I'm doing a group safari tour in Kenya and Tanzania this coming August. When I called the tour company to work on airfare, telling them my preferences for airline and layover city, the rep jumped through many hoops and finally triumphantly announced that she had put together the itinerary I wanted and within the $ amount that was allotted by the company. I said "Yes, but I said I was interested in upgrading my seats from coach - can you give me a quote for that?" She said she could not, that under the travel company's contract with the airline, those seats wouldn't open up for them to book until a couple of weeks before departure.
Well. I wasn't willing to take a chance that there would be upgraded seats available that late, so I decided to book my own tickets. Here's what I needed to do:
I ended up booking a round trip ticket on Delta, MSP-Amsterdam (was able to use miles to decrease the cost some). And two one way tickets on KLM - one from Amsterdam to Nairobi and the second one from Kilimanjaro to Amsterdam.
All good! And I was able to book business class on the overnight flights and premium economy for the daytime flights.
Here's what I just recently realized - since the flights are not all on one ticket, on my return home if the KLM leg to Amsterdam gets delayed and I miss my Delta flight to MSP, Delta isn't obligated to re-slot me on another flight. 😬
Apparently I should have called Delta to put the whole itinerary on one ticket - or used a travel agent. It wouldn't have been possible for me to do that online.
I did leave myself a long time gap in Amsterdam - my KLM flight from Kilimanjaro gets in 7:30 am and the Delta flight to MSP leaves at 12:30 pm. So, presumably I should be OK even if the flight is a couple of hours late.
I think I'm prone to catastrophizing since I follow Delta on R#ddit and read lots of people's stories of disastrous delays. In reality, I can't remember the last time I was on a flight that was significantly delayed. I guess it was a flight home from Chicago when I was still working and on a business trip. Due to a thunderstorm, our evening flight was canceled. My colleagues and I ended up getting a hotel for another night and then renting a car together the next morning since we were having trouble getting on flights the next day.
And then there was the flight home from New York City that I missed because of the giant bike ride going on in Manhattan. In that case I was able to cancel my return ticket before the flight departed, get an e-credit and use the e-credit to book a flight the next day.
I thought about visiting a travel agent to try to re-book everything, but I don't think I'm THAT worried. Just had to vent and get this off my chest. This is your glimpse into the mind of a worrywart - sorry for boring you!
Here's a nice picture to make up for it...
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23 comments
With her dark hair and pale eyes, the model reminds me of a young Debi Mazar.
I recently planned my first solo international trip (Greece) and I'm so glad I booked a direct flight out of Philly... the options were cheaper if I connected in Munich or if I departed out of JFK but I didn't want to do either one of those. Still didn't have the dough for a lie-flat but if the flight over is THAT bad, I may try to bite the bullet and look into upgrading for the return. I'm short so there's that to be thankful for! What I don't get is why the premium economy seats on American are directly over the wing, with zero view?
I think you'll be just fine with a 5 hour connection!
You are lucky to have flight options with no connection! I think for MSP - London, Amsterdam and Paris are about it. And of course, no way to Nairobi.
I'll be looking to forward to hearing about your trip!
@bignicktx I'm so very excited to be taking my first solo "big girl" trip!
I always worry about flights, especially connecting flights, but generally it's all worked out fine. I did get caught out flying out of Dubai because I didn't confirm my return flight and airlines over-book. I was the last one allowed on the plane to Bahrain. If I did that flight now, I'd be worrying about drones and missiles!
Yes, everything has usually gone smoothly for me too.
When I was researching flights, one of the options was flying Qatar airlines which would have involved a stop in Dubai. It was cheaper, but a much longer trip, so I passed it up and I’m glad I did! Who knows what will be going on in that area in August…
@smartasswoman I get the impression that the Iran War won't be a quick one. Wars rarely are. You are right in avoiding the Middle East as a flight stopover - Amsterdam is a much safer plus probably more enjoyable option.
There's still time to call Delta and see what they say about your "what if" scenario. Be pre-armed with a solution.
My proposed trip to Scotland (courtesy of my nephew) never happened last summer. I'm going in Sept. with my offspring and her hubby. I have no problem booking hotels and excursions but it was worth it to me, to pay extra for a travel agent to book my flights.
Yup, I probably should have thought about that, with this slightly complicated itinerary. Delta and KLM are "partners" so you're right, maybe it's worth giving them a call to see if they can combine the three tickets.
@smartasswoman Or even get their opinion on how to handle a missed flight.
Wishing you the best of times on your trip . It sounds exciting
Thank you! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that none of my flights gets cancelled due to fuel shortages.
@smartasswoman hope you don't get hit with a fuel surcharge but you're booked already so that shouldn't happen
I've been fortunate in not experiencing drastic delays, although I have had long layovers.
Hopefully that’s how it will go for me as well! Seems like there is not much chance of terrible weather in September, but we’ll see.
What a lovely young lady so perfectly photographed. Black and white had a lot of advantages. And having a perfect model helps immensely. But back to your worries — if something can go wrong, it will. But your nom de plume says it all — smart woman. Sounds like a wonderful trip, wish I had time to go along. Please send pics, you always have a spectacular travelogue.
I’ll definitely be posting some pics, although I’m not counting on getting any spectacular wildlife shots with my phone - I think you need a good zoom lens for that. It’s possible that our trip leader will set up an online photo sharing group for us. That happened on my last trip and it was very helpful.
You didn't just let AI do all this for you? 😄
And you surely saved this post with the shot of the younger you! ðŸ˜
Haha you know that’s not me!
She is very erotic
I’m always trying to promote reading.
I'm confident that you will figure it all out! ðŸ˜
Mamacittttttaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
Hi, would that happen to be you back in the day?
LMAOOOOO