"That sounds like a real lost in translation moment and it's one reason you should always handle ticket changes online, where there's less chance that someone will misunderstand you. But still, there's no such thing as irreversible even in the airline industry. Here's what should have happened: When you called Austrian Airlines to explain that your tour was canceled because of a regional conflict, the agent should have confirmed your intent."
"Did you want to cancel for a refund or rebook for future travel? Then the agent should have rebooked you, as requested. Airlines are supposed to have consistent policies, especially for flexible, changeable tickets like the one you had. I'm shocked that the agent rebooked one of your tickets properly, but not the other. Based on that alone, your request should have prompted a review of your call to see what went wrong."
"The email correspondence you provided and my subsequent communication with Austrian Airlines suggests there was no high-level review of your case. If Austrian Airlines canceled your flight against your wishes, it owes you a full refund under Department of Transportation rules. You might have been able to prevent this by asking for an immediate written confirmation of your ticket change."
Couple purchased business-class tickets to Cairo through Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa for an Egypt tour; the tour operator canceled the trip because of a regional conflict. When the traveler called Austrian to rebook, an agent misinterpreted the tour cancellation as a request to cancel the booking and issued a partial refund of $108 instead of rebooking a $4,352 ticket. The traveler's wife's identical ticket was rebooked correctly. Austrian says the refund is irreversible. Airline agents should confirm passenger intent and rebook flexible tickets. Provided correspondence and communications show no high-level review occurred. Under Department of Transportation rules, if an airline cancels a flight against passenger wishes, it must provide a full refund.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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