Flight booked through Expedia transit issue
I recently booked a two way flight through Expedia. The flight is from country A to B, both of which I can enter with no problem. Each of the flights has connections. In my first flight I connected in Amsterdam. This went smoothly. In my way back, I had a connection in the US. When I wanted to check in I was told that transits in the USA requires a visa. I tried contacting Expedia while at the airport with no result. I ended up going to the airline ticketing desk and changing my reservation to avoid US. Of course I had to pay about $800 for this change.
Later, I called Expedia and and after good hold time I was able to talk to a supervisor. She told me that I'm responsible to have proper travel documents, I said that I take fully responsibility for my initial and final destinations, but they should take responsibility for the connections as they suggested it.
My question is, am eligible for a compensation? Is it possible to be compensated?
Update: I completely agree that, legally speaking, Expedia is covered. However, from a good business practice perspective, it seems to me that it is a serious flaw to book a flight through a country, outside the traveller's origin and destination, without clearly indicating such possibility. What, for example, if I didn't have money to change my reservation? Many scenarios can go horribly wrong when you thousands of kilometers away from home.
Best Answer
You will probably not like my answer but I believe that Expedia is right. They hold no responsibility for you to be able to enter in a country. There is a simple reason for that. They don't have the capability to check whether you are allowed to enter a country with or without a visa and if you are entitled for such a visa in case one is required. This is really your responsibility.
So in the light of this, they won't compensate you. Indeed, they couldn't really. Expedia just got paid a commission by the airline. So the best they could do is to refund the commission they had. But I doubt that they will do it. And then, you could always ask the airline but I suspect that they will tell you that it was your responsibility and they couldn't do anything about it.
I am really sorry for you because this is a frustrating situation. Have you checked the visa situation for USA? It wasn't possible to obtain a transit visa for you?
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Can I get a refund on a flight through Expedia?
Generally, you can cancel a flight booked through Expedia within 24 hours for a full refund. Generally, changing a flight will result in you being charged fees by the airline.Is Expedia safe to book through?
Yes, it is absolutely safe to book through Expedia. In fact, Expedia is one of the most trusted travel booking websites out there. Millions of people use Expedia every year to book their flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements, and there have never been any major safety concerns.Are connecting flights guaranteed?
\u2022 No matter what your airline or travel agent tells you, the minimum connection times are no guarantee that your connecting flight won't leave without you. They are only guidelines that are meant to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.EXPEDIA FLIGHT FAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE REVIEW
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Answer 2
I'm sorry to hear about your travel woes but I would imagine they are in the right both legally and business ethically:
https://www.expedia.com/p/info-other/legal.htm
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
You are responsible for ensuring that you meet foreign entry requirements and that your travel documents, such as passports and visas (transit, business, tourist, and otherwise), are in order and any other foreign entry requirements are met. Expedia has no special knowledge regarding foreign entry requirements or travel documents. We urge customers to review travel prohibitions, warnings, announcements, and advisories issued by the relevant governments prior to booking travel to international destinations.
Passport and Visa: You must consult the relevant Embassy or Consulate for this information. Requirements may change and you should check for up-to-date information before booking and departure. We accept no liability if you are refused entry onto a flight or into any country due to your failure to carry the correct and adequate passport, visa, or other travel documents required by any airline, authority, or country, including countries you may just be transiting through. This includes all stops made by the aircraft, even if you do not leave the aircraft or airport.
Answer 3
Just to add to the problem.... some airlines have hidden cities in their itinerary. For example... United had a non-stop flight from SGN-EWK...except the plane changed in HKG with 6 hours stopover. The booking engines of some OTA's do not show these hidden city stops. Air Asia from KUL-AKL has a stop in Australia. So it is possible for a passenger to agree to an Expedia ticket that gets them into a problem with immigration or denied boarding as they have stopped/transitted in a restricted country for their passport. Find a good OTA or travel agent who is open and transparent, it will eliminate the 'gotcha' moments of denied boarding.
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