Comments on: Travelocity and the mysterious total cost for my multi-leg trip http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/ Amy Gahran's news and musings on how we communicate in the online age. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:21:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Antony Van Couvering http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70319 Antony Van Couvering Wed, 03 May 2006 14:28:18 +0000 #comment-70319 Airline fares are completely incomprehensible at best. I would simply count the miles between each leg and charge the client the pro-rated amount (their portion) of the total. Why pass on incomprehensibility? Airline fares are completely incomprehensible at best. I would simply count the miles between each leg and charge the client the pro-rated amount (their portion) of the total. Why pass on incomprehensibility?

]]> By: Amy Gahran http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70293 Amy Gahran Tue, 02 May 2006 22:22:51 +0000 #comment-70293 Now, the downside is that it looks like Travelocity nearly doubled the price for one leg of my trip while significantly reducing the others... Oh, this is going to be fun figuring out for reimbursement... The problem with travelocity is, if you book a multi-leg flight on that service, they only cite a total cost the whole way through the process. Had their system showed me per-leg costs throughout the process, I could have made better flight decisions based on price as well as schedule. Grumble, grumble grumble.... Now, the downside is that it looks like Travelocity nearly doubled the price for one leg of my trip while significantly reducing the others… Oh, this is going to be fun figuring out for reimbursement…

The problem with travelocity is, if you book a multi-leg flight on that service, they only cite a total cost the whole way through the process. Had their system showed me per-leg costs throughout the process, I could have made better flight decisions based on price as well as schedule.

Grumble, grumble grumble….

]]> By: Amy Gahran http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70289 Amy Gahran Tue, 02 May 2006 20:46:26 +0000 #comment-70289 Aha, Brilliant, Richard! I'd only glanced at that block of text and assume it was just cryptic internal airline codes, but now on closer review I see it does have the price per leg. Thanks! - Amy Gahran Aha, Brilliant, Richard! I’d only glanced at that block of text and assume it was just cryptic internal airline codes, but now on closer review I see it does have the price per leg. Thanks!

- Amy Gahran

]]> By: Richard http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70288 Richard Tue, 02 May 2006 20:34:30 +0000 #comment-70288 You are in luck with a paper ticket. One part of your paper ticket should have the components of your total fare mapped out in hyrogliphcs . . . strange numbers that will add up to the total fare. There is no comparable for e-tickets. You are in luck with a paper ticket. One part of your paper ticket should have the components of your total fare mapped out in hyrogliphcs . . . strange numbers that will add up to the total fare. There is no comparable for e-tickets.

]]> By: Amy Gahran http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70287 Amy Gahran Tue, 02 May 2006 17:01:20 +0000 #comment-70287 Nope, can't cancel -- non-refundable tickets. - Amy Nope, can’t cancel — non-refundable tickets.

- Amy

]]> By: Bob Marconi http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70286 Bob Marconi Tue, 02 May 2006 16:32:20 +0000 #comment-70286 You can't just cancel and then go through a travel agent - per Stephanie's comment? Bob You can’t just cancel and then go through a travel agent - per Stephanie’s comment?

Bob

]]> By: Amy Gahran http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70285 Amy Gahran Tue, 02 May 2006 15:51:15 +0000 #comment-70285 Good point, Stephanie. it's rare that I have to do multi-leg trips, but when I do I will work with a travel agent to book it. It seemed easy enough to do on Travelocity, but obviously there were major hidden drawbacks. - Amy Gahran Good point, Stephanie. it’s rare that I have to do multi-leg trips, but when I do I will work with a travel agent to book it. It seemed easy enough to do on Travelocity, but obviously there were major hidden drawbacks.

- Amy Gahran

]]> By: Stephanie http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70283 Stephanie Tue, 02 May 2006 15:45:12 +0000 #comment-70283 Hi Amy, Next time... call your travel agent instead ;) It will not cost you more, and if a problem like this happen, the agent will do all the calls for you. This happened simply because this is how travelocity works. With a travel agent, you would have been ablt to get the exact price for each leg. Another reason why it is not necessarely true that you save money by booking online ;) Hi Amy,

Next time… call your travel agent instead ;) It will not cost you more, and if a problem like this happen, the agent will do all the calls for you.

This happened simply because this is how travelocity works.

With a travel agent, you would have been ablt to get the exact price for each leg.

Another reason why it is not necessarely true that you save money by booking online ;)

]]> By: Amy Gahran http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70266 Amy Gahran Tue, 02 May 2006 01:42:41 +0000 #comment-70266 That's a good idea, Aaron. I'll try that. They only thing is, I'm pretty sure my clients will want specific numbers, not a guesstimate, for reimbursement purposes. Also, I made this reservation a couple of weeks ago. Fare changes since then could skew those proportions. No way of knowing. - Amy Gahran That’s a good idea, Aaron. I’ll try that.

They only thing is, I’m pretty sure my clients will want specific numbers, not a guesstimate, for reimbursement purposes.

Also, I made this reservation a couple of weeks ago. Fare changes since then could skew those proportions. No way of knowing.

- Amy Gahran

]]> By: Aaron http://www.contentious.com/2006/05/01/travelocity-and-the-mysterious-total-cost-for-my-multi-leg-trip/#comment-70263 Aaron Tue, 02 May 2006 01:18:01 +0000 #comment-70263 Can you go and price each leg separately? If the total cost goes above what you paid, you can at least get a percentage for each leg and then charge each client that amount. Good luck. Can you go and price each leg separately? If the total cost goes above what you paid, you can at least get a percentage for each leg and then charge each client that amount. Good luck.

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