I wish someone had told me this, so I'm passing it along. I've used Orbitz for years, no problem. This time - different story. I had booked our flight and seats months ago via Orbitz, checked my Orbitz account for the seat numbers, had the email from them confirming the seat numbers. When I called the airline itself to confirm, I was told that we had no seats. The rep. said that they'd had calls about this issue with Orbitz, from unhappy customers "several times a day". Apparently, just because your Orbitz account and email say you're assigned to a particular seat doesn't mean anything. Per the airlines rep., the seat assignment chart on Orbitz bears little resemblance to what is actually available (the seats we had been "assigned" by Orbitz already had other passengers in them at the time that we booked). We ended up spending extra money to get seats together. Lesson learned - always check with the airlines itself, and do it as soon as you've "booked" with Orbitz.
Posted by
point pleasant beach, nj, usa
646 posts
Thank you for the alert. We have tickets through Orbitz on an Iberia flight to Barcelona from Naples. Will definintely check with the airlines.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Jan....you bring up a good point. If I book through one of those agencies, the first thing I do when I get the confirmation is go directly to the airline's website and use the reference number to make sure my booking is, indeed, in their system, and that my seats are as advertised. * Another thing worth mentioning too....if you book though Orbitz, etc, you may not always get timely notifications of changes to your flight times, so make sure you check the airline website itself directly from time to time to make sure everything is OK...especially as you get closer to departure.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Jan, this is one reason why I use a Travel Agent to book flights to Europe, which I believe is also the method Rick uses (Elizabeth Holmes Travel in Seattle). I've found the small fee is well worth it, as the Agent monitors flight changes and if I have problems during the trip, they're able to help get these sorted (missed or cancelled flights, etc.).
Posted by
Sykesville, MD, United States
1 posts
We had the exact same problem [INVALID] AND got stuck in middle seats for our trip to Italy. We managed to call the airline and, after a lot of complaining, were able to convince them to move our seats. We'll see what happens when we actually get to the airport...
Posted by
chicago, il, usa
171 posts
I agree with Ken about using an actual travel agent to book flights to Europe. I use various online sites to keep track of fares and find flights, and then take the flight number to the travel agent to book and reserve a seat. I really need an aisle seat in the rear of the plane, and don't want to take chances, and the small $25. fee is worth knowing I have what I need.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
...because everyone knows that only "Travel Agents" can book an aisle seat for you.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
53 posts
Right on Tim. Travel agents, do they still exist? I worked for Orbitz (in technology) a while back ... even my former travel agent friends would never use one. Use Kayak to find fares, and a Yapta for fare tracking and fare refunds. Do go to the airline's site to double check your seats if you use a 3rd party booking site, but I've personally never had an issue with this.
Posted by
chicago, il, usa
171 posts
Yes, competent travel agents do exist, and I use one I trust for booking European travel because I have specific requirements, and it works for me because I am not comfortable spending such a large amount money online. To each his (or her) own.
Posted by
Stamford, CT, USA
1 posts
It's really easy for a travel agent with access to a GDS to request seat assignments. One caveat, we usually cannot assign seats in INTRA-EUROPE segments and on most codeshared flights. Good travel agents will give you a link to a GDS website where you can check your itinerary and view the e-ticket record online.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
53 posts
Orbitz was started by the airlines, the original name was DUNC LLC (Delta United Northwest Continental) ... but has had a string of owners in the past 10 years.
Posted by
Freedonia
16303 posts
That's one of the reasons I book directly with the airlines. I'm in full control.No "middle man" to make a mistake or screw things up. If a problem occurs, I've been dealing directly with the airline. They can't say you have to talk to your travel agent or you have to talk to Orbitz because that's who booked your ticket.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Seat assignments are super easy to select online. There's no magic involved - wait, I guess that makes me a travel agent!
Posted by
Houston, Texas, USA
158 posts
isn't orbitz owned by the airlines?
Posted by
Santa Clara, CA
252 posts
I gotta laugh that anyone would trust an airline phone CSR at their word. They just regurgitate what they see on their computer screen and have very little authority to solve real problems. Always ask for a supervisor. If I were a betting man, I'd wager the airline gave the reserved seats to a full fare passenger. That's not saying I fully trust Orbitz either, it's just they have a lot more to lose if they screw over customers. Airlines do it regularly without remorse or repercussion.
Posted by
Freedonia
16303 posts
If you meant me Otter...ugh...I don't bother paying the fee to deal with a "live" person, I just book online via the airline's website. And I've never had my seat changed between booking and flight unless I have requested it....However, there was someone on this board who used to post and post and post, and is no longer here, who works as a CSR for one of Expedia's largest competitors. He'd be the one you'd call if you had a problem. I'll take my chances dealing with the computer over someone like that.