Several days later we received a revised itinerary from Delta which was missing the seat numbers. I called Delta to reconfirm all seats for the trip and was told that Delta could not confirm seats for SAA #367 or SAA #368 (the return flight), and that this could only be done at the time of boarding. The day before our flights I checked in online and reconfirmed our itinerary. On November 30, we checked our bags in Greensboro and were told that the SAA #367 boarding passes would be issued by South African Airways in Johannesburg. When we arrived there, South [ ... ]

I first booked flights for my wife and I that depart from Boston, change planes in Philadelphia and then continue on to Dublin. I picked out our seats and paid for the flights. I then booked the flights for my in-laws for the same flights, chose seats so that we were together for the entire trip and then paid using their credit card. I printed out the paperwork and looked over my flights but made the mistake of not checking all flights. During the holidays with my family, we looked at all the paperwork. I was horrified to find that my [ ... ]

I first booked flights for my wife and I that depart from Boston, change planes in Philadelphia and then continue on to Dublin. I picked out our seats and paid for the flights. I then booked the flights for my in-laws for the same flights, chose seats so that we were together for the entire trip and then paid using their credit card. I printed out the paperwork and looked over my flights but made the mistake of not checking all flights. During the holidays with my family, we looked at all the paperwork. I was horrified to find that my [ ... ]

When I asked why they could not honor my reservation, they told me they “overbook just like the airlines.” I also asked why did they not call my cellphone, which was on file with my reservation. The answer was “we just don’t.” They said the problem was caused by a big Intel convention in town. I walked back to my hotel, where the concierge was able to get me a car at Budget which cost more than my Hertz reservation. I e-mailed Hertz customer service twice. The second time I received a response after more than two weeks. Hertz apologized and offered [ ... ]

Her flight out of Boston was on Delta, and it was delayed due to weather conditions. She was put on another Delta flight to La Guardia, but this flight was also canceled. She was then booked on another flight the following day and received a confirmation email from Austrian Airlines. This itinerary was Boston-Washington, D.C.-Vienna, with the first leg of the trip on United. When she arrived at the Boston airport on December 2, the United agent informed her that her Delta reservation from the previous day had not been canceled (even though the flight itself was canceled) and therefore she [ ... ]

In April, I logged onto the Princess site and noticed my sailing was only listed as an itinerary for 10 days. I called Princess and got the run around for almost two months. I had another Princess cruise planned in May, so I figured I would speak to the sales office when I was onboard. I did, and the director was confused when she saw my confirmation. She made copies and faxed them to the home office in California. She suggested that they might be able to transfer us to another ship to complete the second 10 days. I thought [ ... ]

We recently were unexpectedly identified as a possible match to adopt siblings, ages three and five. We could not meet the placement schedule if we left the country in November, so we canceled our trip. I canceled via the travel agency, prepared the necessary claim information, and submitted receipts for all payments to TripMate, the travel insurance company. It has been two full weeks and all they will tell us is that my claim is under review and is subject to denial. It seems as if they are stalling me until the trip date arrives so they can deny my claim. [ ... ]

We recently were unexpectedly identified as a possible match to adopt siblings, ages three and five. We could not meet the placement schedule if we left the country in November, so we canceled our trip. I canceled via the travel agency, prepared the necessary claim information, and submitted receipts for all payments to TripMate, the travel insurance company. It has been two full weeks and all they will tell us is that my claim is under review and is subject to denial. It seems as if they are stalling me until the trip date arrives so they can deny my claim. [ ... ]

Temperatures in the cabin soared over 85 degrees for the whole flight. People were getting sick. There were elderly people that were ill and infants that were so uncomfortable that they cried the entirety of the flight. Flight attendants were apologizing and trying to keep people as comfortable as possible with wet rags and constant water to avoid dehydration and heat related illnesses. I had a business dinner one hour after I landed. I sweat so profusely that I had to stop on the way to dinner to purchase a new suit, which cost $500. The decision by the pilots [ ... ]

The woman at the counter said we had to get the optional coverage. We argued and then spoke to the supervisor who also insisted we had to take it. We asked why our paper said it was optional and he said he didn’t know. We needed a car and had no option but to sign the contract. The manager said once we signed, we would never get any money back. Going to another company would have cost much more at that point, so we signed. The car cost us about $300 more than quoted. When we got home, the Naval [ ... ]

When I called Megabus customer service, I was told that Megabus would refund us the cost of the leg that was canceled. However, they will not refund us the return trip, even though both legs of the trip were purchased at the same time. Customer service suggested that I send an e-mail to explain my situation and that I would likely receive a refund. I was told that I would receive a response within 7-10 days. I e-mailed customer service, but it’s been three weeks and I still have not received a response. I’m hoping that you can assist us [ ... ]

—Alison Kemper, Toronto Answer: Kemper’s plea landed in my inbox the day before the pair’s flight to Prague. Name problems on airline tickets can be tricky and time consuming to resolve. Would Hotwire be able to fix this ticketing problem on such short notice so they could take their long-awaited trip? Officially, name changes are not allowed on airline tickets because tickets are not transferable from one passenger to another. This stricture isn’t specific to booking sites like Hotwire or any single airline, but rather an industry rule intended to prevent fraud and ensure security. This airline axiom says once you book under [ ... ]

—Wayne Cunningham, Webb City, Mo. Answer: Joplin was devastated when the single deadliest tornado in nearly 60 years tore through the city on May 22. Emergency workers rushed to aid survivors in the days that followed. Once the critical rescue operations wrapped up, emergency workers like Cunningham could once again turn their attention to their own lives, and sort through impacts large and small. That’s when Cunningham wrote to Delta asking for a refund, only to be rebuffed. After the tornado, Cunningham’s fiancée had contacted the travel agency that booked the family’s trip and asked about changing their trip dates. The travel agency [ ... ]

After I refused to accept the 12-hour trip, the agent actually said he would be willing to drive me home. I was also told that I could rent a car. At no time was any effort made to try to rebook me on another carrier; as far as JetBlue was concerned, they were sending me home via California. My final recourse was to ask for a refund for the unused portion of my ticket. JetBlue did refund that $165. However, this did not solve my problem of how to get home. I incurred about $400 of out-of-pocket costs to get home, [ ... ]

There was quite a long line at check-in and we were concerned about how things were moving. My wife spoke to a Continental agent who told us we had to wait in line. By the time we got to the front it was 9 a.m. and the agent at the counter said we could not check in for our flight. We had to rebook for a flight the next day and were charged $75 extra per ticket. Without any other options, I agreed to this under duress. I felt this was unfair to charge us for several reasons. We were in [ ... ]