Hi everyone. My daughter in law just let me know that her flight from Dulles to Florence via Portugal on December 9 has been changed. Apparently she will now be stuck in Portugal overnight! We’re both at work, so we’ll touch base later today to discuss it more, but I don’t have much experience with this sort of thing myself, so wanted to see if anyone can guide us about how to handle this. Neither of us is on twitter. I know I used the chat feature for United in the past and that worked well. I haven’t heard anything about my flights, but I’m arriving and departing a few days before and after her. I appreciate any help you can offer.
Posted by
California USA
3952 posts
You should both look for a better connection on TAP as soon as you are able and then she (or whomever booked the ticket) should call them ASAP to ask for the better routing, if it exists. Even if it costs more than her original ticket, they should be able to change her routing, given the huge change they made.
If they give pushback on this, the next level is to ask for compensation under the rules of EU261. https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/faq/index_en.htm
Familiarize yourselves with this prior to calling. I hope you can get the routing she would like if it exists.
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1507 posts
Try calling their customer service. Something similar happened to us a few years ago. I called customer service and explained the change was unacceptable. The representative looked for alternatives and I was searching their website at the same time. I found an alternate flight and the representative changed our reservation. The system makes changes and customers and representatives have to deal with the fallout.
Good luck!
Posted by
Los Angeles
4412 posts
If they have an app put it on your phone, airlines seem to actually pay attention to those
Posted by
OP
MD
483 posts
Turns out she got her ticket through a third party, so was told to wait 3-5 days and check back. I guess now we wait. The good thing is that I was planning to arrive two days before her, so even if she can get an earlier flight, the Airbnb will be there. I just hope she doesn't have to do a later flight. I got us tickets to climb the Duomo the evening she would be arriving and we are signed up to do a tour of Siena, SG and Pisa the next day. Fingers crossed.....
Posted by
California USA
3952 posts
Let us know how it gets resolved, or not, with her booking company. It sounds like you’ll need to keep an eye on your reservations for outings depending on her luck with her third party ticket seller. Let her know for future reference, it’s better to book directly with the airline for scenarios like the one she’s facing. I’m sure the two of you will have an exciting time once you are in Italy!
Posted by
OP
MD
483 posts
My daughter in law spoke with someone yesterday who said the cancellation is due to a strike. They told her it could be another week before they can see if she can be put on another flight. She was supposed to leave Dec 8, so it's really getting nerve wracking. I'm not sure what else to tell her though. She made a good point that everyone will be trying to reschedule, and that could be lots of people vying for very few seats on other flights. The TAP app isn't as user friendly as United, so I can't even figure out if there are other seats available on my flight. I'm simply not sure what to tell her at this point other than cross your fingers...
Posted by
California USA
3952 posts
There are still inexpensive (<$500) flights from Dulles to Milan in early December if Tap doesn’t fly because of the possible strike December 8. All involve 1 connection, just FYI in case she doesn’t get anywhere with her ticket seller or Tap in the next week.
Posted by
OP
MD
483 posts
Thanks for that info Mona. I let her know. 😊