Back in the pre-internet, pre-cellphone days, we booked our air tickets through a travel agent, paid by cheque or went to the bank to make a cash deposit, then we would stand in a queue to check in at the airport on departure day.
Now many of us book and pay for our tickets online, via credit card, then check-in online the night before departure and print our boarding passes or have them sent to our smartphones, which allows us to proceed straight to the boarding gate.
It’s a lot less schlep, this new-era, do-it-yourself way of flying, not to mention far cheaper, but there are downsides for the unwary.
Predictably, a couple of travel agents responded to my recent column about Mango turning passengers away at check-in counters or boarding gates if they can’t produce the credit card which paid for the ticket – or at least a copy of it – to say that booking through an agent spares consumers such inconvenience and humiliation.
“Booking through a registered travel agent costs a little bit more because we charge service fees as we no longer get commission from the airlines,” said travel agent Monika Stitchling.
“But this guarantees travellers that they will board.”
That’s because the agency’s credit card is “lodged” with the airlines and individual passengers are not asked for credit card proof.
But in the case of Anusuyah Singh of Durban, booking via an agent actually created the problem for her.
“I Googled ‘cheap flights’ and found the cheapest fare with Mango, via an agency called BudgetAir.com, which appears to be based in the Netherlands, but has a South African e-mail address.
“I paid them by credit card and they issued me with a ticket.
“But when I arrived at the airport, Mango refused to allow me to board, because the credit card they had on record was BudgetAir.com’s and I only had my credit card on me.”
Singh was forced to buy another ticket, and when she was getting no joy from BudgetAir.com regarding her refund request, she turned to me for help.
I was given this undertaking when I took up the case: “Yes, the passenger will be refunded. She will have to provide a copy of a payment receipt along with the copy of the new tickets for us to check for a refund on the booking.”
We shall see.
To protect yourself, check out the credentials and track record on online travel agencies before making an air ticket booking and payment.
l Mango has undertaken to refund anyone who was denied boarding due to lack of credit card proof, provided they provide the required documentary proof.
Skywise wobble
LAST week’s big airline news was the cancellation of six Skywise flights over three days due to a “delay” in the payment of air traffic control fees.
The low-cost airline launched in February and operates flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Joint CEO Irfan Pardesi reportedly told a press conference on Tuesday that thanks to “negative” media coverage of the cancellations, many would-be passengers had called the airline, asking for refunds.
Given that the collapse of low-cost airlines Nationwide, 1Time and Velvet Sky remain relatively fresh in consumers’ minds, that’s hardly surprising.
Like Mango, SkyWise insists that the credit card used to make payment, or a copy of it, be produced by passengers when checking in for their flight.
And it goes one step further, also insisting that the ID of the person who made the payment, or a copy of it, be produced as well.
Susan Belling, whose job with a large corporate includes making flight bookings for executives – and checking them in online to spare them the airport queue – wasn’t aware of this when she booked and paid for a Skywise flight for one of them recently.
Nor did she realise that Skywise doesn’t offer an online check-in service.
When she discovered this, she opted to book a flight on another airline rather than risk upsetting the executive.
When she asked Skywise for a refund on the basis of non-disclosure, Skywise responded by saying a voucher would be issued instead. “We refund only in events of serious medical conditions, death in family or for flights cancelled ...”
The airline’s PR and media manager, Martin Chemhere, told me that the credit card and ID requirement was stipulated in the company’s terms and conditions.
However, nowhere is it expressly stated that there is no online check-in facility, something the airline’s Twitter response team it would “definitely look into”.
FlyAfrica – if you can
EARLIER this year Zimbabwean-based airline FlyAfrica launched flights between Johannesburg and Harare and Victoria Falls.
In August, Cheryleigh Cook took advantage of the airline’s online birthday sale, paying a “fantastic” price for three return tickets from Johannesburg to Vic Falls for March next year.
But two weeks ago she got a badly worded e-mail from the airline informing her that the flight had been cancelled, along with all flights on that route from February 1, “due to operational problems” – that meaningless line trotted out by airlines to tell its passengers absolutely nothing.
And the only compensation offered to her was an “e-voucher”, valid for a whole three months. She would only have qualified for a refund if she had taken out “FlightAssure” or “Assurance”, she was told – cover she was not aware of at the time of booking.
“The voucher is of no use to me as I can’t use it on another flight to Victoria Falls,” Cook said.
l If you pay for an air ticket with your credit card, you can apply to the bank which issued the card for “chargeback” if the flight is cancelled and you aren’t offered a viable alternative. Contact the disputes division.
CONTACT: E-mail wendy@knowler.co.za
Troubles in aerospace
Now many of us book and pay for our tickets online, via credit card, then check-in online the night before departure and print our boarding passes or have them sent to our smartphones, which allows us to proceed straight to the boarding gate.
It’s a lot less schlep, this new-era, do-it-yourself way of flying, not to mention far cheaper, but there are downsides for the unwary.
Predictably, a couple of travel agents responded to my recent column about Mango turning passengers away at check-in counters or boarding gates if they can’t produce the credit card which paid for the ticket – or at least a copy of it – to say that booking through an agent spares consumers such inconvenience and humiliation.
“Booking through a registered travel agent costs a little bit more because we charge service fees as we no longer get commission from the airlines,” said travel agent Monika Stitchling.
“But this guarantees travellers that they will board.”
That’s because the agency’s credit card is “lodged” with the airlines and individual passengers are not asked for credit card proof.
But in the case of Anusuyah Singh of Durban, booking via an agent actually created the problem for her.
“I Googled ‘cheap flights’ and found the cheapest fare with Mango, via an agency called BudgetAir.com, which appears to be based in the Netherlands, but has a South African e-mail address.
“I paid them by credit card and they issued me with a ticket.
“But when I arrived at the airport, Mango refused to allow me to board, because the credit card they had on record was BudgetAir.com’s and I only had my credit card on me.”
Singh was forced to buy another ticket, and when she was getting no joy from BudgetAir.com regarding her refund request, she turned to me for help.
I was given this undertaking when I took up the case: “Yes, the passenger will be refunded. She will have to provide a copy of a payment receipt along with the copy of the new tickets for us to check for a refund on the booking.”
We shall see.
To protect yourself, check out the credentials and track record on online travel agencies before making an air ticket booking and payment.
l Mango has undertaken to refund anyone who was denied boarding due to lack of credit card proof, provided they provide the required documentary proof.
Skywise wobble
LAST week’s big airline news was the cancellation of six Skywise flights over three days due to a “delay” in the payment of air traffic control fees.
The low-cost airline launched in February and operates flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Joint CEO Irfan Pardesi reportedly told a press conference on Tuesday that thanks to “negative” media coverage of the cancellations, many would-be passengers had called the airline, asking for refunds.
Given that the collapse of low-cost airlines Nationwide, 1Time and Velvet Sky remain relatively fresh in consumers’ minds, that’s hardly surprising.
Like Mango, SkyWise insists that the credit card used to make payment, or a copy of it, be produced by passengers when checking in for their flight.
And it goes one step further, also insisting that the ID of the person who made the payment, or a copy of it, be produced as well.
Susan Belling, whose job with a large corporate includes making flight bookings for executives – and checking them in online to spare them the airport queue – wasn’t aware of this when she booked and paid for a Skywise flight for one of them recently.
Nor did she realise that Skywise doesn’t offer an online check-in service.
When she discovered this, she opted to book a flight on another airline rather than risk upsetting the executive.
When she asked Skywise for a refund on the basis of non-disclosure, Skywise responded by saying a voucher would be issued instead. “We refund only in events of serious medical conditions, death in family or for flights cancelled ...”
The airline’s PR and media manager, Martin Chemhere, told me that the credit card and ID requirement was stipulated in the company’s terms and conditions.
However, nowhere is it expressly stated that there is no online check-in facility, something the airline’s Twitter response team it would “definitely look into”.
FlyAfrica – if you can
EARLIER this year Zimbabwean-based airline FlyAfrica launched flights between Johannesburg and Harare and Victoria Falls.
In August, Cheryleigh Cook took advantage of the airline’s online birthday sale, paying a “fantastic” price for three return tickets from Johannesburg to Vic Falls for March next year.
But two weeks ago she got a badly worded e-mail from the airline informing her that the flight had been cancelled, along with all flights on that route from February 1, “due to operational problems” – that meaningless line trotted out by airlines to tell its passengers absolutely nothing.
And the only compensation offered to her was an “e-voucher”, valid for a whole three months. She would only have qualified for a refund if she had taken out “FlightAssure” or “Assurance”, she was told – cover she was not aware of at the time of booking.
“The voucher is of no use to me as I can’t use it on another flight to Victoria Falls,” Cook said.
l If you pay for an air ticket with your credit card, you can apply to the bank which issued the card for “chargeback” if the flight is cancelled and you aren’t offered a viable alternative. Contact the disputes division.
CONTACT: E-mail wendy@knowler.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos