Here’s a swine flu story with a happy ending.
Back in March, I booked a trip for three women who wanted an inexpensive girls mini-break: three nights from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta. One of the women had planned to book the air through United, and a hotel directly, but I talked her into booking with Classic Vacations.
As it turns out, that was the smartest decision of the trip.
When the swine flu hit, my client was still planning to go. Her friend’s husband, however, had an immune-system problem. So about four days before departure, they decided not to risk it. But these women, who wanted to keep costs as low as possible, had turned down travel insurance.
As it turned out, however, Classic decided to accommodate anyone traveling to Mexico without change fees. (United Airlines also waived change fees, but that still meant costs in employee time to change any tickets.)
After a few phone conversations, Classic Vacations was able to find space for these women at almost the same price in Hawaii for the same dates. It was a bit of a step down in hotel, from the four-star Puerto Vallarta Marriott, to the three-star Wyland Waikiki, but instead of a room with two beds, they were able to get a one-bedroom suite.
Had the clients been willing to take a connecting flight via Los Angeles on the return, the package would have been the same price. As it was, they paid only $60 more a person for a nonstop. With no penalties whatsoever.
The end result, the women had a great trip and loved the hotel. Now, if they had booked with the airline and hotel directly, they might have been able to find the same flights and change through United, albeit after a good deal of hold time.
And they might have gotten the Marriott to refund the deposit, and paid for a new hotel, and eventually gotten the money back a month or so later for the first hotel. Although they paid with three separate credit cards, so that would have made it even more complicated.
But this was simple, and it worked out brilliantly. If Classic Vacations didn’t save their trip, they saved them money, time, and maybe most important on a vacation, stress.
One final note, however: These clients did get lucky with waivers because of the swine flu panic. Had they altered the trip because one of them got the regular flu, the free changes would have been possible only with the tour company’s insurance.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
