Dear Anita,
HELP!
We purchased four round-trip tickets from LAX to Grand Rapids, MI,
for June 25 to July 6, 2001, for a family vacation with my husband
and twin 15 year-old twins. We bought the tickets through Hotwire
and will fly via Northwest Airlines. The process was painless, and
we are pleased and looking forward to our vacation.
Here's the problem: Our sons were just recently drafted to compete
in a state competition through their high school. They must go on
to the Nationals Competition in Kansas City, MO. The problem is
that they need to be there on June 25! The school is funding their
travel, and has agreed to send them back to us in Grand Rapids
after the competition, instead of back to Ontario, CA, (near where
we live) with the other children.
I thought this would be great, and didn't mind loosing out on the
money we spent to fly them to Michigan. However, now we find out
that if they do not take the outbound flight with us to Michigan,
that their return flight will be cancelled. Is there any way
around this? It seems unfair that they will be with us in
Michigan, ready to go home with a perfectly good ticket in their
name for the date they want to travel, and they wont be able to
use it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ileen G.
Corona, CA |
Dear Ileen,
Congratulations on your sons' great achievement! Good luck to them.
Unfortunately, you cannot change your Hotwire tickets. All purchases made
through Hotwire are final and cannot be changed, cancelled, refunded, or
exchanged. As strict as the policy may seem, keep in mind that these
restrictions are what allow airlines to better manage their unsold seats,
which in turn, allows you to purchase cheaper fares.
Now, if you had purchased the tickets through the airline instead of
Hotwire, you would have more options. With most airlines, you can change
flights on any type of ticket, but you would pay a service charge
(anywhere between $75 to $100) and the difference in the fare it would
take to book a new reservation.
I hope I've been helpful. Happy travels!
Anita Dunham-Potter
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