Flying the “Unfriendly Skies”
Travel services and the airlines have created a system to screw us. Travel today is so complex, If you buy tickets through services like Travelocity, Expedia or Priceline, that contract with different airlines they can place unnecessary restrictions on our ability to make changes. This is the story of how Travelocity sold me a flight plan with three carriers and managed to "steal" my money because I wasn't able to make the first leg of my trip. Before you book with any of these travel services you check with the Airline to see their policies regarding credit for missed flights, standby, and their prices. You can often get the same or better prices by booking directly without the restrictions of the agencies. For example, US Air has no stand by policy. If you miss a flight you are SCREWED. Also, check into booking each leg of your trip one way, instead of round trip. When you book round trip, if you miss the first flight you forfeit the return flight!
