[Jgruntfest]

On Octoboer 7th, 2009 I purchased a direct round trip ticket from Newark, NJ (11/25) to Charlotte, NC for my 12 year old daughter set to return on (11/29). I purchased this ticket through Sam's club/Expedia as I have several times in the past with no issues. My ex-wife brought her to the United desk as recomended by the intinerary print out. (Even though it was a Continental booking for a US Air flight operated by United???) When my daughter and her mother arrived at the check-in counter they were instructed that my daughter's ticket was only a "reservation" and had not acctually been purchased by Sam's club. ( I wasn't aware airlines held un-paid reservations anymore) They were partially correct since my card was directly charged by Continental and not Sam's on Oct 7,2009. I then spent 30 min on the phone with Sam's and had returned a call to the United counter with a Ticket # provided by Sam's and they still would not allow her to check in. My ex-wife then went to a US air counter and was referred back to the United desk. By this point it was 15 min until the plane was departing and she missed this flight.
I was waiting in Charlotte for her. We rented a cabin in Asheville (2 hours from Charlotte) for Thanksgiving with 10 other family members all waiting for the arrival of my daughter. No one could and has yet to explain to me what happened. No option was given to help correct the situation. It was not until 1 hour later that a Sam's club representative asked me what the airline could do to rectify the situation. Having my ex-wife travel back to Newark and having me drive 4 more hours round trip the next day was not going to happen and should never have been part of the equation. I paid $522.00 for her ticket and $100.00 for an unaccompanied minor extortion fee. The airline's stance at this point is "this is a non-refundable ticket".
I live 600 miles from my daughter and although I have her for most of the summer and I travel to NJ 2-3 times a year this was a very special holiday she was going to be visiting with me and several of her cousins and aunts and uncles. This was not a mechanical issue. This was not a weather issue. This was not even an over booking issue (that they have yet to admit to) this was a break-down in the over-complicated system. One that no one to date has claimed responsability for. Someone is responsable and someone needs to be held accountable for ruining my Thanksgiving.

[mars6423]

i dont know how much United messed, it seems to me that its more of a Sam's club messed up and that you should deal with them, sounds like they had some bad communication with the airlines, and didnt fulfill their end of the deal even though you paid alot of money to see your daughter for thanksgiving

[Jgruntfest]

Sam's and Epedia did what needed to be done. My statement says Continental for the billing. If someone didn't communicate it was them but my real question is if I paid them and they now will not refund my money why was she not allowed to check in? There's a lot more going on here.

[mars6423]

well you purchased a non-refundable ticket so you wont get a refund, but they should have put your daughter on the flight, someone forgot to pass the ball, sounds like it may have been a prob with it going from continental to US air than to United

I would call sams club and expedia anyway to see if they can do anything for you

it doesnt seem that your money reached the United system making them believe that it was just a reservation and wasnt paid for, this may be a prob that Continental is having by being a new member with the Star Alliance which United is also a member off, so even though you did your part and paid and have evidence, in the system it didnt show up, thats just my opinion and hypotheisis

[Jgruntfest]

It sounds like you've been with the airlines for a while. I rented a cabin 2 hours from Charlotte because there were no direct flights from Newark to Asheville. Even if they would have offered to put her on another flight(although they did not) it wold have been a major inconvenience for ex-wife to either wait at Newark or travel back there and for me to either stay in Charlotte or make the 4 hour round trip the next day. US Air -United- Continental- I don't care which, i do care why and I do wnat my money back.

[mars6423]

well i dont work with any airline, i dont travel with any US based airlines (too much probs there and i fly internationally) i am a frequent flyer so i do know a few things and i have had a few complaints about airlines

i dont know why she wasnt allowed on the plane, i gave you my opinion but i have no idea if thtats correct, and since it was a nonrefundable ticket since the majority of tickets are these days unless you pay extra, than your not going to get a refund

[jimworcs]

You should write to the DOT. You daughter was effectively denied boarding. You paid for a ticket and they denied boarding, despite you arriving at the airport on time and having paid the appropriate unaccompanied minor fee. The airline cannot refuse to provide the service and then say the ticket is non-refundable. You had a contract that they breached. It is outrageous. Under no circumstances accept a voucher. At the mimimum you are entitled to your money back. I also think you are entitled to a denied boarding compensation. This is definitely one to take to court if they don't respond.

[Jgruntfest]

Thanks Jim-I will contact the DOT now. I appreciate the support.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

You should write to the DOT. You daughter was effectively denied boarding. You paid for a ticket and they denied boarding, despite you arriving at the airport on time and having paid the appropriate unaccompanied minor fee. The airline cannot refuse to provide the service and then say the ticket is non-refundable. You had a contract that they breached. It is outrageous. Under no circumstances accept a voucher. At the mimimum you are entitled to your money back. I also think you are entitled to a denied boarding compensation. This is definitely one to take to court if they don't respond.

That is not necessarily true. If the ticket was purchased through Continental, than it would have a Continental ticket number, which starts with the numbers 005. If the ticket was purchased through Continental, it means Continental would have first gotten the money, and then responsible for the reservation being sent to United. That apparently never happened. In this case, United would see a reservation, but in the United system, it would not show paid for, and thus, regardless of a printout, they would not be able to check the person in. This really wouldn't fall under "denied boarding", on United's part.

My suggestion is to go talk with Continental over this. If you still have the ticket number, and it starts with "005", than this needs to be taken up with Continental.

[jimworcs]

Bob..

Your twists and turns are remarkable........................but I admire your tenacity.

Phx and mars...
I guess you decided you wanted that debate about capitalism and morality afterall... but is an airline forum the right place for it?

I will say this... to say there is no such thing as a fair or good business in just not true. My local butcher is the third generation butcher to have his shop in the village. He supplies high quality local meat at a good price. On a Saturday morning, there is a queue of over 100m outside his door from 7am to well past 2pm. At Christmas you have to queue for 45 minutes to an hour to pick up your meat order. So established are the Christmas queues that local restaurants sell hot drinks and choirs sing carols to the queues.

Why are people queuing to do business with this butcher when there are at least 7 vast supermarkets within a 5 mile radius of his shop?

Because he sells high quality products, at a fair price. His shop is highly profitable and I am sure that most people would pay more for his meat. He sells his meat for a fair mark up, nearly always cheaper than the supermarket, for superior quality of known provenance.

Is this business evil? Is it a fair or good business? It is possible to make a profit and not be evil mars...

[mars6423]

yeah that sounds like a good and productive idea, when you get a response let us know what the conclusion is

leaving a child is never a good thing, but at least you knew she was in safe hands with your ex, so even though it ruined your time and the fact that there is no excuse for her not being with you, you have the safe of mind that she is with someone who cares for her

also contact media outlets and let them know what happened and get your sotry out so people can see it and make sure that everything is dealt with properly and the airlines dont mess up

[Gromit801]

Before going to the media, make damned sure which entity is actually at fault. The OP doesn't need libel or slander issues.

[jimworcs]

Any company that went after a passenger for libel or slander, in these circumstances, regardless whether they were ultimately guilty or not, would be stupid. It would be a massive PR disaster

[Jgruntfest]

I contacted Consumer Affairs after the DOT and they informed me that they were going to publish the story on their website. I truly appreciate the help everyone has offered. It's one thing to make a mistake, even a big one, but to try to push back and not take ownership of that mistake just makes me angry and makes them look really bad. I'll be sure to post the link once I have it. I thought to contact the FAA. Any ideas on where that might lead?

[Silent Bob]

Before going to the media, make damned sure which entity is actually at fault. The OP doesn't need libel or slander issues.

I'm in agreeance with Gromit, even if the story is published anywhere, your complaint will be attacked because of missing details. First of all United does not fly into Charlotte, US Airway does and on the itinerary it should be "United ### Operated by US Airs. (You can actually go to United's website to check this) So the reason they would not board your daughter is simple, they weren't supposed to fly on United. Buying a ticket through expedia or orbitz, will give you strange ticket issuance (Possibly the return is on Continental?)

But Sam's Club Expedia did not do all they could have done. What they could have done was to rebook your daughter on another airline, or instruct her to go to a Continental desk (if the ticket number is Continental and Continental Express does run out of the same building as United and US Airs).

What surprises me most is that the mother and daughter both sat at the United counter, but the agent didn't tell them they don't fly to clt and neither did the Expedia rep, which is info they should have in front of them. If you bought the ticket for your daughter, did you email her the itinerary, or did you a) tell her (or her mom) over the phone and they wrote it down, or b) did you type/copy the itinerary in an email to one or both of them?

What I ultimately think happened here is nothing more than miscommunication. No one dropped the ball, it all started with the Itinerary which is definitely incorrect to quote the OP:

My ex-wife brought her to the United desk as recomended by the intinerary print out. (Even though it was a Continental booking for a US Air flight operated by United???)

That should be United flight Operated by US Airways

[jimworcs]

No one dropped the ball,

So, the customer buys a flight for his daughter, via Sam's Club Expedia. He is given a itinerary and goes to the airport. She is scheduled to travel on a specific US Air flight, and at the airport no one is able to sort out the problem to enable his daughter to fly, but no one dropped the ball?

That is how it was supposed to go is it? He pays his money and then at the airport he is turned away. This is a novel new concept in marketing.

He bought a direct flight from EWR to CLT. Because the airlines have created complicated marketing alliances, with each other and the likes of Sam's Club Expedia, no one knows who the hell is responsible for anything. That is not the customers fault. He bought a ticket from Sam's Club. The airlines and the travel agent acting on their behalf took the money AND FAILED TO DELIVER THE SERVICE HE BOUGHT. How you can arrive at the conclusion that someone can buy a service, receive an itinerary, follow the instructions given and fail to get the service purchased and state that no one dropped the ball is beyond me.

Bob, if no one dropped the ball, how did it come about that he never got his service?

[Silent Bob]

Bob, if no one dropped the ball, how did it come about that he never got his service?

Ok jim, if you wanna place blame directly with someone, then the person who dropped the ball is the person who bought the ticket, because it should be on the itinerary exactly who was operating that flight. The ope even points out that it was a Continental controlled ticket, on a US Airs flight operated by United and that's entirely false. Jim, just go to the United web page, check a flight from EWR to CLT and see for yourself. United didn't fail to deliver, simply because they don't fly to clt. (Again you can recheck that). The whole statement is taken from 3rd person, so to say that they just showed up at a United Counter and was told they have no reservation, and they don't know anything else is bogus. A United agent should in fact be able to read an itinerary and tell them exactly where they needed to be, plain and simple. I'm gonna agree with you on one point and that the codeshare thing is crazy and I've gotten caught a few times with that mix up. But once again the airlines didn't drop the ball because the OP didn't buy the ticket through the airlines, he bought it through Expedia, and he obviously either misread the itinerary or Expedia messed up.

So I volley the ball back in your court Jim: How do you fail to deliver a service, if one isn't offered? If United doesn't fly to Charlotte, how did they mess up?

[Jgruntfest]

US Air flight 1825 operated by United. Please don't take me for some joker. I do not have the time or energy to waste with this non-sense. Either airline could have and should have been able to help and they did not, PERIOD. Argue samantics all you want. Either offer something constructive or go back to your cubicle at United and answer someone else's issue of the day.

[Jgruntfest]

UPDATE
I purchased the ticket via Sam's/Expedia-The intinerary said US Air flight operated by United but I paid Continental. The instructions stated to check in at US Air, which she attempted to do and was turned away because the system showed a reservation with out being paid for. When my ex went to the United desk she was then turned back to US Air. I was on the phone with Sam's who called the airline and gave me a ticket # and confirmation # but she was still not permitted to check in.
Last night I recieved an email from United that states after the ticket was issued and paid for a revoke status was put on it with no explaination. The only party who could have done this was Continental.
Bob-I appreciate your input but you only make yourself sound like an idiot when you post that the person to blame is me. I did evrything I was supposed to do, except fuel the plane and fly her myself.

[Gromit801]

Best bet, eliminate the 3rd part ticket sellers. Go to the source.

[jimworcs]

How exactly would that have helped? If he bought the ticket from Continental directly, are you saying the problem wouldn't have existed? Continental were a 3rd party selling agent, selling a United numbered flight on a US Airways operated flight.

It is also bad advice if you have connections with different airlines. For example, if you are travelling say from Little Rock to London and have to change somewhere, best use an agent. If you buy direct, you will have to buy a ticket for the international portion of the flight from a US carrier. US based carriers are almost NEVER better than the international competition. There are dozens of airlines flying from the US to London, and I would choose almost all foreign airlines over US airlines for that route, with the possible exception of Air India, who are also appalling. If you buy from an agent, you can interlink with Virgin for example and if something goes wrong the agent will assist you. (In theory).

[Silent Bob]

You are being a total prat. He was given an itinerary which told him to go to the US Airways counter. He did go to the US Airways counter

No Jim, this shows your ability to merely skim a note rather than read it in it's entirety. the mother and daughter did not go to the US Airways Counter, they first went to a United Counter and the Op even stated in his first complaint it was a US Airways flight operated by United, which was entirely false. Was it the Op's fault? YES! Why? well read his itinerary, it clearly states it's a US Airs flight, why go to a United Counter? It's called owning up to the problem rather than placing blame to someone else. It doesn't matter the codeshare shell game, it only matters that the information given is correct and concise, which it was. I've already stated that United doesn't fly to Charlotte and that was correct, I stated that the return flight was on Continental (which is why the ticket number was Continental) was also true. I also stated that the mistake was misreading the itinerary, which by the OP's own admission was also TRUE.

Was it the Op's fault: A Big Whopping Yes.


You can defend all you want Jim, but that doesn't change the fact that no one is to blame here but that of the OP misreading the itinerary and Expedia not explaining this on the day he was on the phone with him.

[jimworcs]

Is it me who is skimming or you? This quote is taken directly from the first post by the OP..

My ex-wife then went to a US air counter and was referred back to the United desk.

Which bit of that didn't you understand? She went to the United desk first... but also went to the US Airways desk. Meanwhile, the OP was also on the phone to Sam's Club.

What were they supposed to do? Set up a live conference with Sam's Club, Expedia, US Airways, United and Continental?

[The_Judge]

This is fun. Not a helpful post but just an observation.

[Leatherboy2006]

To the OP, next time save yourself the hassle and book online yourself, either directly with expedia or the airline itself....ok I confess I get the hives just looking at Wal-Mart and Sam's, to many small family business's have been hurt(driven out of business) because of them