FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS

If a flight is canceled by the airline, ask the airline to rebook you or “accommodate” you on their next flight to the same destination on which space is available, or to “endorse” your ticket to another airline. The airline is required to accommodate you, endorse your ticket, or refund the price of that portion of your tickets. Arrangements for alternate transportation on your original tickets can only be made by the airline on which you are ticketed, not by AirTreks or another airline.

If you have to wait overnight or longer for an available flight, ask the airline to provide accommodations, food, phone calls to make alternate arrangements, and any other incidental expenses necessitated by the delay. Depending on local rules and the reasons for the flight cancellation, the airline may be required to provide for you until they can arrange alternate transportation for you to your ticketed destination. Try to get services or vouchers, not a promise of reimbursement; don’t count on getting reimbursed for your out-of-pocket expenses without a written promise on airline letterhead, with a legible signature. This is one of the reasons to have Travel Insurance in case the unexpected happens.

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com/

DISCONTINUED SERVICE

If the airline discontinues service on a route, ask the airline to “endorse” your ticket to another airline that serves your destination. They are required either to “endorse” your ticket to another airline willing to transport you, or to refund the price of that portion of your ticket. Since a refund of the price of a discounted ticket is rarely sufficient to cover the cost of a new ticket on another airline, it is almost always better to get the airline to arrange alternate transportation — even on a less convenient route — than to get a refund.

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com/

CHANGING FLIGHT DATES AND TIMES

If you want to make changes to dates or times of flights, you can generally do so directly with the airline on which you are scheduled to fly, by phone or in person. Some dates and flights cannot be changed, can be changed only for a fee, or can be changed only through AirTreks.com, not through the airline. Check with us before trying to make changes if you have any questions about the rules for changing specific flights.

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com/

MAKING CONTACT

If the airline has no local office where you are, or you have difficulty making changes or dealing with the airline, contact us directly for assistance. Never rely on what one airline says about changes, refunds, penalties, etc. for tickets on another airline, or on what one travel agency says about tickets issued by us or any other travel agency

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com/

AIRLINE REFUNDS

If you are promised a refund, get it in writing on airline letterhead, with a legible signature of an airline “station manager”. Airline staff members often are unfamiliar with the rules of discounted tickets, and often mistakenly advise travelers that tickets will be refundable, when they are not. Never assume that tickets are refundable. Most tickets we sell are NOT refundable. If your tickets are refundable, you must cancel your reservations before your scheduled flight to qualify for any refund. If you fail to cancel your reservations and “no-show” for a flight, you usually forfeit any possibility of even a partial refund. AirTreks will refund to you any amount we receive back from the airlines or our suppliers, less our refund processing fee of 30% of the amount received or US$50 per ticket, whichever is greater.

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com/

“CHANGE MONEY?”

Be careful where you change money or use an ATM or credit card. Many (although not all) money changers who accost you on the street are thieves and con artists. It is safer to change money at banks or currency exchanges (look for signs that say “bureau de change” or “cambio”), even if they are just simple kiosks.

Keep your valuables out of sight, preferably in a money belt or somewhere hidden under your clothes. Carry your cash for daily expenses separately, in a “dummy” wallet or purse with some convincing-looking but worthless plastic (frequent flyer cards, library cards, etc.) to satisfy a thief who demands your wallet. Never go into your stash of valuables in public, especially not near an ATM, bank, or currency exchange. Get your money to exchange, or your card, out in advance and in private.

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com

VERIFY THE DATE, TIME, AND FLIGHT NUMBER OF EACH FLIGHT EACH TIME YOU RECONFIRM YOUR RESERVATIONS

All flight schedules are subject to change at any time by the airlines, without notice to us or you, for any or no reason. Your reservations may be changed to a different date, time, and/or flight number, without warning. Airlines do not necessarily notify us of flight and schedule changes.It is your responsibility to verify flight numbers, dates, and times.

You can check your itinerary on the Internet at ViewTrip.com with your last name and “record locator” or reservation number , but this will show only those changes of which we have been notified. Some changes may not be reflected on your itinerary at ViewTrip.com (Note that anyone else who knows your last name and record locator can also see your itinerary. Your record locator is printed on most tickets and itineraries, and some baggage tags. If you want to keep your itinerary private, don’t let other people see any of your tickets or other documents with your record locator, in check-in lines or elsewhere.)

http://www.airtreks.com/

RECONFIRMATION OF RESERVATIONS AND FLIGHTS

Reconfirm each flight with the airline AT LEAST 72 hours before the scheduled flight time.Check with any office of the airline, in the USA or elsewhere, for their local telephone numbers and office addresses for reconfirming flights in the countries where you will be. Most airlines also print lists of their reconfirmation numbers in different countries on their ticket jackets and in their timetables. (Unfortunately, airlines don’t provide us with comprehensive lists of their reconfirmation numbers.)

Reconfirm early and often.If it’s possible without too much inconvenience, we recommend that you reconfirm your reservations as soon as you receive your tickets, and again a week before each flight. Make a final check on the scheduled flight time the day before the flight. 72 hours before the flight, the airline is entitled to cancel your reservations, without recourse or compensation, if you have not reconfirmed your intention to be on the flight.

http://www.airtreks.com/

LOST AND STOLEN TICKETS

If your tickets are lost or stolen, take a copy of your ticket to the airline which is the“validating carrier”for each portion of your tickets. Follow their procedures to request replacement tickets. You might have to pay in full for new tickets, but most airlines will issue replacement tickets in return for your signing an indemnity form (you will be held responsible if someone uses the missing tickets) and paying a reissue fee of US$75-100 per ticket per airline.

AirTreks cannot reissue missing tickets without full payment for new tickets; only the validating airline can replace missing tickets. Contact us if you need assistance in identifying the validating airlines for your tickets (shown in the“issued by”box on each ticket) or locating their offices. If you don’t have copies of your missing tickets, we can send you copies for a research fee of $20 per ticket. Getting copies of tickets from us may also entail delay due to time differences, days and hours of business, etc.

SOURCE: http://www.airtreks.com/

MAKE COPIES

Make at least one copy of the “passenger receipt” (usually the last coupon of the booklet, showing all the flights in that booklet) for each of the tickets for your AirTrek (as well as your passport and any other documents in your money belt). Keep a set of copies separate from your tickets. If you are traveling with a companion, exchange copies of your tickets and other important documents with your companion. Leave a set of copies with someone you trust who will accept a collect international call from you at any hour of the day or night in an emergency, and who can fax copies of your tickets and other documents to you to facilitate replacement.