Last month I traveled with my fiancee to a friends' wedding in Buffalo, New York. We purchased tickets online nearly two months in advance so we didn't have to worry about inflated prices or lack of seats, but to my surprise, it wasn't the price I had to worry about -- it was my seat, or lack of it.After waiting on line after line to have my luggage and shoes inspected by the most qualified inspectors at LaGuardia Airport, we walked to our gate only to see the place mobbed by people, like myself, who just wished they could sit down for five minutes in those uncomfortable seats -- but every one was taken.
Standing at our gate with the rest of the crowd, I realized the e-tickets we purchased nearly two months prior lacked seating numbers, forcing me to stand on another line.
When I finally reached the attendant at our gate, I informed her of our situation. Her face did all the talking.
Even though I purchased two tickets for the 4:45 flight to Buffalo, which I had paid for months ago, there were no seats to be had. The plane was full. Knowing that you catch more flies with honey, I smiled and said, "Well, that's great for the airline, but these tickets clearly say I should be on this flight."
Note to self, practice using some "tact."
After paying nearly $499 for two tickets to Buffalo, I was told that I'd have to be on "stand by." Needless to say, I wasn't going to win this war.
The lesson here, folks, is if you want something done right, you either do it yourself, or scream at the man in charge till you get it. It was obvious she couldn't help me, so after I gave her the best forced smile I could muster, I had her summon her manager.
The story continued to unfold. I was basically told that it was my fault for not ordering a seat when I purchased the ticket. But I didn't have the opportunity to even pick a seat during the process! I wasn't the only person in this mess. Over ten people were screaming at the top of their lungs because the plane was "overbooked" despite each person already paying for their ticket.
My fault. Right.
Two hours of frustration later and I board the plane. The whole flight to Buffalo I was thinking, "These people are going to get some complaint letter when I get home."
Fast forward to this week, where I read an article in the WSJ by Scott McCartney, who said that forwarding a copy of your airline complaint to the Department of Transportation (DoT) can result in increased attention from the airline.
It seems I'm not the only person who has problems with the airlines.
Here's where you send your grievance(s):
email: airconsumer@dot.gov
phone: 202-366-2220
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
make sure you include your:
• name
• address
• daytime phone number (including area code)
• name of the airline or company about which you are complaining
• flight date
• flight number
• origin and destination cities of your trip.
• copy of your ticket
• copies of any correspondence you've had with the airline
If you're going to take a flight and you purchase tickets online, make sure you can claim your seat at the same time. Paying for a ticket just isn't enough these days.
I'll keep you updated if I am graced with a response.
Note to self, practice using some "tact."
After paying nearly $499 for two tickets to Buffalo, I was told that I'd have to be on "stand by." Needless to say, I wasn't going to win this war.
The lesson here, folks, is if you want something done right, you either do it yourself, or scream at the man in charge till you get it. It was obvious she couldn't help me, so after I gave her the best forced smile I could muster, I had her summon her manager.
The story continued to unfold. I was basically told that it was my fault for not ordering a seat when I purchased the ticket. But I didn't have the opportunity to even pick a seat during the process! I wasn't the only person in this mess. Over ten people were screaming at the top of their lungs because the plane was "overbooked" despite each person already paying for their ticket.
My fault. Right.
Two hours of frustration later and I board the plane. The whole flight to Buffalo I was thinking, "These people are going to get some complaint letter when I get home."
Fast forward to this week, where I read an article in the WSJ by Scott McCartney, who said that forwarding a copy of your airline complaint to the Department of Transportation (DoT) can result in increased attention from the airline.
It seems I'm not the only person who has problems with the airlines.
Here's where you send your grievance(s):
email: airconsumer@dot.gov
phone: 202-366-2220
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
make sure you include your:
• name
• address
• daytime phone number (including area code)
• name of the airline or company about which you are complaining
• flight date
• flight number
• origin and destination cities of your trip.
• copy of your ticket
• copies of any correspondence you've had with the airline
If you're going to take a flight and you purchase tickets online, make sure you can claim your seat at the same time. Paying for a ticket just isn't enough these days.
I'll keep you updated if I am graced with a response.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-30-2007 @ 4:55PM
Maurice Leacock said...
Er . . .what airline was it?