Our consumer editor Alex McWhirter answers your travel queries.
Simply email editorial@businesstraveller.com. Please note that due to the popularity of Alex's advice, we cannot guarantee a reply to every query.
No guarantees 02/05/2008
Dear Alex,
Global hotel companies tend to offer a “best price guarantee” on their websites. I always thought this meant that if you found a lower rate on another website, the cheaper price would be honoured.
I had to make a trip to Vietnam and planned to stay at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel and Towers [a member of Starwood Hotels]. Booking agent accomline.com quoted me a much lower rate than could Sheraton’s website starwoodhotels.com.
I contacted Sheraton about this discrepancy and wondered if it would honour its company’s price guarantee. But the hotel chain said it “couldn’t approve my claim because the competing rate that you have provided includes American breakfast”. Can you explain?
Steve Capper, Sydney, Australia
Admirals Club access 02/05/2008
Dear Alex,
I recently returned from a trip to the US. My final flights were from Miami to Baltimore in first class with American Airlines and then, the next day, with British Airways from Washington Dulles to London Heathrow.
When I checked in with American at Miami I was shocked to hear I wouldn’t be allowed to access the Admirals Club free of charge even though I was a first class passenger. American charged me US$50 to enter the lounge and once inside I had to pay for alcoholic drinks. But my idea in going there was to sit with a Johnnie Walker. Was American’s staff correct?
Sean Glynn, Manchester, UK
Cancellation policy 02/05/2008
Dear Alex,
I recently booked a business class flight with Continental to fly from New York Newark to Brussels with a connection to Newark from Raleigh-Durham.
But once in the US my plans changed. I had to go to Philadelphia, rather than Raleigh, and so I booked a separate US Air flight [from Philadelphia] to Newark. When I arrived at Newark for my final flight to Brussels I was told by Continental staff that my booking had been cancelled because I did not take the Raleigh-Newark flight.
Continental eventually offered me an economy class seat on the flight and charged me US$171 because I had changed my booking. A separate US$350 upgrade fee which I had paid earlier (allowing me to go business rather than economy class) was not returned.
Is this normal practice?
Aize Smink, Brussels, Belgium
Eastern approaches 01/04/2008
Dear Alex,
Last year I flew with Continental Airlines flight C071 from New York Newark to Amsterdam, where I was connecting onto Turkish Airlines TK1952 between thereand Istanbul. I was using separate tickets with each airline.
At Newark, Continental staff refused to through-check my piece of luggage to Istanbul, even though I held confirmed business class bookings for both sectors. It meant I suffered a lot of inconvenience during transit at Amsterdam.
After I returned home, I contacted Turkish Airlines and it said there would have been no problem in through-checking me [for Istanbul-Amsterdam-Newark].
Continental claims in its advertisements that it offers the “best” service levels, so why wasn’t it prepared to through-check my bags to Istanbul?
U Deshpande, Jeddah & Singapore
RTW e-ticket issues 01/04/2008
Dear Alex,
My travel agent and Qantas tell me that e-ticket systems aren’t built to cope with itineraries of 17 sectors and more. Oneworld Explorer RTW tickets are still issued as paper tickets, but when e-ticketing becomes compulsory in the near future, it won’t be possible to place so many sectors on the same ticket because the system won’t be able to cope. Is this true?
Luke Gillian, Victoria, Australia
Playing by the rules 01/03/2008
Dear Alex,
Last week I booked a British Airways seat-sale offer online using ba.com. It was for a return Hong Kong to London flight in Club World and I adhered to the 42-day advance-booking rule.
I chose to book this deal because the ticket restrictions didn’t indicate there would be any problems if I needed to change or cancel the ticket.
A few days later, I checked again using the “manage my booking” tool on the website and the ticketing rules remained exactly the same. But when I checked with ba.com this morning, I noticed the previous rules had vanished from the screen and in their place it now states that no changes or refunds are allowed.
I called British Airways and the airline said a mistake had probably been made [when the BA agent had originally entered the terms and conditions on the website] and it [the mistake] had now been corrected.
BA is now telling me that my booking cannot be changed and, even though I hold printouts of my booking, the airline is not being accommodating. What recourse do I have should I need to alter my booking?
Mark Lee, Hong Kong
Direct or indirect? 01/03/2008
Dear Alex,
I need to book a business class return between Zurich and Washington DC. Should I take a direct Swiss flight or opt for British Airways, even though the latter involves a flight transfer at Heathrow?
I have sampled British Airways’ Club World before and would prefer to fly BA again. My concern relates to the poor immigration procedures at Heathrow. Is Terminal 4 really that bad? Or would you recommend flying Swiss instead?
Dirk Stigter, Zurich, Switzerland
Baggage compensation rights 01/03/2008
Dear Alex,
Etihad lost my bag when I returned home to the UAE after a trip to London. I was travelling economy class and I have shopping bills from my stay in London, which amount to £500. But the airline is only offering me US$20 per kilo – as my suiter weighed 13kg this means I will get only US$260. What are my rights?
Sanjay Amarnani, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Delta Elite status 01/02/2008
Dear Alex,
I am a frequent traveller and hold elite FFP (frequent flyer programme) membership with several carriers but none of these belong to the Skyteam alliance.
As I planned to book a flight to Hong Kong with Northwest (a Skyteam member) I decided to take up a “matching” offer from Delta (a fellow Skyteam member) to gain Gold Medallion status in its FFP.
Armed with my new membership I contacted Northwest to book an economy class seat in the priority area. But Northwest said they couldn’t action my request because it said my elite status didn’t exist.
I then called Delta for help. Delta confirmed my elite status but couldn’t resolve the problem with Northwest. Do alliance members co-operate with each other as much as they claim?
Hiroaki A Suda, Tokyo, Japan
Business class standards 01/02/2008
Dear Alex,
Last September, myself and a Thai colleague flew business class with Gulf Air between Bangkok and Paris CDG,
via Bahrain.The product didn’t live up to our expectations. At Bangkok, the lounge wasn’t operated by Gulf Air and didn’t compare to the lounges of Emirates and Thai, let alone Cathay Pacific’s offering in Hong Kong.
On the flight to Bahrain the business class seats were grubby and barely reclined. At Bahrain the staff told me that, yes, they were using an old plane on the last sector but that I would be more than happy with the service onwards to Paris.
The product on the second flight was better, but the overall standards weren’t high. I can’t understand how business class can vary so much. Could you explain?
Bex Luc, Paris, France
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