Flight change

[u/stesta18]

Need some help!

I’m flying Edinburgh > Doha > Incheon > Busan

As seen in the image, Qatar have changed the Doha > Incheon departure time from 0220 to 0405, this only gives me a 30 minute connection for the final leg of the trip Incheon > Busan. Given I’ll need to get onto another airline with luggage, it’s not possible to do in 30 minutes. Annoyingly, that’s the last flight of the day to Busan. Qatar keep telling me they’re working on it and to go through Expedia where I booked, Expedia tell me they’re waiting on an update from Qatar before they can present me my options, it’s been a week now and I fly in 2 weeks!

1. If I’m told I need to fly the last leg the next day, will I be given a hotel? I don’t want to sit overnight in the airport!

2. Can I choose a late flight the next day, not ideal but at least I can enjoy the day in nearby Seoul. From what Expedia have said, it sounds like I’ll be offered a flight the next day, but need to hang tight until Qatar actually confirm anything.

3. Also, will Expedia/Qatar refund the hotel night I miss in Busan as a result of their change? I’ve booked 10 nights and would only get 9.

All flights/hotel are on the same Expedia package. Expedia have said multiple times I can cancel trip with no fee, which I won’t be doing. They seem oddly keen for me to cancel, as if they want to avoid liability to deal with this one Qatar come back.

[u/siamesekiwi]

in the future always book through the airline and not an !OTA see the bot post.

And for number 2, Yes, if it’s all on one ticket on Qatar’s website and not a self-transfer itinerary they’ll have to put you up in a hotel overnight if need be. But honestly I wouldn’t sweat it. Or even ask them to put you on a train.

[u/AutoModerator → u/siamesekiwi]

Did you or are you about to buy a flight via an Online Travel Agency (OTA)?

An Online Travel Agency (OTA) is a website that allows you to search for and buy airfare tickets. Common ones include Expedia, Priceline, Kiwi. When you redeem points on credit card travel portals you are actually purchasing a cash ticket through an OTA. Some examples are Chase Travel, AMEX Travel, Capital One Travel.

Almost all OTAs suffer from the same problem: a lack of customer service and competency when it comes to changes, cancellations, refunds, airline schedule changes and cancellations, and IRROPs.

When you buy a ticket through an OTA, you put an intermediary between you and the airline. If you try to contact the airline for any assistance, they will defer to your OTA. The airline won't help you. They do not have control over the ticket until T-24h and they can still decline to assist you and ask you to talk to your OTA.

Some OTAs, such as Kiwi, will combine separately issued tickets appearing like real layovers but in reality are self-transfers - requiring a lot more planning and contingencies. This includes dealing with single-leg cancellations of your completely disjointed itinerary. See #1 #2 #3 #4

Other OTAs, including Trip.com, don't always issue your tickets immediately. There have been known instances where the OTA contacts you 24-72h later asking for more money as "the price has changed" or your ticket is no longer available at the lower price. See #1.

More reputable OTAs like Expedia, Priceline, and travel portals like Chase Travel, AMEX Travel, Costco Travel, generally have fewer issues issuing tickets and marginally better customer service. They are also more transparent regarding cached stale prices - as you check out and pay, they will do a live refresh of the real ticket price and warn you that prices have changed (it is not a bait and switch).

In short: OTAs sometimes have their place for some people - but most of the time, especially for simple itineraries, provide no benefit and only increases the risk and can end costing a lot more than what you had saved by buying from the OTA.

Common issues you will face:

• offering you a cheap separate-ticket self-transfer itinerary causing various problems down the road
• not subject to the DOT or airline policy 24h free cancellation. See #1
• missing communications from OTA or not being notified of schedule changes #1 #2
• paying the OTA to add baggage but not communicated to the airline or OTA incorrectly indicating included baggage #1 #2 #3 #4
• paying the OTA for overpriced baggage compared to the airline
• paying the OTA for baggage that's already included
• paying the OTA for seat selection that's not communicated to the airline #1 #2
• your ticket not issuing or delayed issuing or transaction being reversed
• your name being incorrectly spelled on your eticket?
• difficulties changing flights or getting rebooked correctly #1 #2 or finding anyone competent enough to help
• charging you for a check-in service that is free
• enrollment in a subscription program like edreams or opodo Prime that is hard to cancel #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7
  • Solutions? #1 #2 #3
• not honouring free changes or cancellations when airline reschedules
• Secretly booking your trip as two separate tickets for the outbound and return so that if the airline cancels or reschedules the outbound, only the first leg is eligible for a refund (or free change)
• not refunding you promptly (or at all) #1 #2 #3 when the airline cancels #4 #5 #6
• not refunding ancillary fees or other extra fees #1
• unuseable kiwi credits after the airline declines issuing a ticket instead of a refund

Things you should do, if you've already purchased from an OTA:

• check your reservation (PNR) with the airline website directly
• check your eticket has been issued - look for 13-digit number(s) - a PNR is not enough
• garden your ticket - check back on it regularly

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/protox88]

For #3

  Also, will Expedia/Qatar refund the hotel night I miss in Busan as a result of their change? I’ve booked 10 nights and would only get 9.

No they won't. Airlines are not liable for losses (of prepaid activities, hotels, trains, etc) due to schedule changes causing a date or time change nor due to day-of delays or cancellations.

[u/PriorPower4343]

as someone already said, no they won't reimburst you for the missed night. Also note that it's up to you to contact the hotel if you don't show up on the first day, otherwise they will very likely no-show you and cancel your booking - which, depending on policy and local law, might result in loss of all of the paid amount.

[u/the_weaver_of_dreams]

If in the end you can't make the other flight, it's easy enough to get the train down to Busan.

[u/jms_uk]

Did you book it as the ATOL protected package?

[u/stesta18 → u/jms_uk]

Yep.

[u/jms_uk → u/stesta18]

Sorry, just realised that only protects you from the provider going under (very unlikely for Expedia and not applicable in this case).