"No Fair" Fares
Have you paid the high price of buying cheap airline tickets?
Think twice before booking your next airline ticket online. Your
itinerary could come with costly restrictions you don't even
know about.
That's what happened to Addison Schonland, a frequent
traveler based in Washington, DC, when he tried to upgrade his
airline ticket from San Diego to London. "When I tried to use
my miles to upgrade, I was told that the ticket wasn't
upgradeable because I bought it online," he says. "[To
upgrade,] I'd have to buy another, more expensive
ticket-offline."
Schonland admits he should have known better. As an airline
analyst for PA Consulting, he's watched the airlines quietly
create a second class of Internet-only fares, with restrictions
that customers often don't discover until it's too
late.
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Airline contracts only mention the Internet when referencing
Internet-only fares. For example, when American Airlines says
offline customers "will be offered the lowest available
fare," it excepts "exclusive Internet-only fares."
But recently, some customers have been told that their online
tickets are not refundable to the same extent as other tickets, and
in some cases, can't be exchanged-not even for medical
reasons.
How do you avoid buying a restricted ticket? First, be wary of
extra-cheap online tickets, which are usually tickets that would
otherwise go unsold. Airlines sometimes make these tickets
ineligible for frequent flier mileage or prevent buyers from making
changes once they've been booked. Also, ask about any
additional restrictions before you buy. Each ticket comes with fine
print that isn't included in the airline contract or displayed
online when you buy. Calling for clarification can save you
aggravation-and money.
Christopher Elliott is a writer and commentator and the
editor of www.elliott.org.