rakers

I recently got a good deal on a flight from SFO to MCO on Priceline.com but they gave horrible times, pretty much mirror images of what I requested. I wanted to spend the weekend with my girlfriend, leave late friday night and catch the redeye back to SFO on Sunday. They give me a flight leaving 6am Friday, returning 7am Sunday! Come on!

I know priceline probably has reams of legalese spelling out that I can't change, complain, or do a dang thing about this, but what if:

I arrive when I want to arrive Sunday night. Will Delta (the carrier priceline chose for me) be obligated to put me on a flight as long as there are seats? Will they force me to pay a bunch of money for the privledge, or will they make me buy a new ticket altogether?

I'm looking to hear back from people who've been in this experience with priceline.

Thanks!

djk7

AFAIK, all domestic redeyes are eastbound, I don't think there are any going the other direction.

SomeGuy

There is no redeye from MCO to SFO. Redeyes go the other direction. The last flight out of MCO is 6:30pm.

rakers

That's good to know. Thanks!

Beckles

Your story makes no sense, either you used the fixed price option on Priceline, in which case you got to choose your exact flights, or you used the "Name Your Own Price" option, in which case you don't get to "request" anything in term of times, only dates, which is made pretty clear if you spend any time reading the site before you bid. I don't think Priceline gave you a "mirror image of what you requested" unless you were using the fixed price option and picked those flights yourself since you can't request anything in terms of flight times. In fact, Priceline also specifically excludes the use of Red Eye flights, which is what you would have needed to leave SFO in the evening to go to MCO anyway.

From the bid page where you name your price, enter your name, and select airports:

Passenger and Ticket Information
Your trip will start between 6am and 10pm on your travel dates.

From the next page where you confirm your details:

Flight Times:
The airlines will choose your flight times. Your trip will start between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and you will arrive no later than 12:30 a.m. the next day.

Not exactly what I'd call "reams of legalese".

The "flat tire rule" would allow you to fly on a space available basis if you arrived at the airport late, but still within two hours of your original flight time.

rakers

Thanks for your (kind of mean and nasty in tone, but rich in information) reply. I did use the "name your price" option and do recall having a chance to enter desired flight times - I guess I remembered wrong.

I went back to look at Priceline's warning, and sure enough, they are pretty clear about the name your price stuff. I guess I was a bit naive. Lesson learned. I will certainly be paying for my sloppiness, literally.

Beckles

Touhgen up boy!

rakers

Yeah yeah.