[KJC]

I just booked some travel for a small school group going from Seattle to Atlanta. A chapperone change was needed so I called Continental to have the chapperone name changed. I was sternly reminded that the ticket is non-transferrable and that there was nothing that the customer service agent could do other than sell me another ticket for the new chapperone and the displaced chapperone would have to use their ticket within one-year or it would expire. She tried to convince me that the airline would lose money if she changed the name on the ticket. Hmmm...

Seems to me such customer-unfriendly policies are far more likely to lose money for an airline than a policy which seems to have no good business purpose other than to try to extort more money from a small non-profit group of students trying to travel to a tournament.

The other chapperone will travel on a different airline and meet us in Atlanta. No thanks to Continental.

KJC

[Corbel]

as much as it does suck...its policy. like it or not thats the way it is. not continentals fault. its in their contract of carriage and clearly states "tickets are not transferrable." They are a business and need to make money, just like everyone does. i dont know if they would loose money because of a name change, but as i said earlier, policy is policy

[KJC]

I've never been one to lay down and rollover just because it's "policy". It is up to consumers to question poor policies and vote with their dollars.

[ChrisH]

This same policy exists with ALL airlines, not just Continental. The policy is in place for security reasons, etc.. You cannot just change a name on a ticket. The computer systems literally will not let you. This is why the agent told you she couldn't do it, because, literally, she could not; she would have to sale you another ticket.

It is understandable to be aggrevated when you don't agree with a policy. That doesn't change the fact that it is policy. Airlines have a "contract of carriage". I would advice all passengers to read each airlines contract of carriage, before purchasing a ticket on an airline, so they understand what they are getting into. Passengers seem to bring the contract of carriage to their defense, when they feel the airline didn't uphold it, but when the airline does uphold it, suddenly it should be thrown out the window, when it means something doesn't go their way.

[KJC]

Do you realize how ridiculous these arguments in defense of poor policy sound? Security? I hear that crap all the time. Most businesses cannot get away with that kind of response to their customers. The excuse is getting pretty tired because it makes no sense. Are you really suggesting that the airlines are going to spend a month checking the names on tickets. What about the ones that they sell on the day of travel? Hmmm...

The fact is that there are airlines who can and do find ways to accomodate their customers. The ones that don't, lose business.

Why does everyone on this site defend the airlines and policies?

[ChrisH]

People who buy tickets on the day of travel, are put through extra security. Their boarding passes will have "SSSS" printed at the top, which is a sign to TSA. Yes, the airlines do, in a sense, check names. If any name on a ticket matches, or resembles a name on the "TSA no fly list", it immediately throws up a flag when I check that person in. I then have to put all of that person information into the computer, and have them cleared for travel, etc.

You obviously do not work for an airline. If you did, you'd understand the BS that we have to go through, as agents, dealing with security stuff, that, even to me, doesn't make sense. This is, believe it, or not, one of the reasons that changing names on reservations that have been ticketed, are not allowed. They can be changed, if it isn't ticketed (paid for), but not once paid for. They computer system, at least for the airline I work for, will not allow it, and there is no way I can get around that.

For what it is worth. I just found out I am being laid off from my airline job, as well as the rest of the agents who work for the airline, at the airport I am at --- I am running far, far away. I too think the airlines are full of BS, half of the time, but there really is nothing I can do about it, as an agent. This is what I wish passengers understood, and didn't take it out on agents. Write a long letter to managemnt. That is my recommendation. If enough people do it, maybe they will realize things need to be changed. As it is, people complain, but continue to fly, time, after time again. And, it is a cycle. For example - you may not fly Continental again, because of this. BUT, there is somebody else out there experiencing this same issue with Delta, and so next time they will fly Continental, and you will end up flying Delta. The airlines never lose customers, they just shift around. Not to mention, I've seen passengers who claim they will never fly a specific airline again, and the next week, they are in line to check in, because we offered a fair half the price of the others. The only way for things to change, is for people to stop flying altogether.

Don't get me wrong. I think the airlines are full of BS, as much as you. I am not sticking up for them. I just wish more people understood who is truly to blame; management, and not the agents.

[KJC]

Chris,

Sorry to hear about your situation with the airline.

I do not work for an airline. Just a frequent passenger.

Here's the letter that I sent. I did explain to the agent that I did not hold her responsible for policies that can easily be perceived as stupid. In fact, I asked her for the address to send a letter to Continental management - and she was happy to assist.

Message: To: Larry Kellner
Chairman & CEO, Continental Airlines, Inc.
Dear Mr. Kellner:
This past weekend I volunteered to book travel for a small high school physics club team going from Seattle to Atlanta for a robotics tournament. Aside from some confusion about how a group of 8 unrelated people could be booked together on the same itinerary, the process worked fairly well. The initial group of students and two chaperones (me as a placeholder however), were confirmed and each called in to have their tickets paid.

Today, (Monday) a chaperone change was needed so I called Continental to have the chaperones' names changed. I was sternly reminded that the ticket is non-transferable and that there was nothing that a customer service agent can do other than sell me another ticket for the new chaperone, and the displaced chaperone (me in this case) would have to use their ticket within one-year or it would expire. She tried to convince me that "the airline would lose money" if she changed the name on the ticket. I told her that the policy that she just recited (non-transferable, non-refundable) is not even written on the receipt provided from the Continental website. But I was curtly reminded that the customer service agent who sold me the ticket surely advised me of that policy on the phone. Whatever…

I told her that I thought that this policy is not fair to customers – particularly a volunteer like me who is trying to organize travel for an educational group. We stand to lose $362 for because of this inflexible policy – a big chunk of the team's budget. She had a hard time disagreeing because, if she was in my position, she would also be in a situation where she stood to lose money while volunteering to help her child's school. Is it any wonder that finding parents willing to volunteer for school activities is so difficult?

It seems to me that such customer-unfriendly policies are far more likely to lose money for an airline than a policy which seems to have no good business purpose other than to try to wrest more money from a small non-profit group of students trying to travel to a tournament.

The other chapperone will travel on a different airline and meet us in Atlanta. No thanks to Continental.
Sincerely,

KJC

[ChrisH]

KDC,

The letter looks good to me. Hopefully he will read it, and respond. Let me know of any other assistance I can be. I work for CAL.

Thanks for your concern over my situation. Don't feel bad, however, because I do not. I have been wanting to leave this job for awhile, and this gives me an opportunity/excuse to do so. I do feel for passengers, and the frequent inconveniences faced when traveling on the airlines. I see it everyday. There are some crazy policies in place.

I would advice you to make copies of your reciept, as well as get a copy of the "contract of carriage". First, read it, and if you see nothing regarding changing names, I would send it in, with the letter. SOme policies, are policies, but technically it isn't written anywhere for passengers to see - which would be in your favor.

[Silent Bob]

I don't think you're allowed to change the name on a ticket. I thought It was like some kinda security issue. I had a mispelling on my name and asked the agent to change it, but was told they are not allowed to do it. Normally the record is documented to note the name change. But as for transferring to another person, I think it would have been easier to get a credit for the flight and apply that credit for a new ticket.

[jimworcs]

I cannot stand the kneejerk response to any criticism as it is necessary due to "security". In this case, how can it be that the airline can book a passenger for the flight if a new ticket is bought and cancel the other booking and this is safe, but to change the name on the existing booking is unsafe. Where is the logic in this? The net effect is exactly the same.. how is security enhanced by this.

The issue of a policy is entirely different. Many airlines have adopted policies which are totally biased against the passenger, and are frankly often exploitative. This can be addressed by individual customer complaint, but frankly as said earlier, passengers often have little choice over who they fly for particular routes. Instead, this abuse will have to be addressed by regulation, and the only way to do that is through policial pressure. What compounds the problem is that the airlines often hide behind the security issues, which in my mind is a disgraceful exploitation of the horror of 9/11 to extort money from customers. That is just unforgiveable.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

I cannot stand the kneejerk response to any criticism as it is necessary due to "security". In this case, how can it be that the airline can book a passenger for the flight if a new ticket is bought and cancel the other booking and this is safe, but to change the name on the existing booking is unsafe. Where is the logic in this? The net effect is exactly the same.. how is security enhanced by this.

The issue of a policy is entirely different. Many airlines have adopted policies which are totally biased against the passenger, and are frankly often exploitative. This can be addressed by individual customer complaint, but frankly as said earlier, passengers often have little choice over who they fly for particular routes. Instead, this abuse will have to be addressed by regulation, and the only way to do that is through policial pressure. What compounds the problem is that the airlines often hide behind the security issues, which in my mind is a disgraceful exploitation of the horror of 9/11 to extort money from customers. That is just unforgiveable.

You are right, but, you know what? That is the airlines. They will keep doing this, and it will get worse, until people outright stop flying altogether. If the airlines were losing customers left, and right, due these constant problems, things would have changed by now, however, people continue to fly, and the airlines continue to take advantage.

One thing passengers often do not think about, are the employee groups of the airlines. The airlines exploit passengers, but it is amazing how much they exploit the employees as well.

[Silent Bob]

Its not just a security issue in terms of it being something post 9/11. Not being able to change the name on a ticket is a rule put in place to protect you as a customer. How, you say? Well let's say you booked a trip to vegas, told all your buddies, and one of them decides to go to the airport in your place and says to the agent "Jim is sick, I'm gonna take his place. Can you put my name in his place?" It may sound like something that cannot possibly happen, but it has and I have seen it with mine own eyes. I saw a passengers go up to the ticket counter (At Continental) and state to the agent "my mom is sick and I need to get to Florida right away" Does the agent know who this person is? no. They only know they have a ticket in this woman's name and another woman is trying to claim it. Does the agentgo by her word and change the ticket? She can try contacting the original passenger to confirm this, but who's to say this same person can't turn around and say she didn't authorize it? See the can of worms that opens up? Now in the case of this group, I don't think there is any deception going on here, but the airlines have to protect themselves because as we all know, people can and will sue for the littlest things.

As for the airlines and their biasness against the passengers. Well it's as Chris says, it's never gonna change until people stop flying. But that's never gonna happen? How can a business passenger stop flying? Or how can you tell a person who's parents are ill/dying in another/state or country, who need to get to that location to not fly? As much as flying is a luxuary for most, it's a neccessasity for others. What's the alternative? Drive? Train? Boat? Bus? People can barely stand being on a plane 5 hours at best, can you imagine how uptight most will be if they have to spend 14 plus hours to get from NY to california by bus?

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by Silent Bob

As for the airlines and their biasness against the passengers. Well it's as Chris says, it's never gonna change until people stop flying. But that's never gonna happen? How can a business passenger stop flying? Or how can you tell a person who's parents are ill/dying in another/state or country, who need to get to that location to not fly? As much as flying is a luxuary for most, it's a neccessasity for others. What's the alternative? Drive? Train? Boat? Bus? People can barely stand being on a plane 5 hours at best, can you imagine how uptight most will be if they have to spend 14 plus hours to get from NY to california by bus?

Exactly! People need to fly. And, with airfare so cheap, $300-$500, to fly coast to coast, if you purchase in advance, not only is it quick, but it saves you time, and money, compared to driving 24+ hours across the country, and paying for the gas, which will probably cost you near the cost of the ticket, plus food costs, and any hotel stays, if you decide to make a long drive, such as that, over a period of two days, as many would do. And, while we are talking about long drives, lets mention short drives. I've checked people in, who are flying to locations, that are no more than a 3-4 hour drive away.

There really is no way to make flying a seameless process for everybody. Not all customers will always be satisfied. Think about how many times you go into Wal-Mart, or some other store, and there is one line open, the cashier is rude, and they didn't have one of the items that you went in to get. We complain, in our minds, about this, but often times, let it go. Airlines are no different. They aren't always going to please everyone, but, people don't let it go. They pitch fits, and act like children, over what can sometimes be the smallest of things. The airlines deal with tens of thousands of passengers and bags, or more, on a dailer basis. They operate metal tubes at 30,000 feet, flying at 600mph, across the country. It isn't exactly as easy business, and common sense tells me that things will sometimes go wrong, and unfortunately, inconvenience a customer. It happens. Either deal with it, or stop flying, because it isn't going to change.

I am truly amazed at how something simple as a passengers bag not making it on a flight, yet it is scanned to arrive the VERY next flights, less than an hour away, and we will deliver the bag, yet grown business men, and women, twice my age, act like little irate children over something like that. I realize the inconvenience, but for a professional business man or woman to act they way I've often seen, makes me questions the people we have running our business, and country, yet these people like to put down my generation. As much as it is an inconvenience, when things don't go as planned, when flying on the airlines, people need to stop and realize how they look, when they pitch fits. It makes me want to stay away, and have no part of the business they work for, because that is the impression I get of that business. It goes both ways; and passengers don't realize this. Not to mention the people that pitch fits at the agents, and think it is okay, but dare that agent act rude to them. There are some really immature people out there, and yet they are the heads of businesses. It amazed me everyday, the stuff I see!

[Kay]

This is information for future Group travel. If you book through Continental's Group department, they will allow 1 free name change per ticket. You have to book at least 10 tickets and the free change has to be done 14 day prior to your flight. However if you book online and regular reservation name changes are not allow. This is standard policy accross the industry not just Continental.

[rnagel]

The agent may not be able to change the ticket is not the same as the airline can't change the ticket. The airline has a policy of making as many rules as possible to cover every contingency so that they will be able to truthfully say that you were on notice of this or that regulation. The philosophy of trying to gain by mistreating their customers hasn't worked very well so far, but they seem to repeat themselves with boring regularity. (Southwest and JetBlue excepted)

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by rnagel

The agent may not be able to change the ticket is not the same as the airline can't change the ticket. The airline has a policy of making as many rules as possible to cover every contingency so that they will be able to truthfully say that you were on notice of this or that regulation. The philosophy of trying to gain by mistreating their customers hasn't worked very well so far, but they seem to repeat themselves with boring regularity. (Southwest and JetBlue excepted)

True, but as I said in an earlier post, that is the airlines. If someone chooses to fly, they have to prepare to deal with this kind of stuff. Ultimately the airlines can create any policy, and charge what they want, for what they want, just like any company can. Just like Wal-Mart can charge what they want for their products, and create whatever return policies, etc., they want.

Not saying I agree with it, but it is the truth, no way around it.