FlytheTail

Two months ago, I booked a first/business class ticket through Expedia on China Eastern Airlines. One week ago, I was given notice of a schedule change, resulting in a 7+ hour layover in Shanghai. After several calls to Expedia requesting alternative flights, I was given a better option finally yesterday. I received an E-mail confirmation of the flights and was happy with the outcome (although it took 4 calls to make this happen).

This morning, I got a phone call from Expedia that my flights have been cancelled by the airline, and there are no other options. No reason was given for the cancellation. Now, alternative flights are more expensive. Do I have any recourse here? How can China Eastern cancel a ticket without my consent or without other alternative options? An Expedia supervisor said that there was nothing they could do. Very frustrating!!! Anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance.

moondog

One of the main reasons for using travel agents is that by entering into contracts with them, what happens between them and the airline is not our problem.

If you go to battle with MU, you don't have snowball's chance in hell of getting anywhere, but Expedia is presumably on different footing (because they and eLong provide MU with a lot of business).

But, again whether or not MU makes Expedia whole doesn't really matter to you. Your gripe is with Expedia.

FlytheTail

Thanks, Moondog. I plead my case but to no avail. I guess I'll try Expedia again and hope for a more helpful supervisor willing to explore options (other than a new ticket at current prices).

moondog

You might want to do a bit of research about the legal bearing of contracts with travel agencies first (and, also see what approaches others in your shoes have taken).

djjaguar64

Expedia is terrible, your call will be routed to Egypt and no you will not get anywhere. Why not go through a TA?

moondog

Expedia is a TA.

In spite of the fact IME Expedia is simply horrible in these situations (i.e. they never push the airlines hard enough because they are loath to compromise THEIR relationships), I'm much rather be banging on their door than pretty much any mom-and-pop outfit simply because they have established a strong position within the industry.

I have brought Expedia to task several times in the past for similar snafus, and have a 100% success record, but I will say that dealing with them can be excruciating (e.g. long hold times, dropped calls, failed promises, etc). For this reason, I have always tried (in all similar disputes, not just with Expedia) to get my ducks in order before escalating matters to a high enough level to get a satisfactory resolution. They will blow their customers off repeatedly if they don't come forward with compelling threats.

Under normal circumstances, I would contemplate engaging the airline as well, but not MU; the way they've drafted their COC, they can sit on the OP's money for an entire year, which could well turn into 2 years (are you going to file a claim against them in Shanghai? Good luck!)... even then; we're probably only talking about a refund for the value of the ticket.

djjaguar64

Yes, it may be a TA but it is a virtual TA, there are no offices you can run to, unlike Toureast, etc. You call and get routed to Egypt.

FlytheTail

Well, things seem to have been worked out. Two hours ago, I received two E-mails from Expedia acknowledging their "technical error" and to contact them, this time through a different toll-free number. I spoke with someone quickly, without having to enter several prompts.

At first, I was only given an option of departing much later in the day. Then I was asked if I could travel the day before. Unfortunately, my schedule isn't very flexible. I wasn't getting anywhere, so started to discuss how a ticket formed a contract, and it could not be cancelled without agreement by the airline and the passenger. I also mentioned the DOT (in a non-threatening way) and then was put on hold a while longer. The agent asked to call me back since his manager (the supervisors' boss) was in a meeting. Within 30 minutes, I was ticketed on the MU flights that I had agreed to yesterday, charging me only the cost of my previous ticket and Expedia absorbing the $360 increase in the fare (at least that's what I was told would happen).

If this sticks, I'll be satisfied -- although the several hours spent trying to get this sorted has been frustrating! I sure hope I don't get another call informing me of a flight change/cancellation.

Often1

Make sure you have actual e-ticket confirmations (not just some Expedia confirmation).

For the next time, unless you are seeing extraordinary savings, it's far better to either work directly through a carrier or to pay the fees of a real bricks and mortar TA who is recommended to you by people you know & trust.

In this case you are lucky because you have time before your flight. Had the flights been tomorrow, you could have yelled all you want, but it's unlikely that things would have been fixed.

FlytheTail

Yes, I have a new ticket number on MU and have verified the ticket is valid on the MU website. I usually book directly through airlines, but in this case, I couldn't get the First/Biz combination to show up as an option on the MU website. I guess I could have used an "offline" TA, but I haven't had this kind of problem in the past with "online" TAs.

I wonder if booking with MU directly would have helped in this case. Two Expedia agents spent hours on the phone waiting to speak with MU about this matter, and if they couldn't get this resolved with them, I probably wouldn't have had a chance. I'm glad Expedia stepped up -- as they should have.

Thanks for everyone's input/perspective.

BKKflyforfun

I have a similar problem with Expedia and China Eastern and wonder if somebody can give me additional advice.

Here is my situation: I booked an award flight from HNL-FUK and then back from CTS-HNL on HA. In between these flights I wanted to go to SE Asia, so I booked a separate open jaw flight FUK-BKK-CTS on MU via Expedia.

Usually I book directly with the airline but AFAIK MU's website wouldn't let me book such an open jaw itinerary so I had to go via Expedia.

The problem is that MU changed the first segment of my return flight BKK-PVG-CTS. Instead of leaving BKK at 1:20am and then connecting at PVG at 8:15am MU rebooked me onto their 11:50am flight on the same day, without changing my booking for the 8:15am PVG-CTS flight. Thus, my connecting PVG-CTS flight would be before my first leg, BKK-PVG.

I found out about this a few days before I left for FUK. So I called Expedia to have them deal with the situation. That's when my odyssey started. After a few calls that went nowhere (disconnects, MU office closed etc) an agent wanted to rebook me on a Japan airlines flight from BKK to CTS via Tokyo. Unfortunately, we were disconnected. A few calls later another agent told me he could rebook me on the 4:50pm flight a day earlier; thus, I would have an overnight layover in Shanghai and then my 8:15am flight the next morning to CTS. I was fine with that and the agent told me he had rebooked me on that flight.

The next day I got an email from Expedia that my BKK-PVG flight segment was cancelled. When checking my booking on Expedia's website me return flight now starts from PVG-CTS, no BKK-PVG segment.

I could check my booking before these changes on MU's website. After my dealings with Expedia my reservation is no longer found on MU's website.

I called Expedia again. After 2 or so calls I finally got another agent who wanted to rebook me on the 4:50pm flight the day earlier. He supposedly did and I asked him to send me an email confirmation plus also ask MU to send me an email confirmation.

Nothing happened 24 hours later. The BKK-PVG segment is still missing from my reservation and MU's website doesn't show my reservation.

I do have printouts of my original booking with Expedia and also for the flight reservation after the first change (by MU) from MU's website, clearly showing my ticket # etc.

I am already in FUK and wonder what I should do a this point. Go to the FUK airport and try to deal with MU directly? Try Expedia again?

I am worried that with my reservation not showing on MU's web site they may have 'lost' my reservation and not let me board the FUK-PVG fight in the first place.

Any advice/suggestions are welcome.

YariGuy

Slightly off topic, but where are you located, OP? I have known the frustrations of dealing with MU from here in Shanghai. I've always fantasized that if I were located back in the US I would just sue MU in small claims court in disputes where I'm not getting anywhere. Has anyone had luck suing MU (or any other airline) in small claims court?

Please feel free to move if off-topic, moderator.

FlytheTail

Sorry to hear about your plight, BKKflyforfun. Of course, I can empathize. I would continue to contact Expedia to try to resolve the issue. I had a few really bad/uninformed Expedia agents but one or two good ones. Keep trying and if you initially don't get a desirable response, ask for a supervisor. If that doesn't work, hang up and try again. Good luck.

BKKflyforfun

I gave up on Expedia. I tried to many times, and even when the the Expedia agent supposedly changed the reservation nothing showed up on Expedia's website or on the MU web site.
Instead I went to the MU office here in downtown Fukuoka with the original printout from MU's website. I explained the situation, the agent disappeared in the back for a while, came back and started typing at the computer. Finally she told me she had fixed my reservation. I am now booked on the 4:50pm flight a day earlier from BKK-PVG and with an overnight in Shanghai. All other flights are as I booked them originally.

I was even told that MU would provide for a hotel for the overnight layover.

So far so good. Let's hope it works this time. At least they found my reservation.

FlytheTail

Great to hear. I didn't realize an MU ticketing office visit was a possibility. That would certainly give you a better result than if you had tried to call MU or visit the check-in counter at the airport.