NetFlights Warning if they make a schedule change

luci

I have flights booked to travel in September. Yesterday I got home after 5pm to find an email from NetFlights to say there is a schedule change. They now get into LAS later than planned. We have a concert booked for that evening which we were already struggling to make on time.

I checked for alternatives on the United website and called them, but they said I had to make the change through the agent. Called NetFlights, who called United, and came back saying the flight I requested wasn't available. I asked if I could call back and I was told that the change had to be made by midnight or it would be too late and that they closed at 6pm.

Called United back, got the same guy and he said it was available, it was just that they would have to modify the booking. Got his name and number to give to NetFlights, called them back and couldn't get to speak to anyone. Held on for half an hour until 6.15. Rang reservations and they couldn't help as they were just a call centre.

So the crux of it is, I wouldn't recommend booking scheduled flights with an agent. When we had a schedule change with American Airlines, I had booked direct so a quick call and I was able to change to flights I wanted rather than the ones they had changed us to.

I called again this morning and was told it would be £150pp to change plus any difference in fare. The Schedule Change department is closed at the weekend.

I think it is unacceptable to send an email at 3.30pm on a Friday, that may not have been picked up for several hours, when they close at 6pm and all weekend. I understand there is a limited time to make any change FOC (I was told by midnight Friday) and that has proved impossible due to the correct department being unavailable.

mazza1970

I am glad I didn't book through an agent when I booked my flights to New Zealand last weekend. I booked direct with Air New Zealand, and for the same flights, Netflights were charging £150 more than what I paid, lastminute.com was £70 more.

luci

I was kicking myself for not booking direct with United. Then I remembered that the price on their website was £200pp more than NetFlights so it was a no-brainer.

dmg24

How much later will you arrive now? Would you have been able to change flights had you booked directly with United?

luci

It's only 35 mins which I know is not a huge change, but I specifically chose flights via LAX so that the connecting flight would only be a short one.

What has annoyed me is that there was an alternative flight via SFO which got in 30 mins earlier. United confirmed that it was available, but NetFlight said it wasn't. That and the fact that they didn't give me sufficient warning with enough time to arrange an alternative.

Yes I would probably have been able to change no problem if I had booked direct with United. We had a schedule change with American Airlines and the flight they put us on wasn't suitable. I just checked other availability, called them and they changed it no problem at all.

luci

I emailed NetFllights yesterday and said I wasn't happy with the way they'd handled it. They called me again today as a result of that email to discuss it and dropped another bombshell.

Our flights have been changed yet again, going via Washington and not arriving in LAS until 19.22. No way we will make the concert now.

To add insult to injury, on top of the 1.5 hour flight to London, we would now have a over 8 hour flight to IAD and another 5 hours plus to LAS. That's not counting the couple of hours in between each flight. I chose the original flights so that I got the bulk of the flight over with in one and only had a 45 mins flight from LAX after that.

I told this agent that United were happy to change the flight when I called them yesterday, but he insisted they wouldn't change it for a "minor schedule change". It needs to be over 4 hours before you can change it or get a refund.

Even worse, when I asked if this 4 hour change was based on the original flight times I was told it wasn't and applied to each change!

I am so stressed and disgusted with NF.

The reason I didn't book direct with United was because they were £200pp ($325) more expensive than booking through NF.

Nordictat2

I would press this matter further in some way. I would be angry too. Especially since you did this trip mainly for this concert, no?
Since they are NOT trying to help you in any way I would ask to speak to the "highest person" Manager etc. and perhaps mention you will be sending a letter to the papers etc. to say how you were treated. They might not care of course but it may ruffle their feathers a bit to help you out.

Wish you luck though!

dmg24

luci wrote: »

Yes I would probably have been able to change no problem if I had booked direct with United.

But you don't know that, you are just guessing. Therefore your argument against Netflights on your original point does not hold.

You do not state how much later you will now be arriving, given this second change. If this is four hours after your original flight time, then you have a case to argue, as this is the arrangement you agreed to.

luci

dmg24 wrote: »

But you don't know that, you are just guessing. Therefore your argument against Netflights on your original point does not hold.

No, I'm not guessing. I have called United several times and they have no problem with change the flight to a suitable one. However they can't do it as they TA has to do it on my behalf.

I booked a previous flight direct with American Airlines and had a schedule change. I checked what was available online, called them and they made the change. It was totally painless.

I have an update, but will post tomorrow after my beauty sleep.

luci

dmg24 wrote: »

But you don't know that, you are just guessing. Therefore your argument against Netflights on your original point does not hold.

You do not state how much later you will now be arriving, given this second change. If this is four hours after your original flight time, then you have a case to argue, as this is the arrangement you agreed to.

The second schedule change got us in 1.5 hours later. When I asked if the 4 hour major change referred to the original flight times I was told it didn't, it was per flight change so they could keep changing it by 1.5-2 hours and evenn if the final flight was more than 4 hours later than the original, it wouldn't count as it's per change.

luci

Update.

After getting the call yesterday and posting my anger on here, I decided to give United one last call.

I asked if it was possible to change the flight to the day before and at first they said it wasn't available in the same fare class. But the lady checked again and said it was available and that I could change it as a one-off change due to the schedule change. I got her name and told her that NF were insisting the change couldn't be made, but I would try them again. She said she would put a note on the booking that the change could be made.

My next problem was getting hold of NF as I had been told that the Schedule Change Dept was closed at the weekend, yet someone had called me and I didn't know if they were from that department.

Called NF and was answered quickly after getting through the various menus. I explained it all again and told him the details were on my booking. Again I said that United had no problem changing the booking, that they had made a note of it and I had a contact name and number if he would contact them.

For once someone from NF actually listened to me! He put me on hold while he called and I spent an anxious few minutes until he came back and said I HAVE MADE THE CHANGE!

I literally couldn't believe what I was hearing. After umpteen phone calls and being shoved from pillar to post, success at last. I almost couldn't believe it until I viewed the booking using https://www.checkmytrip.com and there is was so I did a little Happy Dance, jumping up and down.

We are now flying on 18 September via SFO, so the type of flight I prefer by getting the long leg over with first, and no panic about getting to the concert in time.

To say I'm relieved is an understatement.

I appreciate that it is United who have changed the flights and not NF, but my complaint is that NF wouldn't listen when I said United were prepared to make the change. They just kept repeating that it was a minor schedule change and I couldn't change to a different flight which wasn't true.