ChoiceAir nightmare

[SharonK]

has this happened to anyone?

 

We are booked on a cruise out of Barcelona in October. February 13 I booked airfare with choice air. I just got an email from Delta saying that because the time had changed for one of my return flights, I would not have enough time to make my connection in Atlanta. I called Delta and they were ready to fix it on the spot until they realized I had booked with choice air and said I would have to call choice air. When I called choice air they wanted me to cancel all the flights and start all over ( I did not do this because I had only paid $833/per person back in February and now the flight are much more expensive). After going back and forth with them speaking to 3 different people and being put on long periods of hold. I still do not have a resolution. They are trying to check on a different return flight which will require that I spend the night in Atlanta all at my own expense but I will have to wait 72 business hours to hear back from them. He could not guarantee that change could be made or if it would cost me more money. I also don’t want to cancel because I’m on the Atlanta to Barcelona flight which is now completely booked and if I started over that flight would no longer be an option. I’m extremely frustrated and every solution I suggested they would not even consider. I thought the reason to book with choice air was to get customer service. So far the service has been very poor and I may end up having to pay a lot more before it is settled.

[ebtrip]

I don’t understand why Delta would not help you. It was their change not yours.. I would call and ask to speak with a supervisor. You booked thru a third party but payment went to Delta. They are responsible to rebook you.

[Bfb832cc]

Actually, if a travel agency books your flight, I believe they are the only one that can change it, not Delta. Had a similar thing happen earlier this year with an American flight needing to be changed due to a Qantas flight time change. I now needed an earlier American flight, but had to go thru Choice Air (per the American Airlines rep). Choice Air told me the same-they would cancel all the flights and start over, and it would take up to 72 hours. I had a problem with that because I would lose my seat assignments and we were less than a month from the flight. In the end, they just moved the one flight and left everything else untouched, but it was a stressful 48 hours!

 

 

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[Bfb832cc]

And....if you are changing planes on a itinerary booked by Choice Air, take their emergency number with you. We had a delayed flight and they bailed me out and got me rebooked on another flight in no time.

 

 

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[Algebralovr]

Unfortunately, Choice Air owns the ticket. They are responsible for making the change. 48 - 72 hours is stupid though.

 

Delta is required to change your ticket at no cost as long as there are tickets in your fare buckets remaining. They changed the flights. Also, EU261 will apply if you miss your connection due to an issue with the EU to Atlanta flight.

 

I recommend: Look for flights that will work for you. Then, call Choice Air back and say you want those flights. Have 2 or 3 backup choices. If they won't change it, say you want a 3 way call with Choice Air and Delta. They are responsible for making sure your flights work out and don't cost you more since you depended on the schedule that was released and ticketed already.

[Iamthesea]

If it were me, I would rent a car and drive home from ATL versus spending the night. Keep flights as are. Or book a separate flight yourselves from ATL to TYS.

[SharonK]

If it were me, I would rent a car and drive home from ATL versus spending the night. Keep flights as are. Or book a separate flight yourselves from ATL to TYS.

I offered to do that and choice air said that is I started in one city and ended in another that would be an entirely different reservation and we’d have to start over.

[Iamthesea]

I am not understanding what you are saying. :confused: But, Choice Air would not have anything to do with what you did AFTER landing in ATL on your original flight.

[Algebralovr]

I offered to do that and choice air said that is I started in one city and ended in another that would be an entirely different reservation and we’d have to start over.

 

They ARE able to separate it since Delta changed the flights. Again, it will involve Choice Air working with Delta closely, and you might not get any money back, or very little.

[Algebralovr]

If you are interested/willing to just drive from Atlanta, you can always have them book your flight from Atlanta to Knoxville the next morning (as they are wanting to do), and instead of a hotel room you simply no-show the Atlanta to Knoxville flight. You'd have to pick up your bags in Atlanta to clear border patrol anyway, and you just don't recheck the bags. The issue is if you fly regularly. You'd want to call Delta and say you overslept, were ill, etc, and that you won't make the flight so they don't hold it against you.

[Bfb832cc]

You will not be charged any more when they fix this. I think it’s called a “disconnect” and any changes made to resolve it will not incur additional charges by either Choice or the airline. Choice could even put you on a different carrier. I agree with the previous post, look at flight schedules and let Choice know what you want to do. Request they make a note in your file do their resolution desk has that information. Google flights is a good resource for airline schedules.

 

 

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[grandgeezer]

I had this happen this spring when American changed my return flight from 1:15pm to 9am. I called American and they did tell me I could pick the flight I wanted and there would be no upcharge or penalty but I would have to go through who I booked through, Choice Air. I found the flight I originally wanted when I booked but it was too expensive at the time. I called Choice Air, explained what had happened and told them what American said. Flight switched, no penalty and no negative comments by Choice Air.

[RickT]

Had a similar issue with Air Canada and a Choice Air ticket. No issues dealing directly with Air Canada since nothing was changing (same route) other than the change they required. You may want to call Delta again and see.

 

 

Seems like someone at Choice Air thinks this needs more work than it does.

 

 

Before calling delta, look up on the Delta website to see what options you have. They made the change and it's up to them to accommodate you. Help Delta by pointing out flights that fix the problem and work for you. Also keep in mind that Delta Code Shares with Air France and KLM and they could possibly move you to those airlines (same ticket) to solve the problem.

[SharonK]

Fabulous news! Jay from the change request department of Choice Air called me and he has fixed the entire flight and we now actually get home 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled. He made it all seem very simple so I don’t understand why they didn’t turn to him sooner. It sure would have saved me a lot of stress. No extra charges either. Why the other 3 people could not do this, I don’t understand. I spoke with the first customer service rep, then his supervisor, then the supervisor’s supervisor and none could help. But once Jay got the reservation he fixed it easily!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

[jelayne]

Had a similar thing happen with a change to a Delta flight booked thru Choice Air. I called Delta and they changed my flight without a problem. A week or so later Choice Air notified me that my flight had been changed :rolleyes:

[Bfb832cc]

Fabulous news! Jay from the change request department of Choice Air called me and he has fixed the entire flight and we now actually get home 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled. He made it all seem very simple so I don’t understand why they didn’t turn to him sooner. It sure would have saved me a lot of stress. No extra charges either. Why the other 3 people could not do this, I don’t understand. I spoke with the first customer service rep, then his supervisor, then the supervisor’s supervisor and none could help. But once Jay got the reservation he fixed it easily!

 

Thanks for all your suggestions!

 

 

 

I think the people that fix those kind of problems (resolution dept) are not in the same department that man the phones.

 

 

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[SFCAcruiser]

Fabulous news! Jay from the change request department of Choice Air called me and he has fixed the entire flight and we now actually get home 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled. He made it all seem very simple so I don’t understand why they didn’t turn to him sooner. It sure would have saved me a lot of stress. No extra charges either. Why the other 3 people could not do this, I don’t understand. I spoke with the first customer service rep, then his supervisor, then the supervisor’s supervisor and none could help. But once Jay got the reservation he fixed it easily!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Glad it worked out for you. As an aside, keep an eye on your reservations; monitor them online from time to time. Your flights are only three months away so further changes to flight schedules seem highly unlikely. But.........

[SharonK]

Thanks again! I’ll be watching them closely. I think I got a few more Grey hairs today from the stress!🤪

[hcat]

With DELTA, flights( times, equipment size etc) are changed constantly.. you have to keep watching as they do not always tell you promptly.

 

In our case, the change meant we had to stay over an extra night near the Rome airport...at our own expense..and then flew home a day later than expected.( same airfare)

 

We know some folks do great with choice air but to us it's just another layer to deal with! Glad it worked out for OP.

[Lastdance]

With DELTA, flights( times, equipment size etc) are changed constantly.. you have to keep watching as they do not always tell you promptly.

 

 

 

In our case, the change meant we had to stay over an extra night near the Rome airport...at our own expense..and then flew home a day later than expected.( same airfare)

 

 

 

We know some folks do great with choice air but to us it's just another layer to deal with! Glad it worked out for OP.

 

 

Yes, it is definitely another layer to deal with; it certainly is...I had a similar experience and actually ended up with better fights too; however, that is life nowadays with real customer service taking a huge hit!

 

 

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[cangelmd]

Sharon, we fly Delta all the time, so I feel your pain!

I have many good things to say about Delta, their service - bags, timeliness etc - have gotten much better the last few years. One thing that has NOT gotten better is the flight time changes!

I cannot emphasize enough to keep checking your ticket and watch your emails. Every flight we have taken over the past 2 years that was booked more than 2 months out has been changed - domestic , international, Alaska- you name it. Sometimes, more recently, changed as much as 2 hours. On our last cruise in January, we went through something similar to you - flight on way home was moved up 2 hours, and we couldn’t make it from the dock. It did all work out, but DH had made the reservations and he wasn’t as savvy about this as I am (he doesn’t fly as much), and he didn’t check the email for about a week, so we got rebooked on last 2 seats out.

 

I have NOT had an instance where the flight changed after 60 days prior, but I have had one flight changed 3 times, although just a few minutes each time.

[smtcan]

We had difficulty with ChoiceAir when a major ice storm was forecast for the day we were due to fly. They agreed to change our flight to the previous day and said they would call back with details. After calling several times when we didn’t hear from them, they eventually told us they could not change us because the flight hadn’t actually been cancelled. We called AirCanada and they changed our flight at no charge because there was a weather advisory.

 

Our original flight, along with most other flights that day was cancelled because of the ice storm.

[waterbug123]

 

Delta is required to change your ticket at no cost as long as there are tickets in your fare buckets remaining. They changed the flights. Also, EU261 will apply if you miss your connection due to an issue with the EU to Atlanta flight.

 

 

Not exactly. Delta made the schedule change so yes, they are responsible for getting you re-accommodated, albeit by working with Choice Air to do so. But they don't need to have tickets remaining in your exact fare bucket. As long as there are seats on another flight in your class of service, they can change you to that flight. Big difference between class of service (ex. business, comfort+, economy) and fare class (ex. F, J, P, G, L, T, U, etc.) A single class of service can have multiple fare classes.

[horseymike]

Glad this got resolved for you Sharon. Have a great cruise.

[Bently57]

So, glad this got resolved....but what is the advantage of using Choice Air? We are veteran cruisers and either make the reservations ourselves or use a travel agent we have a close personal relationship with. Never any problems at all. I have never investigated Choice Air, so I plead ignorance. Is it less expensive? Some kind of guarantee that I don't know about?