Reminder to double check reservations

I had the same situation with Delta. I had booked the flight about 11 months out and for 5 months everything was fine (I checked at least once every few weeks) Then I checked about 6 months out and they had changed flights, times everything. Problem was the flight I was taking to the US came in later than my connecting flight. I called and they told me "looks like you will miss your connecting flight"....no kidding. I had to reschedule the entire trip. Don't know what would have happened if I had not checked. If I didn't catch it until a month or so before, the connecting flight might have been full and I would have been stuck in Atlanta. That was two years ago and this May I am going to Europe again. So far I have checked frequently and no changes yet. I am keeping my figures crossed. They had my email but I never got anything from them.

YES! United recently changed the date of my return flight! Looks like they cancelled the retrun on Dec 29 and moved us to Dec 30. Worked out OK but makes e very nervous!!

Yep, good advice. Check your flights, check them often. Check extra carefully for flights booked long in advance, award flights, and especially flights book using one airline's points (I'm looking at you, United) on another carrier. There are lots of reports of this kind of thing happening. Some people actually count on this and try to use it to their advantage to get better flights. I'm not sure I'd advise that (unless you really know what you're doing). But it's definitely worth checking, checking often, and yes, being very firm with the airline when you and they have to make an adjustment.

And I suppose, buried somewhere in all that fine print that the airlines always use, is a statement saying that they can change times, days, planes,
or routing (including dropping a whole segment) without having to notify the ticket holder. We should compile a list of all the airlines that screw people this way in hopes that others might avoid them, if at all possible.

I am hyper about checking my reservations and United FF account! I live for acquiring FF miles.

United has been good about keeping me informed via email. This is ok if I'm home or happen to check my email, but it doesn't work for me when my flight is changing as I travel. I don't usually get online in the airport. These days, I suppose it is necessary to have a smartphone to keep up. The airline sends messages which I receive after returning home. Last spring my reservation with United was changed a couple of months before flight time. I considered my options and ended up leaving it alone. My original reservation was for a nonstop flight. The changed schedule, with supposedly a tight connection in IAD, didn't work. The plane left the gate 2 hours late and I missed my connection. After standing in the "customer service" line for two hours I finally got vouchers and finally was in a hotel room so late I got only a couple of hours of sleep. Then the flight from IAD the next morning left 3 hours late and we arrived in LHR after midnight. I have another reservation using FF miles with United for next spring. If United makes a misery of the experience, I will be giving another airline my business.

Swan, In your United account you can set up Flight Status Notification under your Profile with an email address and/or cell phone (phone call or text). You can choose to be notified of any flight change or cancellation or gate change and when you would like to be notified. This will correct the notification only going to your email at home when traveling.

After reading this post earlier today I checked my United reservation for a May flight and found that they had a changed to a connecting flight that departed before the first flight arrived. After almost 2 hours,much of it on hold, I was able to reschedule. Who knows what might have happened if I had not discovered this until just before leaving and all of the flights were sold out.

And yes our flight times changed again today. This time the Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to/from Italy changed. Actually a good thing as we now have an extra 15 minutes to make our Italy connection, as previous connection was tight. Coming back we get to spend 15 minutes longer in Italy! And still plenty of time to make connection. Even though the flights were on Lufthansa and booked through United, I received an email from United advising me that there had been changes to my reservation. Last time I didn't receive an email, although I think I updated my profile to make sure I received notifications.

So it's now about 3 1/2 weeks before our trip. Again, reminder to check your reservations often to make sure things have not changed.
Last weekend checked our flights again, everything was fine. Then Wednesday checked, and the two seats we'd had since last June were no longer, we'd been reassigned two different, not as desireable seats. Called United, and the person I talked to was very helpful, and she tried to find out why our seats had changed, but to no avail. She suspected that even though the plane type was the same 747-400, the plain # may have changed, which prompts all seats to get reassigned. Since someone else was now in the seats we'd selected 9 months ago, nothing could be done to change them. So I selected two new seats that will be OK, but would have been bummed if we showed up at the airport and found out that we were right next to the galley for our 12 hour flight.

People dis British Airways for charging for seat reservations, but I have always received notification frommthe of changes in the itinerary. I do check from time to time, but have never uncovered any undisclosed changes.

We just received an email today about Delta changing times for one of our flights and the flight isn't until the end of May. I haven't checked for any seat changes yet but will do so. Thanks! Your message was very timely!

It's good advice to review your reservation occasionally. I've had most airlines change my seats before without any notification at all. It's actually pretty routine, and you'll never know about it until you check in unless you're checking it once in a while. And if you find this has happened, you can at least have an opportunity to change them to something else if what they have changed them to is not acceptable. As for changes in itinerary, I've always been notified in advance, and it's worked out okay. Not a lot you can do about a change in equipment...I've never been notified in advance when that occurs, but it also occurs with some frequency. I'm hoping I don't get switched to that flippin' 787 on my next flight...not interested until it's been flying for a couple of years problem-free. In addition to the 747, the 787 was used on my next route until it was grounded. Hoping it stays grounded until I get back. I'll stick with the 747-400. Update: OMG, I spoke too soon. This thread prompted me to double-check my reservation for an upcoming trip on United. No notification at all, but the departure/arrival times changed on 3 of the 6 legs of my trip...that was okay...actually better now. The equipment changed on 2 legs, but what I was seeing on my reservation didn't jive with the equipment shown on their website...had to call to figure it out and determine whether or not I needed to do some rearranging with seat assignments. I like United just fine, but they are notorious for changing itineraries and equipment, now apparently with no e-mail, text, or voicemail notice for itinerary changes. You need to be proactive about checking your reservation regularly prior to your trip.

I would add the same advice may apply to all reservations. Yesterday I was playing around on the Autoeurope website, entered the identical information, and saw a rate $40 cheaper than what I had just arranged the day before. I called and they said it was a web rate but that they would honor it. It included a cancellation stipulation not in effect on our original reservation but one we could accept. I have dealt with Autoeurope a few times and have been pleased with their rates and customer service, so no grudge on my end. But I will be checking until departure.

It must be the season for changes. I also had two flights changed this week. My Air Canada flight from Halifax to Rome had flight times changed - no big problem but when I called to confirm new times and seating I found out that part of my return from Florence had been cancelled - Florence to Munich - happily the agent was very helpful and re booked me through Frankfurt with better times - But I only found out about the Munich cancellation because I called to check -
However when Lufthansa changed flight schedules and times from Milan to Vienna they contacted me directly and I rearranged those flights as well. So even though these changes are now in place I will keep checking as it is still 6 weeks before I leave. The joy of travel

We're taking a small group of 14 high school students to Europe this summer using Delta. Yes, they changed our flight and gave us a 42 minute connection time in Atlanta on our way TO Europe. Unacceptable especially when our original flight gave us 1.5 hours connection time. Called Delta and spoke with a hateful group sales employee who begrudgingly switched our flight. Don't you just love having to pay an extra $50 dollars per ticket because you are forced to speak with a live person and then after they collect their $700 fee for that privilege they turn around and treat you like garbage??? And people wonder why air rage is so prevalent?

Well, with all of the consolidation that's taken place, it's just going to get worse, not better. Buying an airline ticket is one of the few things I can think of where consumers have very little leverage after clicking the buy button. Bad service? Tough. Switch your itinerary without notification? Tough. Cancel flights? Tough. Overbook? Tough. The list goes on and on. It's totally different than pretty much any other service one can buy in a market economy. You can't even really decide to never use their services again...you only have 3 options of domestic carrier now. What the hell ever happened to DOJ scrutiny over these mega-mergers. Less competition isn't even an American value. Thank god for Southwest, but even they're not what they used to be.

Resurrecting my post from about a year ago as a reminder for fellow travelers to keep checking for any changes in your flight reservation, connection cities or times, and seat assignments.

About 2 months ago I booked our return flight from London to SFO on United using saver miles for Oct 2014. There were not any direct saver fares with miles, so we decided on a 4:20pm departure with a connection in DC. Several weeks ago United moved us to noon flight through DC since the evening flight out of DC to SFO had been cancelled. Not a big deal, but I knew I could use this change to my advantage. I did my research and knew what options there were (flight, plane types, seat availability) and had a game plan before calling United. Plan A, was to ask for the 2:00 pm direct flight LHR-SFO - Plan B, fly out of Edinburgh connecting through Chicago or Newark, Plan C- keep the noon flight.

When I called United, I explained to the customer service person that we had planned to take the train into London in time to get to LHR for the afternoon flight. But now with a noon flight time we'd have to spend the night in an expensive London hotel. Then I suggested the 2:10 pm direct flight. The agent said no problem and changed my reservation.

This works whether flying on miles or purchased tickets, and it shouldn't cost you anything.

Thanks for reposting this valuable reminder, Karen - I booked six months ahead using American Airlines award miles, and after reading your post, I just checked my reservations and saw that changes had been made to my return flights, but I had not yet been notified. It all worked out in the end, but I also signed up for flight notification update texts, and will now be more diligent about routinely checking up until my departure date (especially in light of the AA/US Airways recent merger.)

Thanks for the reminder on the US/American Merger. Our flights TO London are on US Air from SFO to Charlotte to Frankfurt to London in business using United miles. If I'm lucky, American/US air will change or cancel our flights enough so I can then call United and get business seats on a more direct route on United equipment.

Karen,

This is somewhat of a similar situation, so you may be interested in this recent story.....

http://globalnews.ca/news/1059550/watch-vacation-internet-scam/

It looks like this couple won't be able to take a holiday at all this year, as their travel funds went to the scammer.

We had a similar problem using miles with US Air this past summer with a flight to Alaska. When we checked our reservations the week before we were to leave and found that we did not have any seat assignments because of an equipment change and there were no two seats together available. My wife got on the phone with United and would not give up until she was satisfied. We ended up with two seats together in one of the Emergency Rows which have better leg room than the regular Economy Rows.

Thank you for doing this - I hadn't even thought about being diligent in this regard.