[vaustein]

I was originally scheduled to fly out of Lihue, Kauai (Hawaii) to Honolulu on NWA Flight 4906 at 6:35am last Friday (September 21, 2007). Once at the airport, my itinerary was suddenly changed: I was bumped to an 8:30am flight on Hawaiian Airlines, whose agent explained that NWA doesn't have service from the Lihue airport! Thus, I had to pay a $40 *penalty fee* in order to fly out on an earlier flight, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 104 departing Lihue for Honolulu at 6:15am.

Please keep in mind, I had already paid money to depart Lihue at 6:35, and here I was having to pay an additional $40 because my flight was moved back without my consent.

At the Honolulu airport, I approached an NWA agent at Gate 10. The agent, "Michael", snidely explained that NWA has no control over the actions of Hawaiian Airlines, and that HA must have canceled NWA flight 4906. Incredulous, I asked how it was possible for Hawaiian Airlines to cancel an NWA flight, and why NWA even allowed a booking on a flight that couldn't possibly have left from Lihue. Michael basically sneered and explained that "NWA never gives compensation" in these cases.

In that case, I won't give NWA any more $$. This was a clear rip-off: I paid for a 6:35 flight, was pushed to an 8:30 flight, and had to pay extra to leave at 6:15. Since when is an airline allowed to move a paying customer to a different flight on a whim?