[wendyluca]

Here is a rendition of what occurred over three days. There has been no contact friom Kenya Airlines despite repeated attempts to speak to someone in regards to compensation.

August 29, 2009
On Friday Aug. 1, 2009 I stopped by the Kenya head office in Rwanda to confirm my flight for the following day. It was scheduled for 3:00 A.M. and I wanted to reconfirm the time as well as my seat as a few months prior it had been scheduled for a later time in the morning.
Sat Aug. 15, 2009 I arrived via cab to the Kigali airport in Rwanda for a 3:00 A.M. flight. It was lightening and raining and when I stepped inside there was very few people and four guards. The lights went off however, when they returned on there was a sign stating that the flight was canceled and that we would have priority for the 9:00 A.M. flight. Apparently after talking to many people air strikes and cancellations are not uncommon for this airline. There were two other Americans in my group and their travel agent had told them to book flights before they need to make there connecting flights because they often cancel. My travel agent never mentioned any problems. I returned to the hotel and utilized the computer to email Virgin Airlines that I would not be making my connecting flight. I spoke with a gentleman in the lobby at 5:00 A.M. who told me that Kenya Airlines is on strike and that they have been since yesterday. I asked him how this could be as I was at the main office and they said nothing. He stated that they have been trying to keep everything quiet and out of the media but he was one of the last people to get out of where he was coming from and they had to bring in a special plane. I returned to the airport in Rwanda at 6:00 A.M. for a 9:00 flight. There were many people at the airport now however, there were no Kenya Airline representatives there. Eventually some employees showed up and stated that there was no airline strike. We were later told that 40 employees were on strike and they would still be having the flight then we were told that another plane was coming for us. Later when no plane arrived we were told that if you had connecting flights that were not on Kenya Airlines that you would be put on a Rwanda Air flight. I got into line and handed over my reservations and they were taking back towards the ticketing computers. We were being held out of the area. I was given back my paperwork about 15 min. later however, there was no ticket or boarding pass for Rwanda Air and no one would give me any information. I waited about 45 min and gave my paperwork to another person and I was again given back my paperwork with no ticket or boarding pass. In the mean time, I had been over at Rwanda Air trying to make a reservation. I was able to do this and I explained that Kenya Airlines stated they were going to do the rebooking. I went to get a representative and brought him over however, they refused to pay or authorize the ticket so I needed to buy it in order to get to Nairobi. I attempted to give her two different credit cards however, they refused and stated they would only take cash. I went to the bank at the airport and they said they only took Visa for cash withdrawal yet when a Visa was produced they stated that they had no connection or ability to do cash withdrawals. I took a cab to four banks before I found one that could do this. It was a Rwanda Holiday as well as some language barriers as I do not speak French. The larger bank downtown was able to complete this transaction and I flew out on the afternoon flight to Nairobi. I took this flight at the encouragement of my Tour Director and the others on the tour. I was assured Kenya Airlines had to help rebook and that Nairobi was such a big airport that I would be able to get out on another flight. They all felt that they would not be getting out as quick because there flights were with Kenya and since mine was not once I got there I should have a better chance of getting a flight back home. The group was leaving before I was able to secure my ticket and I asked that they waited a few min. until I had that in hand however, they refused to wait since it was taking some time. They left and I requested a number to call them. I did call them later when I found out they would not take my credit cards and I needed an extra 100 I cash to get the ticket. I spoke with JJ who stated that he didn’t think they would be able to give me 100 to purchase the ticket and I said I didn’t want them to give it to me just loan it till I got home. I went to the bank instead almost missing the flight because of the hesitation. While on the flight I find out that the girl next to me had her ticket changed by Kenya and she was given a ticket on Rwanda Airlines for free. There was also talk amongst the passengers that executives were being placed on the planes and others were being bumped and denied access. These executives did not have tickets and were therefore, untraceable on the plane which goes against regulations. I arrived in Nairobi and proceeded to gate 6 where there was a customer service area. I waited in line with hundreds of people and when I finally had my turn I was given my paperwork back and told maybe I would be booked on a Midnight flight but I would have to check in again later. I found out that Kenya Airlines had a flight leaving for London so I went to the gate and requested to be put on this flight. There were 62 empty seats and they refused because they stated my ticket from Nairobi to London was on Virgin not with them. I told them about the fact that they said they would be rebooking me tonight at midnight and if I was on that flight then I would be able to make my other connecting flight to boston. They refused. I asked how much a ticket costs and was told around 1400.00. By this time several more hours have gone by so I proceed to the baggage area where there are piles of luggage everywhere. In bins on the floor etc. I get into the baggage line with about 200 other people and wait after about an hour I saw a man who I was told is a supervisor. I went over to him and asked if he knew where the area is for Rwanda Air baggage. He makd two quick calls and then stated that you just have to look there is no order. I looked for over an hour and I was able to locate my luggage. The line for the hotel voucher was again several hundred people long and they started to tell people to make there own accommodations. The less expensive hotels were already booked by Kenya and the ones that had not been filled were charging increased rates. The conditions had continued to deteriorate over the course of the day and people were screaming, sleeping on the floors. The water was cut off and there was no food or water and toilets were full. I attempted to go over to Virgin Airlines however, I was told that they have one flight out per day in the morning and there crew come in and then leave shortly thereafter. I started to leave the hotel to take a cab to a hotel when I was stopped by a travel agent and she offered to help me book a hotel room. I explained that I needed access to the internet and a phone. She booked me a room at the Hilton and I arrived there late evening around 10PM. I told her I would pay by credit card when I got there however, she refused and I had to give her my credit card and then she said she would pay them cash for me. It should be noted that the Hilton did take credit cards. I called Virgin and spoke with a man who had an Indian Accent. He stated that my ticket was not with them but on Air France from Rwanda. I tried to explain to him that I had never spoken to Air France and certainly never had any reservation. He insisted I did and after about 15 Min I hung up as he stated he could not help me. I called back and spoke to a women who had an American accent and she attempted to assist me however, she stated that I needed to go threw Continental since they were the booking agency. I had also been emailing Vicky and Vivian from Adventure Center asking for there help in rebooking as well as having my mother attempt to reach them. It was a weekend. I called my Tour Guide again Julius to let him know what was happening and he said there was nothing he could do but maybe I should go back to the hotel we meet at the first day and maybe someone there could help me. I called Continental myself after that and was told that all the flights were booked until Mon. But they did have some business seats for around $896. I told her I would call back and when I did the next person Sandy said they would rebook me on a Brussels Airway flight for the following night at 1145 P.m. for no additional charge. My confirmation number was Qu6GH4. This flight was to connect with a continental flight in Newark NJ and then into Boston.
Sunday Aug, 16, 2009 I arrived at the airport for the flight and I am told that I do not have a reservation. I give them my confirmation number and then he stated that it is oversold by 30 people and I can not get on the plane. I then ask to speak with a manager and they have me wait about 30 Min. When I do speak to a manager she stated that the confirmation number is not sufficient that I must give her the ticket number and that the plane is oversold and it is to late for me to get on the plane. I attempt to call Continental with my cell phone however, I am unable to. At this point I go to her office crying and she tells me listen unless you get in touch with your travel agent and they rebook you a new ticket you are going to keep getting bumped around to the different airlines. I leave and go over to the Kenya main office at the airport and get in line again to explain the situation. I was taken in a back room and spoke with a group of about five people. The refund me the cost of my Rwanda Airways ticket and 125.00 towards the cost of a hotel. They took a copy of my passport and stated that I had a confirmed flight on Virgin Airways at 915 AM. I asked them to make sure and they printed out the information. I then went to the hotel voucher area and was given a voucher. I arrived back at the Hilton at about 2:00 am where I proceeded to call my mother and ask if she could contact the airlines to see if I had a confirmed flight for a few hours later that AM. The various airlines that she contacted stated that they could not give her any information as she was not the passenger. I was able to find out that I did not have a reserved seat on Virgin. I slept for two and a half hours and then went to get my cab.
Monday Aug. 17, 2009
The cab that was prearranged through Kenya Airways did not show up. I arrived at the airport and was told that I did not have a ticket. I showed them the paperwork that Kenya had printed out and explained to the manager that I was told I had a guaranteed reservation on this plane. She stated that I did not and that I would have to fly stand by but it didn’t look good. I would have to wait two hours. During that I time I had another conversation with her explaining what had happened and that my next course of action was to go to the embassy and begin to involve media. I was able to get on this flight due to another flight not arriving on time however, they stated they should be charging me a extra fee for changing the ticket. They did not however, charge me for that. I arrived in England in the early evening London time. I went to the Virgin Airways to inquire about my connecting flight to Boston. I spoke with Dee who stated that I did not have any other reservation to Boston. I requested that she check to see if there were any flights leaving that evening to Boston and she was able to secure a seat on British Airways. She then stated that by the time I went over to the Continental counter and made arrangements it may to late so she called Continental to gain approval of this flight change to Boston. She was on the phone for about 30 min and explained what had happened and why I had missed my connecting flight. They denied the change and she said she could rebook me on Virgin for the following day at 2:50 PM. She then printed out a card with the flight information on it. While she was on the phone with Continental she discovered that the Continental agent I spoke with while in Nairobi had never reticketed the flight on Brussels Airways and they still denied me access to the British Airways flight that evening. I went downstairs to the reservation desk and made a reservation at the Holiday Inn and the cost was almost three times the price it was two days earlier. I had a nonrefundable reservation there for two evenings prior. I also purchased two tickets for the hopper transportation which is less expensive than a cab. I arrived at the hotel about 730 that evening.
Tue Aug. 18, 2009
I attempted to take the hopper bus back to the airport however, there must have been some issue as it was taking a long time so in order to ensure ample time for check in the hotel suggested I should take a cab which I did. I went to the area for self check in and was told that I needed to see an attendant. I spoke with a gentleman who said oh I hope we can get you on the flight. I said I was there yesterday and spoke with Dee and I surely have a ticket. The women at the counter stated that I only had a reservation not a ticket and there were no seats. She then said she found one last row middle so I was able to fly to Boston. She mentioned the change fee but did not charge me this. Once I arrived in Boston a walking stick was placed in oversized baggage and I left customs. They had me wait 45 to get this as the Virgin representative said there was only one staff on they had to wait until a slow time to walk it out of customs.
It should be noted that I was never contacted by anyone associated with Adventure Center or Exodus the tour company I booked through.


Additional Costs thus far Please be aware that the travel insurance agency at Adventure Center USI travel Insurance has stated that the policy pays a maximum of 200.00 per day for all expenditures that I have receipts for. I am also awaiting additional charges for telephone calls made from my cell phone as well as calls made from the US.
Sat and Sun(Aug 15 and 16):
Cab to Rwanda airport 10.00
Cab back to hotel 10.00
Cab back to airport for later flight 10.00
Cab to four banks waiting and back to the airport 35.00
Cab from Nairobi airport to Hilton back for Airport for Brussels flight 40.00
Cab to Hilton when Brussels did not allow me on flight and then back to airport 40.00
Internet Café over several days 10.00 (The hotel charged 28.00 per days for access to internet.)
Telephone calls from hotel and room service 307.18 (22,756.00 shillings x exchange 0.013105994 + 8.94 exchange rate)
Cost of Hilton room via travel agent Marble which will appear on next credit card 276.70.
Telephone calls from Boston to Africa To be determined
Cash advance costs to acquire 150.00 cash was 69.87 plus 10.99 transaction fee total fee 88.86
Cost of nonrefundable hotel in London 78.91
Ticket on Rwanda Air 274.00
Food
Sat
breakfast Coffee and muffin 5.00
lunch 6.00 I purchased Macadamia nuts for lunch as there was no takeout upstairs in the airport.
dinner room service 1850 shillings included in above amount
Sun
breakfast included in price of room it was a bed and breakfast
lunch 350.00 shillings for a juice drink and later a coffee at 320 shillings at the hotel included in above rate lunch at restaurant across street 11.00
dinner 2430 shillings included in price above
Mon(Aug. 17) :
Cab to airport in Nairobi 20.00
Breakfast 10.00
Lunch On plane
Dinner 16.10 lbs and 2.00 lbs
Internet access IBAHN 3.00 lbs
Rebooked Holiday Inn and hopper passes at airport hotel reception desk Polyglobe for 261.69
Cell phone calls to state TBD
Tue (Aug. 18) :
Breakfast billed as lunch was juice and toast total cost 6.51 lbs
The total cost for dinner internet and breakfast was 46.66.
Lunch Ice Tea and a Scone 8.38 lbs
Dinner 12.00 food court airport
Bus fare 2.00lbs
Cab to London Airport 11lbs
Harbor Express to Quincy 12.00 Receipt is from my trip tp airport I did not get one coming back but this shows the price of a ticket.
Thur 8/21:
Purchase of additional malaria medication 13.12
Sat 8/29:
Cost of mailing all items
An estimated loss thus far is approx. 1635.12.

[jimworcs]

That is an absolute horror story. The insistence on cash rather than credit card is often problematic. It is often the case that the transactions did go through electronically and that the cash payment went directly into someones pocket. I was stranded in Senegal and found it very difficult to get out in similar circumstances.

Your travel agent let you down badly. You should consider legal action if they don't come through.

[wendyluca]

I am considering that. I just can't believe that no one seems to be offering me any type of apology or compensation. I have spent so much time writing letters and with no results. Do you have a lawyer you used for your case?

[jimworcs]

I eventually got it sorted without court action, but you pursue legal action if you are getting nowhere. First though, you should create a timeline. You complaint is a bit confusing, so I would take out a lot of the extraneous stuff and put together a clear timeline. It should state

When you booked the trip
Who you booked through
How you paid and who you paid it to
Which airlines were on the original itinerary
What happened, when
What communications took place and what you asked for
What you had to pay out in extra costs
What compensation you are seeking

In general, I would state that if you booked your tour via a travel agency, they in the first instance would be the people you would look to for redress. I am not sure what jurisdiction you are in. I am in England, so the rules are slightly different. However, I would imagine your claim would be under a small claims procedure. If you are in Boston (which I think may be the case given your final destination) you can get advice from here.

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ocatermi...ourt&csid=Eoca

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

That is an absolute horror story. The insistence on cash rather than credit card is often problematic. It is often the case that the transactions did go through electronically and that the cash payment went directly into someones pocket. I was stranded in Senegal and found it very difficult to get out in similar circumstances.

Your travel agent let you down badly. You should consider legal action if they don't come through.

I was thinking the exact same thing. In several parts of the world, mostly developing nations, the only way to get any level of "customer service" is with a gratuity or bribe. It's just the way it is. In the very first paragraph of your account there were a few things that stuck out. First was that your travel agent never advised you that you might encounter problems. A good travel agent who has traveled in the same part of the world to which they are sending you will advise you of the "ins and outs" of what is a customary "bribe" to pay to get things done. For instance the hotel employee who told you the airline was on strike. While I haven't been to Rwanda I have been to Kenya and I interpreted that to mean "I might have some inside information/contact with the airline and would be willing to help...for a price." Perhaps if you had chatted him up a bit and given him the equivalent of $5-$10 USD he probably would have given you a name at the airport who, for about $10-$20 USD, would get you on the next flight to Nairobi. Fast forward to the airport when they kept handing you back your paperwork without any ticket confirmation. Had you slipped it back to them with some cash they probably would have taken care of you as well. I know it's outrageous to have to "pay" for a service which in Europe or the US we would just expect but in some cultures that's still how it's handled.

I know you had the trip from hell (at least trying to return to the US) and as a result spent a lot more money than you expected to. Your travel agent and/or the tour company through which you purchased this package shouldn't have left you in the lurch and I believe your best shot at getting any sort of compensation would be through them. As Jim said a clear, concise account of the events with an understandable timeline would be the best approach and make it clear that if you don't get satisfaction from them voluntarily that you are ready and willing to pursue the matter legally. Might I also suggest a possible alternative in the form of an ombudsman. When you finalize your "second draft" of this mess send it, along with any supporting documentation and receipts, to Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Every month I read of people like yourself with travel disasters where their ombudsman was able to secure a satisfactory settlement.

Finally I would also look into your travel package to see if you were sold any type of insurance policy. Some of the expenses you list, for example the ticket on Rwanda Air and the additional hotel costs at the same property for which you had pre-paid reservations, are probably covered under trip interruption insurance and could be easily recouped from the insurance company. Other expenses like meals, ground transportation, and phone calls probably aren't covered and that is what you'll need to go after the tour company for.

Good luck and please let us know the final outcome.

[wendyluca]

Thank you both for great suggestions. I am in Ma. and the travel agency is in Ca. which is the opposite sides of the United States. The airlines is international so I dont know that I have any recourse in small claims, which I believe they are prob aware of and that is why they are not concerned with my case. I will def. try the Conde Naste. If nothing else I will get the word out there so people are not using the travel agency. My travel insurance was purchased through them and of course I did recieve some money but less than 1/2. Thanks for all your help.