[angel_bayou]

Imagine carefully checking and waiting on that perfect rate for a flight, but only find it's rising as each week goes by. You decide to go ahead and book to lock in the rate and then you're sitting on the computer one day and you decide to see how much the rates have changed only to find your EXACT itenerary with the airline of your choice to have gone down $374!! Well let me tell you this is what happened to me today and lead to an almost three hour phone call to continental! Yep that's right folks almost three hours. First it was I don't know if we can refund your money, put on hold, 45 minutes later I'm connected to a RUDE woman who then says she's going to transfer me to a supervisor and the wait would be about thirty minutes, I hold, 27 minutes into the wait time the woman comes back on and says she has a supervisor on the line, silence, yep you got it I was hung up on!!! Ok so I call back thirty more minutes of transferring and holding to get a person who has no idea and transfers me to a man who was less than plesant!! Finally I got a supervisor on the line only to tell me that trip insurance will not cover the refund and I would have to pay a $150 change fee if I wanted the discount and the $374 in savings would be given to me in a travel voucher for the next time I fly to Guatemala~~here's the catch I have to use it in the next year!!
I have never in my life heard of anything this crazy before!! I mean come on I don't want to change a thing!! I want the exact same flight as I have now but I would love to have my refund!!! All I can say is continental left my blood pressure elevated and I refused to pay the $150 to get my refund because I can't use the darn voucher anywhere other than Guatemala and I have no idea if I'll be returning within the next year!! Have any of you heard something so crazy before??

[ProspectiveSingleMom]

I've done a lot of traveling (not adoption related), and while I've never had a situation like yours (I don't think I've ever checked prices again after reserving a flight), I have had instances where I needed to change or cancel a flight. It was usually the same deal -- change fee and/or refund credit that has to be used within the next 12 months. I did have a situation with Delta (my favorite airline) where they let me change a domestic flight without a change fee. Because I changed the airport I was flying out of, they said that they would have to cancel the first flight and give me a refund credit, then I could schedule a new flight. So I did that, and the new flight was only a little more expensive that the first one, so I just had to pay the difference.

Maybe you should try calling to ask what happens if you cancel your flight. If they say you get a refund credit that you have to use within a year, then cancel the flight. Then, go back and schedule it at the lower rate (I'm assuming you book online, but if you do it over the phone, don't do it in the same phone call).

I'm not sure if this will work for an international flight, but it's worth a shot. Even if there is some sort of cancellation fee, if the fee is a lot less than the savings, you'd still come out on top.

[beverlyanderic]

i've heard of this. some airlines just don't let you get the cheaper rate if the price drops- unfortunately, it's not like buying something at a retail store and having the flexibility of them refunding the difference or you "returning" the item and buying it again.

continental isn't alone with doing this; however, i would be upset at them about the poor service and long waits on the phone

regardless, enjoy your trip to guatemala!
eric

[Dawnb93]

That is exactly why I never check after I've booked. It would just make me sick.

dawn

[mamaskoby]

This happened to my mom and they refunded her money, but it was on Usairways. Hope you get it back!

[myguatbabes]

OMG!! What a load of junk!! I have never liked that airline for that very reason. They are greedy and RUDE!!!!! So sorry this happened to you!!

[amyfk]

Makes me feel a bit sick because we have frequent flyer miles with Continental because one of their hubs is in our state.
Amy K, NJ