[Travelandtourism] Travel Troubleshooter: Help! I've Got Two Airline Tickets in the Same Name

[Peachtree Travel]

Beth Anderson accidentally books two tickets under her name to fly from 
Chicago to Panama City, Fla. Is her 16-year-old son, for whom she should 
have bought the second ticket, stuck without a ticket? Both her airline and 
agency say "yes."

Q: Please help a mom who is an inexperienced traveler. I recently booked 
three tickets to fly from Chicago to Panama City, Fla., for my two sons and 
me, through Bookit.com (www.bookit.com), an online travel agency. Somehow, 
my name has been listed twice instead of my 16-year-old son's name.

At first I thought it was because he was a minor. But then I called 
Bookit.com and they said this was not the case and that my youngest son 
could not travel on a ticket that had my name on it.

I have called the airline, Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com), and the online 
agency to try to resolve this, without any success. Delta says Federal 
Aviation Administration regulations prevents them from changing the name but 
they say Bookit.com should be able to do it. Bookit.com says Delta is 
refusing to change the name. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome and 
appreciated. -- Beth Anderson, Tinley Park, Ill.

A: You would think that an online agency would have safeguards to prevent 
someone from booking two tickets on the same flight under the same name. Or 
at the very least, the agency or airline would see this obvious mistake, and 
fix it without citing a nonexistent law.

There's no FAA rule that I'm aware of that prevents an airline from changing 
the name on a ticket. In fact, some airlines will change the name on a 
ticket (for a fee) and if there were a federal law, they'd all be locked up 
by now.

Why do airlines, and for that matter online agencies, balk at changing the 
name on your ticket? It's probably money. They'd rather charge you for a new 
ticket, even if you made an honest mistake.

If you're an inexperienced traveler, maybe you would have been more 
comfortable booking your flights through a travel agent instead of online. 
It's true, tickets bought through an agency are subject to a booking fee, 
and it's also true that many traditional agents won't bother with a simple 
airline ticket booking (too much hassle and not enough money) but a 
competent travel adviser who sees this as the beginning of a long-term 
relationship would be happy to help.

You inadvertently booked two tickets under the same name, which was your 
mistake. I think your online agency and airline should have been more 
understanding. As it turns out, you tried to resolve this by calling both 
companies. While that may seem like the quickest way to resolve the matter, 
it isn't. Calls aren't always logged accurately, and without a case number, 
you'll end up explaining yourself to a representative over and over.

Next time, put your grievance in writing or better book through a travel 
agency. I suggested that you send a brief, polite e-mail to Delta, asking it 
to help. You contacted the airline, and it changed the name on your ticket 
at no charge.


Peachtree Travel
Independent Travel Consultant

(phone) 888-389-2723

(website: http://www.peachtreetravel.net.

Email: reservations at peachtreetravel.net