It can be nearly impossible to change airline tickets bought online
Q. I want to cancel or reschedule my KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ticket, but the carrier said it can't help me since I bought the ticket from discounter Airfare.com, which I haven't been able to reach over the phone. What is an online discounter's legal obligation to consumers?
Bryce Cunningham, Boston
A. Typically, when buying from an online discounter, customers will have to deal with that third party - and its rules - to change their travel itinerary.
Airfare.com's website states the tickets it sells are nonrefundable. Some tickets can be changed, but you need to pay attention to the fine print. For starters, no tickets to Asia or those on British Airways can be changed. Other tickets can be changed if you fax the request at least one day before the trip begins - but plan ahead because the online discounter only processes rescheduling requests weekdays between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
It's best to send your request in as soon as possible because the deadline is pegged to the date of your departure flight, even if you're asking to change your return flight. Rescheduling will incur a $200 fee per domestic ticket and $350 per international ticket. Also, you'll have to make up the difference in price if the new flight costs more. Tough luck if the new flight costs less because you won't be credited the difference.
As a general rule for shopping over the Internet, Better Business Bureau spokeswoman Paula Fleming advises buying with a credit card for added protection against fraud. The bureau also found some discount online sellers don't offer the high level of customer service that would come in handy for travel changes, although Airfare.com lists a toll-free number that is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
And comparison shopping can pay off - for prices as well as fine print. "Tickets on the same airline and route from different consolidators may have completely different rules," said Edward Hasbrouck, author of "The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace."
"You have to read the specific rules for the specific ticket - from the specific seller - before you buy. Assume nothing."
Hasbrouck said changing tickets can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly. But "in most cases, that shouldn't be a reason not to buy consolidator tickets," he added. "Freely changeable tickets may cost five times as much as the cheapest tickets. Even if you occasionally have to throw away a nonrefundable, nonchangeable ticket because your plans change, that may still cost less than always buying full-fare, freely changeable tickets."
Nicole C. Wong can be reached at nwong@globe.com.
