Confirming Your Confirmation Number

Update from the reader:
"I called the corporate office and got someone in their customer division and she issued the ticket!!! I laid out for her what had happened and ... that I considered it fraud if they didn’t issue the ticket and she went ahead and did it without comment."

While I'm disappointed this happened in the first place, I'm glad that USAir was able to rectify the situation. I stand by my earlier statement -- I believe the traveler unfortunately ended up with an untrained and uneducated customer service representative. It's no excuse, but at least a ticket has been issued and travel plans are well on the way.

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I received the following email this morning:

"I wonder if you can give me some help/advice. I booked a trip with USAIR using my frequent flyer miles...I have a confirmation number – which by the definition of the word is a confirmation that I can purchase this ticket at this price – or in this case miles.

But tonight when I called to purchase the ticket USAir told me that the agent made a mistake and should never have made the reservation – that I am not allowed a stopover and they would not honor the reservation or issue the ticket. This to me is fraud and I believe USAir needs to honor the reservation I made.

I just wonder when we are going to reach the limit of the airlines providing lousier and lousier service and getting away with it."

This is a horrendous thing for the airline to do. Once a ticket has been booked and a confirmation distributed the airlines cannot cancel your flight without rebooking for valid reasons. I suggested this reader call the corporate office first thing this morning -- it's likely she got a D-list employee on the evening shift when she called USAir last night. I have high hopes that the airline will rectify this situation... will keep you posted!