I just had this happen to me and wonder if it has happened to anyone else. The first connecting leg of my flight to Europe was overbooked, so because I was a solo traveller and only had carry-on luggage, they asked me if I would volunteer to be re-routed. They said I would get to Paris faster and would be compensated. I said sure! So they said they'd put me on a flight through Houston. But at the last minute, people on my original flight didn't show up, so I took my original flights to Paris. Mistake! Because I didn't end up flying through Houston, Continental cancelled my flights home from Barcelona. I didn't find this out until I went to check my reservation the night before flying home. (They never e-mailed or contacted me to tell me my reservation had been cancelled.) It was a huge hassle flying home, and at one point, they wanted to charge me $50 to let me fly the original flights I had paid for and had a printed confirmation and receipt for. I'd never volunteered to be re-routed before--is it normally this much hassle?
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9101 posts
I'm a Continental Elite frequent flier and have never had anything like this happen to me. I've volunteered to be bumped a couple times and no problems. When you decided to take your original flight, was this done with the approval of the airline? If so, the cancellation of your return flight was a mistake and they shouldn't have given you hassle. Since you took your original flight I assume you didn't collect any of the compensation you were originally offered.
Posted by
Freedonia
15134 posts
No....when you decided to take your original flight, the gate agent should have put your reservation back to what your originally had but didn't. So, when you missed your first leg (of the new flight) the system canceled everything else.
But you have to understand the philosophy of the airlines today...it goes like this: "We made a big mistake but we're going to blame you. Pay us to fix it. "
Until you have returned home, and even afterwards, keep all receipts especially boarding passes to prove what flights you were on.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
689 posts
Write an indignant letter and tell them you want to be compensated with X amount of frequent flyer miles.
Posted by
OP
Ypsilanti, MI, USA
233 posts
Thank you all for the replies. I have kept all my boarding passes and written the indignant letter :) It does sound like that the gate agent who told me about the re-routing AND told me to get back on the original flight made the mistake by not changing my itinerary back. My compensation was a blue coupon for a free drink on the next flight (but I don't drink), definitely not worth all of the hassle.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Everyone who flys should make a copy of Kyla's post so as not to get burned that way.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Kyla, that is horrible a drink coupon,, how dare they!! I would write again and tell them they have some nerve messing up my flights, and then sending me a drink coupon when I do not drink... they won't care,, but really the nerve of them. Frankly a drink coupon is a real slap in the face,, its worth about 1 dollar worth of booze,, ( although I am sure that is not what they would charge for said drink) and it not fair compensation.
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
881 posts
Wow! That is a bit ridiculous! Sounds like you appeared as a no show in the system, as no one bothered to change your outbound flight back in the record. Scary! I've never heard of anything like that happening before, but thanks for the warning - it pays to get everything in writing, I suppose.