(Not) Flying with Orbitz and Virgin.
I've booked travel through Orbitz for a family visit and vacation on May 31st. When I checked my "get ready for the trip" itinerary that came in yesterday I found a strange thing. The flight that I was supposed to be on to come back to US was leaving London before the flight that I was taking to get to London was departing my original destination. (The original flight was leaving at 6pm, this one was leaving at 11:50am the same day.)
"Good thing I checked", I thought, "lets call up Orbitz and get all this straightened out".
So. Eleven hours on the phone later, and a day before I was supposed to fly out of DC and meet my wife, I've no ticket, supposed refund that's coming "in about 45 days" and probably a burst vein or two. Virgin had, in the meantime, a global computer meltdown that did not allow anyone to look up my information, which all got sorted out in a few hours. Right. I have to book travel that is exorbitantly more expensive (almost 100% more) 24 hours before I have to depart, Orbitz refused to cover the difference in price and all Virgin offered was to book me on a later flight and put me up in a hotel. Except that I hold a passport which will not let me get to that hotel without a visa.
I am very, very angry. I will never use Orbitz again, or any of the airlines that have invested in it (Delta, Continental, Northwest, United and American). I'm off now to try to figure out what to do and if I can get a ticket for something that will not bleed me dry. So much for saving anything for a home purchase.
Thanks for listening.
PS. Most of the CSR's I spoke to were decent, and one, in particular went out of his way to try to help me staying with me on the phone while talking to Virgin Atlantic for an hour and a half straight. However, they do not have any authority to give any sort of recompense for this sort of a mess.
P.P.S. I realize that the change was made by Virgin, but Orbitz did not notify me and I'm likely paying a higher ticket price now than I would if I found out when the change was originally made.
"Good thing I checked", I thought, "lets call up Orbitz and get all this straightened out".
So. Eleven hours on the phone later, and a day before I was supposed to fly out of DC and meet my wife, I've no ticket, supposed refund that's coming "in about 45 days" and probably a burst vein or two. Virgin had, in the meantime, a global computer meltdown that did not allow anyone to look up my information, which all got sorted out in a few hours. Right. I have to book travel that is exorbitantly more expensive (almost 100% more) 24 hours before I have to depart, Orbitz refused to cover the difference in price and all Virgin offered was to book me on a later flight and put me up in a hotel. Except that I hold a passport which will not let me get to that hotel without a visa.
I am very, very angry. I will never use Orbitz again, or any of the airlines that have invested in it (Delta, Continental, Northwest, United and American). I'm off now to try to figure out what to do and if I can get a ticket for something that will not bleed me dry. So much for saving anything for a home purchase.
Thanks for listening.
PS. Most of the CSR's I spoke to were decent, and one, in particular went out of his way to try to help me staying with me on the phone while talking to Virgin Atlantic for an hour and a half straight. However, they do not have any authority to give any sort of recompense for this sort of a mess.
P.P.S. I realize that the change was made by Virgin, but Orbitz did not notify me and I'm likely paying a higher ticket price now than I would if I found out when the change was originally made.