JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Louisiana man stuck in Jacksonville after booking an airline ticket through a third-party website contacted First Coast News for help. He couldn't get anyone with the airline or booking website on the phone to answer his questions.
"I booked a flight about three weeks ago and was scheduled to leave today," Jeff Taylor said.
The Ask Anthony team spoke to Jeff Taylor on Tuesday. He flew from New Orleans to Jacksonville a few weeks ago to visit his mother. He bought his ticket on a website called "Trip.com" and was planning to fly home that morning on Silver Airways, which is a small regional airline with a limited schedule.
He quickly discovered when he got to Jacksonville International Airport that he wouldn't be going anywhere,
"I picked up the courtesy phone for Silver Airways and they told me that they don't work Tuesday or Wednesday and there's no flights that fly out ever on Tuesday or Wednesday. So, somehow, they booked me a flight that doesn't exist," Taylor explained.
This may not be the airline's fault.
If you book through a third-party website, it means you’re letting someone else make the reservation on your behalf. If there’s changes, it also likely means the airline won’t be communicating directly to you, which could result in miscommunication or a missed flight.
"The money I tried to save on this airline is actually going to end up costing me a lot more than if I booked with someone else," Taylor added.
You may be able to save some money if you bundle your travel plans. For example, booking a flight, hotel and car rental together depending on offers from third-party websites or through travel agents. But, booking directly with the airline carrier can be more secure, although delays and cancellations can happen. It may also be easier to get a refund or credit if you book directly with the airline.
The Ask Anthony team contacted the website Taylor used to buy his airline ticket and explained the situation. They called him that night and rebooked him for a flight on Thursday.
"Someone called me about an hour after you had talked to them and got me another plane ticket home and reimbursed me for my hotel," Taylor said.
We received a statement from Trip.com:
“The experience and welfare of our users are important to us. We have looked into this incident and reached out to the customer to issue him a new flight ticket and cover his additional cost. We’ve since resolved his concern and will continue to improve our processes and services to provide our users with a positive experience.”