. 15 seconds doesn't pass my smell test, but I digress.

Of course, he politely declined for me on the change as he thought it outrageous, of which I agreed with him on. I then went to my normal cubicle there and called the Plat Elite Line and they were able to consumate it for the $150 without me ever mentioning what had happened with the club agent.

What this goes to show you is that it all depends upon the agent you get, and if you get an unexpected answer, just try again.

Why didn't you just wait til tomorrow and do it for free under the SDC policy?

Because I had to absolutely be on that flight to make a client engagement and they are agreeable to the change fee to get me there just a bit earlier.