David Harm is worried about his wife’s ticket to Omsk, Russia.
When he made her reservation through Aeroflot’s Web site, his finger slipped — “I hit the ‘L’ key instead of the ‘K’ key” — and misspelled his wife’s last name (“Slirtenko” instead of “Skirtenko”).
“I did not realize my error until I received the e-mail and checked the information,” says Harm, who lives in The Hague, Netherlands. “When I called Aeroflot immediately to address the problem, I was told the name can not be changed, and that a note regarding the misspelling was placed in the record and that my wife should have no problem.”
Should Harm be concerned?
His question is hands-down the most common one I get from travelers — not just air travelers, but all travelers — after the Transportation Security Administration’s strict new Secure Flight requirement began going into effect (more on that next week). Although he doesn’t have the TSA to tangle with in Europe, he shares a problem with a lot of Americans.
At a time like this, with governments imposing new security rules, airlines teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and many hotels facing foreclosure, travelers often have more questions than answers. Which is why I thought I’d devote a column answering the most common travel questions, starting with the ticket-name one.
Airlines can change the name on a ticket easily. They choose not to. A reservations agent for a major airline recently e-mailed me, just to let me know. Yes, she confided, a name change is as easy as a keystroke — and yes, our employers don’t let us do it because we can charge good money for the fix.
How generous.
It’s not all bad news, though. An airline can still make a notation on your ticket for free (this only works with typographical errors or easily-recognized mistakes, like flip-flopping the first and last name). Only one domestic airline, Allegiant, actually allows you to change the name on a ticket for free. And if you work through a travel agency, and spot the mistake soon after the reservation is made, your agent may be able to fix the ticket at no extra charge.
Here are some other common questions:
Can I get a refund on a nonrefundable airline ticket?
The short answer is: no. It’s a nonrefundable ticket. But if you inform your airline you won’t be able to fly, you have a year from the time you booked your ticket — not the date of your flight — to use a ticket credit, minus a change fee. This is becoming an increasingly hollow promise, since change fees can be more than the fare, but that’s a topic for another time. One more thing: Airlines sometimes make exceptions to their nonrefundability rules when there’s an emergency, disaster or a death in the family.
Do I need a passport to visit Canada or Mexico?
Yes. Either a passport or a Passport Card, according to the State Department. Get a passport.
Do I have to pay a resort fee at my hotel?
Only the most dishonest hotels charge mandatory resort fees, which supposedly cover everything from an in-room coffeemaker to beach towels. The legit ones don’t, and any surcharges they have are optional. Mandatory resort fees are nothing more than hidden room rate increases, and you shouldn’t put up with that. But pay it? If the fee was clearly disclosed when you booked the room, and again when you checked in, then yes. If it wasn’t disclosed, than I know of a credit card company or two that will be happy to refund your money in a dispute. Resort fees are as troublesome as airline fees, and my advice is the same for both — give the companies that don’t charge them your business.
I missed my cruise. Can I catch the next one?
No. Cruise lines used to be lenient about letting you hop on another cruise if you missed the boat. Not anymore. Check out the cruise contract — the legal agreement between you and your cruise line – and you’ll find that it’s just not gonna happen. Buy travel insurance, or get to port extra early.
How do I get a bereavement fare?
Don’t even try. Bereavement fares used to be offered for airline passengers who had to buy an expensive walk-up fare when a relative died. But business travelers, for whom those walk-up fares were invented, got smart and began claiming they had a death in the family in order to qualify for the reduced prices. So airlines pulled the plug on the special fares. You’re better off trying to bid for a fare on Priceline or Hotwire, or asking your travel agent for an inexpensive consolidator fare.
My travel insurance claim was turned down because of a pre-existing medical condition. What now?
Ah, the old pre-existing condition loophole! Most travel insurance companies have a clause in their contracts that says if you had a condition before your trip, and it caused a cancellation, they won’t pay your claim. It’s sneaky and unfair, because a claims adjuster doesn’t have to be particularly insightful to find something in your past medical history to give the insurance company an excuse to turn down your claim. But don’t lose hope. On appeal, more than 90 percent of travel insurance denials are overturned in your favor. So it pays to ask an insurance company again.
I’ve spent hours on the phone with my travel company, and I’m not getting anywhere. What do I do?
Send an e-mail. Airlines, hotels and car rental companies outsource their call centers to countries where no one speaks English, or where the English they speak can’t be understood by anyone here. E-mails can be escalated to someone in the States — and those get real results. (Here are some customer service contacts.)
Can a car rental company charge me for damage I’m not responsible for?
Yes. But it needs to prove the damage occurred while you were renting the car and that they paid for the repairs afterward. And that can be difficult. Most bills from car rental companies don’t show anything, and neither do their follow-up letters. If you copy the state insurance commissioner on your replies that politely inquire about your responsibility, chances are your car rental company will give up and find someone else to bother.
Is it safe to visit Mexico?
Sorta. You’ll want to avoid parts of Michoacán and Chihuahua, according to the State Department. But that destination wedding you had planned for Cancun? The biggest threat to your safety will probably be alcohol poisoning.
Can I call 911 if my flight is stuck on the tarmac and I want to get off?
I wouldn’t. Tarmac delays are a small but serious problem. While Congress hasn’t come to the aid of travelers, the Department of Transportation has. Last month, DOT ordered airlines to let people off planes delayed on the tarmac after three hours. In other words, calling 911 or faking a heart attack is plain unnecessary now that the Obama administration has finally acted. Additionally, pilots and flight attendants want to get off the plane just as badly as you do — after all, they’re still at work. A 911 call will only confuse the issue. You’re better off letting flight crews and government oversight do its jobs. And if you’re stuck for more than three hours, phone the airline, airport, DOT — or your favorite reporter.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Regarding travel insurance and pre-exisiting conditions. Many travel insurance companies offer coverage for pre-existing conditions. A traveler must take out the coverage anywhere within 7 to 21 days, time period varies from on insurance company to another, after paying for their travel arrangements. Note the word ‘Within’.
Regarding rental cars, an important note should be to use your ditigal camera or cell phone to record the condition of the car prior to driving it. Some car companies will walk the car with you and make notes on the contract, others will provide a form that you, the renter, make notes on that you give to the rental desk prior to driving off with the car and keep a copy for yourself.
As for the dreaded resort fee, I think as a journalist Mr Elliott, calling a hotel chain dishonest wasn’t the best word to use. The fee isn’t any different than the luggage fees the airlines charge. Annoying, stupid, insulting, would be my choice of better terms to use, but not dishonest.
Berevement/medical emergency fares are alive and well! I use them frequently for my clients, and typically the fare will be brought down to the cost of what the advance purchase fare would have been. In order to qualify for this fare, passengers must provide information about the ill or dead person, such as their name, the relationship (must be a close relative), and the name and phone number of the hospital or hospice. Northwest has been the most generous with their fares, and I was happy to hear that Delta has adopted their berevement fare policy.
Its possible that, if used extensively, this won’t work, but when I pick up a rental car and do the damage inventory, I mark every panel of the car with and X and state in writing on the card that the car has ‘minor dents and scratches covering the entire exterior.’ (This, in addition to noting other, obvious, major damage). Most clerks are too lazy to then go out and walk the car with me, and just sign off on it.
@Bodega. If all the hotel chains disclosed the mandatory ‘resort fee’ that would be honest. Charging and not disclosing the mandatory ‘resort fee’ is dishonest. Just as dishonest as not disclosing the mandatory “telecommunications fee” being charged by hotels–until you arrive at the desk.
You keep spreading this (at least somewhat) erroneous information that airlines can change the name on a reservation with just a keystroke. At least tell us what system or airlines have this capability. I guarantee you this “ability” does not exist on the Apollo CRS.
@Curious, do you use an TA? I have never booked a hotel for a client where they didn’t know about a resort fee or other fees that they might have to pay for certain services. I have never failed to find fees listed.
@Scott, we can’t reissue without a fee due to a name change, but the airlines can very easily….but it is more than one key stroke as you well know. I agree with Mr Elliott that this is a money maker for the airlines and has been well before the heightened security. On our end, we can put in an OSI regarding the one letter error. I have never had a client not be able to fly due to a letter error in their name. Same with Bob instead of Robert or Sue instead of Susan on a domestic ticket.
Obviously, I wouldn’t read the columns if I didn’t respect Chris, but I don’t like seeing things reported that aren’t true.
Everything is a moneymaker for the airlines. They are losing money (still) and will charge for things you want them to do. It is not “very easy” to do a name change on an e-ticketed reservation, and there is no reason to do it for something like a typo or a nickname. You are exactly correct that people can still fly, though an A-hole TSA person can hassle you if they want. The carriage of contract says that tickets are not transferable, yet people sometimes attempt to do this. If they have some sort of valid reason, they might get the ticket changed by paying the fee.
This whole name change thing, for everything I’ve ever seen, gets blown WAY out of proportion here, because it is “fun” to blast airlines for everything.