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Y'all, please let the record show that I love to fly. I love to travel. There will be a whole series of forthcoming articles about this.
That being said, here's some thoughts from a former 2x Reservations Agent at 2 of the biggest airlines in the country. (I do not currently work for any airline, and none of the viewpoints here are endorsed or espoused by any airline, in any official capacity.)
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My unsolicited (🤣) advice.
1) Make sure your ticket MATCHES your government issued ID (whatever you will be using to travel with.) They are pretty strict about matching identically. If it doesn’t match, you will not be allowed to board/even go through security sometimes.
1a) if you have noticed a name matching issue, and you call your airline to change it, make sure they REISSUE the ticket! Sometimes the changes get saved in the system, but the actual ticket isn’t reissued properly/fully.
2) Third Party Tickets 🎫
Look, I’m not here to tell you how to live your life, if you can get a better deal, going through a third-party, I totally understand! There are things that come with that, that definitely, I want you to be aware of.
-changes/edits - any changes or issues that happen with a third-party ticket, usually they need to be edited or altered through the third-party.
IE- if you book a ticket from Miami to New York City through Priceline, but they are flights from Delta, and you need to change something about it, you have to contact Priceline. Delta cannot help you unless Delta has changed something about the flight, etc.
The airlines are very unsympathetic, basically, if you book through a third-party. Their view is, you have decided to book with someone else, so they’re not really obligated to help you. 😬
3) The airlines have very fine print, and LOTS OF RULES!!
3a) again, no judgment and do what you gotta do, but my recommendation whenever possible, is to never ever buy basic economy. It is THE most basic ticket and comes with almost no changes to be made. I used to tell customers on the phone that it was basically a use it or lose it ticket.
3b) employees may all work for one airline, but each department feels differently about each other, lol. The reservations department has very specific powers, and the airport has different capabilities than does the phone folks.
4) You can ALWAYS ask for a supervisor. Phone agents literally cannot suggest that you a are able to do so, but once you do, the agent can get you there. That being said, supervisors are usually fewer in number, so it takes a while to get to someone.
4a) Agents are so sorry to be annoying, if you were on hold for a supervisor, they know you don’t really wanna talk to them, but t hey have to check in with you every few minutes. It’s the rules!
5) “Skip leg/skip lag” - airlines have cracked down on this in recent years. If you have a multiple leg journey, you must take the first leg, or the second/proceeding parts get cancelled automatically. The airline assumes that if you haven’t taken the first part, why would you need to take a second part?
6) This is just a personal recommendation, I always like to take a picture of my boarding, pass, or of myself on the actual plane, both at my arrival and departure airport, and hold onto it until everything has gone well, just as proof. In case, anybody tries to claim that a certain part of the journey hasn’t happened.
6a) HAVE YOUR receipts!! Keep receipts for everything (including boarding passes, physical ones can be printed) until your travel and return is complete and you’re happy. If you want compensation for anything, you will need actual receipts.
7) PUSH BACK. If you have experienced some thing, push back. If something has happened that you feel is not fair, push back. Ask for a supervisor, reach out to customer service. Email, call, or speak to someone in person.
At Delta, they are really good about compensation. Even if it’s just frequent flyer miles.
8 ) I sometimes think because there is federal oversight, people think that airlines are here for you. I just wanna remind folks that the airlines are a profit-making, fully capitalistic endeavor.
They are here to make money, and at the end of the day, that’s their goal. You absolutely have to advocate for yourself.
There are so many interesting and fun things about air travel, but it is a tricky, tricky world!! I wish you all the best, and I hope everyone has nothing but a great experience with their travel !!
What are some of your tips and tricks?
-Mackenzie
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