Up in the air over flight booking woes

For the first time since I can remember, there will be no flights involved with my holiday and New Year's plans this year, and after the most recent snowstorm hit the east coast, boy, am I glad the farthest place I have to travel this week is to Murfreesboro.

Granted, I am actually being forced to stay home by my doctor, who says travel isn't safe for pregnant women five weeks outside their due dates, but hey, I'm thrilled by his orders -- especially after my airport mishap.

In this day in age, people looking to fly look for the fastest, cheapest and most convenient way to book their travel. That equals online reservations through web sites such as Travelocity, right? After all, travel agents cost way too much money, right?

Well, not necessarily. I have come to discover that when it comes to booking travel, you get what you pay for.

Like everyone else, in the past, the best price had most often been my first goal when booking flights, but I've learned that a few extra dollars spent when using a travel agent might be worth the peace of mind.

About a month ago, I booked a fight with an online web site to save about $25. I did this knowing my aunt, who owns a travel agency of her own, would be disappointed in me but hey, $25 is $25, I thought.

As it turned out, I had to get to my destination before my departure date due to family illness. My husband and I drove to upstate New York about a week before my scheduled airline departure date. I planned to use my return leg of the flight whereas my husband would drive our vehicle back to Tennessee a few days before I hopped on the return flight.

No biggie, I thought, since the flight was already paid for. I would just call the reservation center and explain my situation -- that I would not be on the first flight but that I would be on the return flight to Nashville. Simple.

Boy was I wrong.

My first call to Travelocity had me on hold for 45 minutes prior to hearing a dial tone indicating I'd been disconnected. My second call had me wishing I had majored in foreign languages in college. While on hold the third time, I began preparing to visit my aunt's travel agency, tail between my legs, to ask for some help in the form of advice.

Needless to say, she wasn't happy with me and didn't hesitate to tell me that "this is why you don't book flights online" more than once. You see, the web site through which I booked was going to make me pay an outrageous price (on top of the $400-plus) I had already paid to take half of my flight!

Eventually, she settled down and her employee (and best travel agent ever, might I add) helped me get on track. They weren't going to do the work for me, but they gave me some suggestions and phone numbers and eventually, after calling the airline (NOT the web site I booked through), I had another flight booked. It turns out it's against policy to only take the return leg of your flight if you don't make your first leg (even if you do call ahead). At least when I talked to the airline and not the travel web site representative, I had gotten a flight booked for a reasonable penalty of about $50.

I thought I was home free ... until I got to the airport and there was no record of me being on the flight for which the airline agent told me I was booked on.

Ironically, very ironically, my aunt (the one who owns the travel agency) just so happened to give me a ride to the airport that day. This is not common, nor is it common for the person who drops me off to escort me into the airport, however, that is what happened on this day.

I was furious when I learned there was no record of me on the early afternoon flight, but rather, the airlane agent I spoke to on the phone had me booked on an evening flight -- five hours later. Basically, the agent put me on the wrong flight and I was not made aware of this.

The agent at the airport ticket counter was kind, however, she offered no solutions. I would not be getting out of Albany until much later in the day.

My aunt just stared at me like, "I told you so!"

I was stranded for the next five hours, yet thankful that my aunt had escorted me to the airport and that she didn't have plans that afternoon. We ended up making the best out of the situation by having lunch and watching a movie at a nearby mall. I sure was tired at work the next day, though, since I got in after 1 a.m. At that point I was kicking myself, saying, I would have paid a lot more than $25 to avoid this.

Even though unexpected problems arise, I learned through this situation that at least if you book through a travel agency you have someone to call and rectify the situation for you. You get to avoid being put on hold, and most often you get someone who not only speaks English well, but also someone who is -- or should be -- focused on customer service. Travel agents are facing troubling times, so you can count on getting top of the line customer service from them. Plus, if you use a local agent there is the accountability factor. They want to please you because they want your return business. Again, you get what you pay for.

A short week later, I had to rush to New York again, and I bet you know what method of booking travel I used this time. I called my agent in a panic at about 7 p.m., after regular business hours, and told her what I needed. All it took from me was a simple, five minute phone call. My agent Julie did the rest, including check me in online.

Yes, it was definitely worth the extra cash.

-- Sadie Fowler is lifestyles editor of the Times-Gazette. She may be reached at www.t-g.com.