Sharing Lessons Learned—Airline Travel on Recent Italy Trip

And you were lucky that you have Priority staid. Can’t believe all you had to go through.

Those are great points Sandy! It's amazing the shenanigans airlines get away with! It is the only business I know of that can charge you for a product and not deliver it!

Airlines have the ultimate leeway with schedule and equipment changes because they need that flexibility - you sign their contract and it's all in the small print. The only "product" they owe you per the terms of carriage is to get you from point A to B, even in a manner that's not ideal for you or doesn't dovetail exactly with your booking expectations. It's not accurate to say they don't deliver on that (if not, you're entitled to compensation). Although airlines do treat people with "status" better, status isn't required to negotiate. I don't have any loyalty to any airline, but it's not too difficult to resolve issues with any one of them.

Thank you for posting your experience. You were fortunate that your 1k status and tenacity helped resolve the problems.

For those who are not familiar with EU 261, here’s a google link outlining your rights. I bookmarked it because you never know when it will come in handy. https://www.google.com/amp/s/europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/indexamp_en.htm

Sandy, you are AWESOME for sharing these 4 lessons. Thank you! You had the gauntlet thrown at you and yet you and your husband got through it with persistence, preparation, and good cheer.

How is Economy Plus on the transatlantic leg? How does it differ from Economy?

The economy plus features differ per plane & operator. On these flights we were United (no code share) on all four legs. Economy plus gives you up to 5 extra inches of leg room. On our first leg from SFO to EWR, we were on a flight that was piloting new amenities for economy plus (e.g. better meals and snacks), the rest of the trip was just the extra leg room. The long-haul portions has a very light blanket and a very meager pillow.

I brought my own amentity kit, blow-up pillow and light jacket. You can always look at an app like seat guru to see the seats for your particular plane/flight and then pick the ones that fit your needs the best.

All of these are important. The text notifications are great.

I also found it useful:

• Using my confirmation number, go into the airline website and fill out all contact information. The airline may have that if you are a frequent flyer, but it can get disconnected from your tickets. I check this with every set of tickets.
• I like to use FlightStats to check up on the status of my particular flight. There is a section that lists the status of the flight; tail numbers, estimated gate time, estimated arrival time, etc. I especially check for changing tail numbers and aircraft type, which can be an indicator for equipment issues. FlightStats is available as an app.
• I also like FlightUpdatePro app for notifications. It syncs to Tripit.

In order for the apps to work you need notifications and badges enabled.

Agnes - that is not entirely correct. The airline is responsible for getting you from point A to point B. If you are re booked they are responsible for booking you in the same class as your original ticket - or refunding the difference in ticket cost.

As for not having difficulties resolving these issues, you are fortunate that you haven't experienced any. My comment was based on personal experience - we did not fly in the class of cabin for which we paid - and is why I will never fly Air France again.

Continental, We usually fly home from London in Virgin's Premium Economy because at the present time it's better than Delta's-the seats are actually larger. You also get a different meal from coach and a pillow and blanket.

The economy plus features differ per plane & operator. On these
flights we were United (no code share) on all four legs. Economy plus
gives you up to 5 extra inches of leg room. On our first leg from SFO
to EWR, we were on a flight that was piloting new amenities for
economy plus (e.g. better meals and snacks), the rest of the trip was
just the extra leg room. The long-haul portions has a very light
blanket and a very meager pillow.

I brought my own amentity kit, blow-up pillow and light jacket. You
can always look at an app like seat guru to see the seats for your
particular plane/flight and then pick the ones that fit your needs the
best.

I know that Economy Plus is a United "product". I was curious how it compared with Delta Comfort which I think is similar but from your description about being on newer aircraft, E+ sounds better. Thanks SandyO.

We usually fly home from London in Virgin's Premium Economy because at
the present time it's better than Delta's-the seats are actually
larger. You also get a different meal from coach and a pillow and
blanket.

Cala, Premium Economy is a different animal that is MUCH better than E+ or Delta Comfort. Delta looks to be implementing a Premium Economy product soon on international flights from JFK. I believe that a Premium Economy product is already in place on some int'l flights from Detroit (DTW). No doubt that Virgin's PE is much better than Delta Comfort. Delta Comfort maybe has a little bit more leg room but the seats seem to be same width, the TV screens are the same, etc. Not much of a difference between Delta Comfort and Economy. It's better than nothing if an upgrade is available.

I've flown business class overseas with both Delta and American, but Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy is amazing. I found it to easily be the equal of Delta's or AA's business class. The main difference I saw was that the meal was delivered all at once, rather than in courses. And because it was a daytime flight, the seats didn't fold into beds. But other than that? It was fantastic. Dedicated check in desk. Pre departure drinks. Meals. Snacks. Restrooms dedicated to that class of service.

I really enjoyed it and plan to use it again on my next return from London.