Missed flight - Flight Centre new charges to reissue ticket

Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 15:19
Last edited 23/09/2019 - 23:15

Bit concerned about what is happening with my parents flights. They booked for Cambodia and Vietnam. Dad has taken the wrong passport. For some reason, he was allowed out of Australia but not through past their transit in Thailand. I mailed out his correct passport.

Flight Centre wants $500 + $75 Flight centre captains guarantee to reissue the remaining flights. We had a similar issue last year but Singapore Airlines just let us back on. I read that Flight Centre adds it's own t's and c's to flights. Is that what is happening here?

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Comments

  • spackbace on 23/09/2019 - 15:31
    +4

    What do the conditions of his ticket say about changes?

  • HighAndDry on 23/09/2019 - 15:46
    +1

    Different airlines (bought through different methods) will have different terms and conditions.

    E.g.: tickets through agents may well be cheaper because airline factor in less user-error costs, but charge more to fix these issues.

  • knobbs on 23/09/2019 - 15:47
    +3

    Ask the airline they have their flights with rather than FC.

  • Hellfire on 23/09/2019 - 16:36

    If the airline acknowledges that they are at fault then they will do it for free. Possibly what happened with your previous experience.

    In this case it sounds like it was your father who was at fault so he needs to pay for changing the flights.

  • Taro Milk Tea on 23/09/2019 - 16:39
    -1

    travel insurance…..travel insurance…..now you understand the importance of it right…

    • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 17:58

      They have travel insurance.

  • cnmarine on 23/09/2019 - 17:12

    always go through the airline, the travel agent has zero power and is never useful in this situation.

  • hikaru78 on 23/09/2019 - 17:41
    +1

    You will find sometimes if you miss a leg you whole journey gets cancelled. Check your T&C carefully.

    In regards to the passport final responsibility is on the traveller to make sure their documents are correct.

    I don't think travel insurance would cover this but I could be wrong

  • xinyi on 23/09/2019 - 17:41

    Are they going from Cambodia to Vietnam via Thailand or coming home to Australia?

    Seems like it would be cheaper to just buy new tickets via Jetstar. You are wasting your time and money w. Flight Centre because they sold you a seat on a plane that's already taken off. You are essentially buying a new ticket from them at this point.

    • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 18:57

      Oh ok, the Flight centre re issue fee was $300, their cancellation fee is like $300 + the airlines is $400. Don't know how they enforce that.

  • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 18:04

    Well, first it was $500 then they sent through an invoice for $300. My mom paid it, but it seemed strange. Basically flight centre said the deadline for the changes was today. Their flight is in two weeks. I'm checking their contract…

  • bobbified on 23/09/2019 - 18:33

    This is why I avoid booking through third party agents and websites - unless the price difference is significantly lower via the third party.

  • Lexan on 23/09/2019 - 18:45

    I'm curious here. Wrong passport taken? You meant someone else's passport?

    • Randxyz123 on 23/09/2019 - 18:49
      +2

      Dual citizen probably?

      Since your dad stuffed up, flight centre don't owe you anything(unless they have some sort of policy on missing a flight when it is your fault)

    • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 18:55

      he had renewed his passport, because the old one had four months validity instead of six. Just before leaving, he only had the old one, but found the new one. After getting to Sydney they found he had taken the old one…

      • Edeena on 23/09/2019 - 19:09
        +2

        I renewed my passport recently and the Auspost officer cancelled and cut up my old passport right there. Doesn't make sense how he still got through security and everything with that invalid old passport.

        • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 19:54

          yup pretty weird. best thing was if he just stayed in Sydney. Luckily the Thai staff let him go free. Heard other stories about people going into holding cells.

          • Randxyz123 on 23/09/2019 - 23:05

            @Cave Fire: I still don’t understand how he got through multiple check points.

            At the airport check in they scan your passport where they cut it (or if they didn’t cut it, it would have flashed up as expired). Then at immigration you stick it in a reader and it auto scans the photo page.

            THEN normally at the airline gate they check it again.

            I’m guessing it wasn’t cut but how the hell did it go undetected. Also why did he still fly to Thailand with a invalid passport ??

            It sounds like the return leg was cancelled because they missed the first bit? Just pay the reissue/change fee. It seems alright given what happened!

            • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 23:14

              @Randxyz123: Yeah it's weird. If they just denied him it would have been better. I would have then overnighted his passport to Sydney and he buys a new flight. Probably would have used his accommodation. The back story to this is my parents had about 1.5k or so worth of refunds that they never claimed for from Flight Centre.

              • shadowangel on 25/09/2019 - 11:31

                @Cave Fire: How much time did he have left on his old passport ?

                Thailand it seems only requires the length of entry left on passport 30days or 60days

                The passport would of had to be still valid for him to get that far.

        • kerfuffle on 23/09/2019 - 20:00

          I renewed my passport recently and the Auspost officer cancelled and cut up my old passport right there

          Same with my dad whose passport expired a few days prior to submitting the renewal form at the post office. When I submitted my renewal form the week after, I asked the post office lady why she didn't cut up my passport. She said because it had already expired months ago, there was no need to cut it up

          • Edeena on 23/09/2019 - 23:10

            @kerfuffle: I guess it depends on the person, but really, not cutting it up leaves room for mistake like what happened with OP's dad. Why didn't the airline staff pick this up though? They always check passport expiry date to make sure it's at least 6 months validity for international travel. Had they picked this up, OP's dad could just call her to deliver the correct passport. Personally, I think the airline is also at fault for allowing your dad to board the plane, you should contact the airline directly and get them to help.

            • shadowangel on 25/09/2019 - 11:33

              @Edeena: It's not 6months for Thailand, 6months is not a blanket rule.
              Some countries are only length of entry.

  • WreckTangle on 23/09/2019 - 22:36

    We had a similar issue last year

    It’s happened before?

    • Cave Fire on 23/09/2019 - 23:01

      Just a cancellation with Singapore Airlines. All my return flights were not cancelled then. So yeah, don't know if any were cancelled now or they paid a no show fee?

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