By Cindy Loose
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 4, 2007; P02
Lucky thing the Coming and Going desk is sturdy, or it would collapse from the accumulated weight of readers' travel problems. But after seven years of sifting through complaints and accounts of disasters, I rarely find a problem that's surprising and unique. Instead, they're mostly variations on recurring themes. Here are 10 common problems CoGo keeps hearing about from frustrated travelers, and tips on how to keep them from happening to you.
1. Trying to get a refund on a prepaid trip.
Example: I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow for a biking trip through Asia, but I broke my leg and can't go. Can you help me get back the $10,000 I paid the tour operator?
Cancellation policies for prepaid travel products such as tours, cruises and hotels are virtually unassailable, no matter how sad or tragic your circumstances. If you can't bear to lose the money, you need travel insurance.
A good travel agent can help you wade through the nuances and contingencies of different policies, and sites such as InsureMyTrip.com ( http://www.insuremytrip.com/) and SquareMouth.com ( http://www.squaremouth.com/) have comparison charts. Either way, personally review the fine print.Tip: If you're worried your travel provider could go out of business, don't buy your bankruptcy coverage through them.
A fairly broad insurance policy will cost between 5 and 7.5 percent of your trip cost, although the older you are, the more it will cost. There are rare "cancel for any reason" policies available; they typically cost about twice as much as policies that cover specific contingencies.
2. Having perfectly innocent items confiscated in the airport security line.
Example: The security agents at the airport confiscated the pumpkin pie in my carry-on. I read the rules at the Transportation Security Administration Web site about bringing liquids, gels and aerosols on board, and they mentioned nothing about pies.
Transportation Security Administration officials can't list everything, says spokeswoman Amy Kudwa, so here's the rule of thumb: "If you can pour it, pump it, spray it, squeeze it, spread it, smear it or spill it," then you probably can't take it on board unless it fits in a three-ounce container and is placed in one quart-size plastic bag with a zip top. She adds, "If in doubt, leave it out." For further details, and to learn about exceptions for such things as baby food and contact lens solution, go to http://www.tsa.gov/.
You can, by the way, bring on board liquids and gels, including bottles of water or containers of yogurt, bought inside the secure area of a U.S. airport.
3. Not being allowed to bring duty-free liquor through airport security.
Example: I bought a $100 bottle of Scotch from a duty-free shop at the London airport, and they let me take it on board. But when I changed planes in Dallas, they seized it.
The European Union and the United States have virtually identical rules about liquids, except for the unique provisions the E.U. has made for duty-free products sold in specially sealed packages inside the secure area of the terminal.
It's no problem if you leave from an E.U. nation, land in the United States and leave the airport. But if you are taking a connecting flight inside the United States, your Scotch and any other duty-free liquid/gel/aerosol will be confiscated, E.U. seal or not.
4. Being involuntarily bumped from a flight and then not being able to use the airline's voucher for a subsequent flight.
Example: The airline oversold my flight, and I got bumped. They got me on a later flight and gave me a voucher that seemed like a good deal at the time, but now I can't redeem it for the times and places I want.
If you're involuntarily bumped, you've got rights under rules set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. If the airline can't get you on a flight scheduled to arrive within one hour of your originally scheduled time, you're entitled to payment, in addition to a later flight.
If the substitute flight is scheduled to arrive one to two hours later than originally scheduled -- or up to four hours later on an international flight -- you're entitled to a refund of your one-way fare, up to $200. If the substitute flight is even later than described above, compensation doubles.
The airline might offer you a voucher that's worth much more than the cash, so weigh your options and pay attention to restrictions on the vouchers. Some must be redeemed as if they were frequent-flier awards. Cash vouchers are best: They can be used the same as cash, without restrictions.
5. Delayed flights.
Example: My flight was delayed for six hours due to a mechanical problem. The airline didn't give so much as a sandwich, let alone a voucher for a free trip. I thought they were required to compensate me for my time.
No. Passengers see freebies being handed out when people are inconvenienced by being bumped and then assume inconvenience is a cause for compensation. But federal regulators are basically silent on any delays not caused by bumping. The only compensation you can expect is what individual airlines promise in their contracts of carriage. Most promise only that if the delay was their fault and if your delay is overnight, they'll pay for a night's hotel -- as long as the airport where you're stuck wasn't your point of origin.
If your flight is delayed, find out as quickly as possible -- use a cellphone to call the airline if you're standing in line to talk to an agent -- what alternative flights are available so that you can ask for a particular flight. First, check flights for the airline on which you hold a ticket, including connecting flights or alternative airports that the agent might not think about.
Second, if your airline will let you fly on an alternative carrier with which it has agreements, check what the alternative airline has going. Does your airline allow agents to put you on another carrier? The rules, which are in each airline's contract of carriage, vary a great deal. Northwest Airlines is generous: If it cancels a flight or changes a schedule by more than an hour, or if it causes a missed connection, agents can put you on another carrier. JetBlue promises to put you on another carrier at your request. Southwest, AirTran and Spirit: Forget about it.
US Airways "may" attempt to book you on another airline. Delta will book you on another airline "at our sole discretion." United will book you if a delay exceeds two hours, and "at United's discretion" if the airline changes its schedule. American will book you "in extreme circumstances," and the airline defines that to mean when a flight is diverted to another city and is then canceled. Continental will book you if the delay exceeds two hours and the fare rules of your ticket allow it.
6. Wanting to change a nonrefundable airline ticket.
Example: My kids have the flu so I really don't want to fly to Tucson tomorrow, but the ticket says nonrefundable, and I don't want to lose all that money.
Whatever the reason for missing or changing a flight, you will not get back cash. But play the rules right and you can get credit for a future flight equal to the cost of your original flight, minus a penalty fee in most cases.
First thing to know: What's your airline's deadline for making a change? Policies differ among carriers. For domestic flights, AirTran requires that you call one hour before scheduled departure. Spirit: 24 hours before. American and United require that you call before the scheduled departure date, which means that if you have a last-minute problem the day of your flight, you're out of luck.
Continental, Delta and JetBlue require that you call before the scheduled departure time. US Airways is more generous: Call before midnight on the day you were scheduled to leave. Northwest sets no deadline, but you have to book using the credit within 90 days of the date the original ticket was issued, for a flight within a year. Southwest doesn't set a deadline for calling in.
All airlines have rules about how long you have to book a new ticket and how long you have to complete a trip using your credit, so ask your airline for details when you call to say you missed your flight.
Most airlines charge a $100 fee for changing the date or destination of a nonrefundable domestic ticket. Exceptions: AirTran $60, Spirit $50, Delta $50 (on most tickets), JetBlue $25 to $30.
Those are general rules, but some airlines might match the change fees of more generous airlines in markets where they fiercely compete.
Penalties for changing nonrefundable international tickets are higher, usually either $200 or $250. And the deadlines are often tougher. Delta, for example, requires that you cancel, rebook and have a ticket reissued 24 hours before departure.
7. Hating a hotel that you prepaid for online.
Example: I used an online booking site to reserve a so-called three-star hotel billed as being in downtown Rome near the Vatican, but the place was a dump, miles from St. Peter's. Isn't this false advertising, and shouldn't the booking site refund my money?
If you've prepaid -- a common practice at such online booking sites as Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and Hotels.com -- you're most likely stuck in the dump, unless you want to forfeit the money. Avoid the problem by employing due diligence in advance. Just because you requested "downtown Rome," don't assume that every hotel that comes up on a booking site is actually centrally located. And if the initial description says "near the Vatican," don't take that literally. Click through. Read the nitty-gritty. Most sites will even tell you exactly how far away a major attraction is. Also, check other travelers' reviews at an independent review site such as TripAdvisor ( http://www.tripadvisor.com/).
If the booking site's facts are way off, there is some hope of recourse.
8. Not being able to book frequent-flier award trips on the dates and times wanted.
Example: I've saved frequent-flier miles for years and finally have enough for three free tickets, but there are no seats available on any of the flights I want.
If you're trying to travel to a popular destination at a peak time, you might just be out of luck as more people compete for fewer seats. But try a few tricks before giving up:
* Check availability on partner airlines.
* Call an airline agent; they can sometimes figure out routings that the computer can't detect. If they find you a match, you'll pay the fee the airline charges for booking paid tickets by phone -- typically $15 to $30 a ticket.
* If you're searching for multiple free tickets, give up and try for one or two. The more seats you request on a given flight, the lower your odds of hitting pay dirt.
* Be flexible. Check alternative dates or nearby airports. Or approach it backward, and find out what destinations have availability. You may find a great destination you'd otherwise never have considered.
9. Being charged for rental car insurance unnecessarily.
Example: I reluctantly bought insurance at the rental-car kiosk, but when I got home I found out the car was covered both by the credit card company I used to pay for the car and by my own car insurance. Shouldn't I get my money back?
No, but be grateful the problem didn't work the other way: You didn't buy the insurance, you have an accident and then discover you aren't otherwise protected. You need to carefully read the fine print of whatever policies you have. For example, even if your credit card provides adequate coverage in most cases, it may exclude certain countries, notes Neil Abrams of Abrams Consulting Group, a rental-car research and consulting firm. An American Express card's coverage, for example, will vary depending on whether your card is gold or platinum.
Your own car insurance may include some coverage for rental cars -- but what exactly? If you own an Escort and you demolish a rented Mercedes, will it cover you for the cost of your old Escort, or the cost of the new Mercedes?
Before prepaying for a rental, make sure there aren't hidden charges for insurance you don't need. When renting overseas, ask if there are extra, mandatory insurance charges, or any other quirks. Italy, for example, requires you to buy theft insurance. And if you have an accident in Mexico and aren't carrying proof of insurance, you'll likely sit in jail until officials work out who's responsible.
10. Missing luggage.
Example: I arrived in Aspen for a three-day ski trip, but the bag with all my ski clothes and camera didn't show up. Shouldn't they reimburse me since I had to replace those items in order to enjoy my vacation? And what will happen if they never find the bag?
The second question is easier because there are consistent rules: By federal law, airline liability is capped at $2,800 per ticketed person on domestic flights. But that doesn't mean you'll get $2,800. In fact, the camera is a loss -- electronic items are not covered. Second, liability is based on the depreciated value of lost items, not replacement value. Finally, the airline will want receipts for items you claim. Only the most anal-retentive among us is going to have receipts, especially for things like clothing, and airlines are sometimes flexible on that point.
The cap for liability on international flights, set by international treaty, is much lower -- about $600, depending on exchange rates.
Policies differ tremendously when it comes to reimbursing you for missing items you desperately need if you arrive without your bag and not in your home city. Northwest and Southwest offer an amenity kit and $50 the first day. On the second day, Northwest's cap is $150. Continental may approve up to $250 if a bag is lost for more than a day. US Airways has a limit of $25 for three days. American doesn't specify a limit. "We take every circumstance individually," says spokesman Tim Wagner.
JetBlue offers $25 per day after 24 hours, but more can be approved and the time frame reduced on a case-by-case basis. United "may consider up to 50 percent reimbursement of necessities." Delta provides a $25 emergency stipend after 24 hours.
In all cases, if you're hoping to be reimbursed for the purchase of replacement items, you'll need to get the airline's prior authorization. To avoid a misunderstanding, try to get the authorization in writing. Also be aware that even if an airline agrees to reimburse you for clothing in a delayed bag, it may cover only half the purchase price. (The thinking is that you'll enjoy permanent use of the items even if your bag eventually shows up.)
Consider wearing, or packing in a carry-on, any essential, expensive, unrentable items. That way, if you're headed to Aspen and your clothes head to Cancun, or vice versa, at least you can have fun while you await a resolution.