Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Even airlines agree: code-shares STINK
6/19/06
Most of this happened on Friday, but it's too good to not share. And for anyone who has traveled and had to deal with a code-share, you'll sympathize with my angst. Even the airline representatives at BOTH airlines I had to deal with felt my pain.
So here's how the story goes. As a team, we are traveling direct from Los Angeles to Sydney. Athletes are responsible for getting to Los Angeles. Knowing some of the challenges my teammates dealt with last year — the least of them being the fact that our equipment usually tips the 50lb. domestic baggage weight limit — I was going into this prepared. I searched all over the Internet and found a flight with Alaska Airlines. Before booking, I went over my situation, how this was a domestic flight but I was then continuing on to an international flight though I won't get my ticket for the international leg until I land in Los Angeles (follow that). They said no problem and instructed me on what I needed to do to make sure that my luggage went through properly and was not charged a fee, since it is intended for an international flight.
That was four weeks ago. I had called back Alaska Air on Friday to check something on my e-ticket, probably about the luggage sizes and everything. When I went through the story again, the customer service rep said that I needed to follow the American Airlines policy for domestic/international luggage restrictions and should contact them directly. As my blood starts to simmer, I call American Airlines and am told that indeed, I must follow their policy which is 50lb. for all domestic flights, and the international piece means nothing to them. Way to go code-share!
So of course I am not pleased with this. I ask to speak with a manager and before the CSR turns over the call, she notices that this entire time, she was reading the code-share arrangement wrong. Based on the way the code-share works, I have to follow the Alaska Air guidelines. Somebody please shoot me now — two hours of aggravation to find out that the initial information I got was correct?!? At this point, the American Airlines CSR apologized profusely and said that she hates code-share agreements for this very reason.
Just to make sure that everything was kosher, I got a CSR from American Airlines and a CSR on Alaska Air on the phone together to confirm this revelation. Long story made longer, what I was told in my very first conversation was correct (thanks to Julie from the Boise office) and that we all just wasted our time. Gotta love that!
So the next time you are flying somewhere and it's a code-share, think twice. Also, if you fly internationally, just check your bags all the way through (unfortunately, we don't have that option for this trip). It will probably make your life much easier.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Most of this happened on Friday, but it's too good to not share. And for anyone who has traveled and had to deal with a code-share, you'll sympathize with my angst. Even the airline representatives at BOTH airlines I had to deal with felt my pain.
So here's how the story goes. As a team, we are traveling direct from Los Angeles to Sydney. Athletes are responsible for getting to Los Angeles. Knowing some of the challenges my teammates dealt with last year — the least of them being the fact that our equipment usually tips the 50lb. domestic baggage weight limit — I was going into this prepared. I searched all over the Internet and found a flight with Alaska Airlines. Before booking, I went over my situation, how this was a domestic flight but I was then continuing on to an international flight though I won't get my ticket for the international leg until I land in Los Angeles (follow that). They said no problem and instructed me on what I needed to do to make sure that my luggage went through properly and was not charged a fee, since it is intended for an international flight.
That was four weeks ago. I had called back Alaska Air on Friday to check something on my e-ticket, probably about the luggage sizes and everything. When I went through the story again, the customer service rep said that I needed to follow the American Airlines policy for domestic/international luggage restrictions and should contact them directly. As my blood starts to simmer, I call American Airlines and am told that indeed, I must follow their policy which is 50lb. for all domestic flights, and the international piece means nothing to them. Way to go code-share!
So of course I am not pleased with this. I ask to speak with a manager and before the CSR turns over the call, she notices that this entire time, she was reading the code-share arrangement wrong. Based on the way the code-share works, I have to follow the Alaska Air guidelines. Somebody please shoot me now — two hours of aggravation to find out that the initial information I got was correct?!? At this point, the American Airlines CSR apologized profusely and said that she hates code-share agreements for this very reason.
Just to make sure that everything was kosher, I got a CSR from American Airlines and a CSR on Alaska Air on the phone together to confirm this revelation. Long story made longer, what I was told in my very first conversation was correct (thanks to Julie from the Boise office) and that we all just wasted our time. Gotta love that!
So the next time you are flying somewhere and it's a code-share, think twice. Also, if you fly internationally, just check your bags all the way through (unfortunately, we don't have that option for this trip). It will probably make your life much easier.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
# posted by Matthew Halpern @ 2:23 PM 
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Have to remember that tid bit of information if I should be so successful to compete and qualify for the Pan Am Games next year.
Mark Wexler
Maccabia 2005
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Mark Wexler
Maccabia 2005
# posted by 
: 3:21 PM
: 3:21 PM << Home
