Normal?? $200 change fee for not arriving 1 1/2 hours early??
Jul 24, 2006, 7:10 pm
#1
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Normal?? $200 change fee for not arriving 1 1/2 hours early??
Just wondered if this is normal treatment on Swiss Air.
My brother-in-law was flying JFK-ZRH Saturday night, 9 PM flight. He forgot his passport and had to go home to get it. After he retrieved his passport, he reattempted to check-in at the airport 1:10 minutes before the flight. Swiss Air said he could not check-in, as it's website stated he needed to be at the boarding area 1 1/2 hours early for Y. The rule is 1 hour for business, 1 1/2 for Y. He is irritated. Also, about a dozen other people don't make the flight for the same reason.
He tried to OLCI and couldn't get it to work.
He stays at the counter and tries to rebook his ticket. Swiss Air charges a $200 change fee to book the 6PM the next day, and tells him he is lucky they don't charge him the walk-up fare. Now he is furious.
I know rules are rules, but I don't see how they can afford this tact from a customer service standpoint.
Is this normal for Swiss Air?
My brother-in-law was flying JFK-ZRH Saturday night, 9 PM flight. He forgot his passport and had to go home to get it. After he retrieved his passport, he reattempted to check-in at the airport 1:10 minutes before the flight. Swiss Air said he could not check-in, as it's website stated he needed to be at the boarding area 1 1/2 hours early for Y. The rule is 1 hour for business, 1 1/2 for Y. He is irritated. Also, about a dozen other people don't make the flight for the same reason.
He tried to OLCI and couldn't get it to work.
He stays at the counter and tries to rebook his ticket. Swiss Air charges a $200 change fee to book the 6PM the next day, and tells him he is lucky they don't charge him the walk-up fare. Now he is furious.
I know rules are rules, but I don't see how they can afford this tact from a customer service standpoint.
Is this normal for Swiss Air?
Last edited by Bikeguy; Jul 24, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Jul 24, 2006, 7:41 pm
#2
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Originally Posted by Bikeguy
Swiss Air said he could not check-in, as it's website stated he needed to be at the boarding area 1 1/2 hours early for Y.
SmilingBoy.
Jul 24, 2006, 7:49 pm
#3
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Originally Posted by SmilingBoy
More importantly, what did it say on the ticket? Or on the e-mail confirmation?
SmilingBoy.
SmilingBoy.
He didn't have a ticket and he didn't study the email confirmation.
I'm not saying Swiss Air wasn't within the rules.
I'm just saying it's poor policy from a customer service standpoint, especially in the US, where no American carrier would have charged $200.
I guarantee my brother-in-law will never fly Swiss Air again.
Is irritating a Star Alliance elite worth the $200?
I hope they think so, because they'll never get another nickel out of him.
Jul 25, 2006, 1:23 am
#4
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Originally Posted by Bikeguy
I guarantee my brother-in-law will never fly Swiss Air again.
Btw, my upcoming LH Amadeus itinerary for MUC-LAX-MUC states a minimum check-in time of 30 minutes for the outbound and 60 minutes for the inbound. So while LAX is still twice as ineffective as MUC, it's still a far cry from 90 minutes. Then again, the UA website cheerfully tells you to be at the airport at least 2 hours before departure on international itineraries, regardless of COS.
See http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,2131,00.html for the awful truth.
But in any case, the bahavior of LX is not excusable. I suspect the flight was heavily overbooked and finding a victim they could actually CHARGE to IDB instead of PAYING him just made their day. They will proudly tell the story to their grandchildren who will then start to work at another airline and happily ruin other pax travel experiences.
Jul 25, 2006, 3:48 pm
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Originally Posted by flysurfer
They will proudly tell the story to their grandchildren who will then start to work at another airline and happily ruin other pax travel experiences.
My thoughts exactly about being overbooked. The extra $200 was a bit much though. If you want to deny boarding and enforce the rules, fine.
I wouldn't have posted this thread if the $200 wasn't charged.
Jul 26, 2006, 4:50 am
#6
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Originally Posted by Bikeguy
Is this normal for Swiss Air?
Here are the contact details.
Jul 26, 2006, 3:14 pm
#7
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The published check-in time limit for all US destinations ex Zurich is 70 minutes, for all classes of service.
Looks like a case of IDB (if the passenger is able to prove that he was at the check-in counter 1:10 prior to departure, and not 1:09 or less). A refund of the $200 plus IDB compensation would be due then.
Looks like a case of IDB (if the passenger is able to prove that he was at the check-in counter 1:10 prior to departure, and not 1:09 or less). A refund of the $200 plus IDB compensation would be due then.
Jul 26, 2006, 3:25 pm
#9
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Originally Posted by rcs85551
The published check-in time limit for all US destinations ex Zurich is 70 minutes, for all classes of service.
SmilingBoy.
Jul 26, 2006, 8:43 pm
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Originally Posted by Lech
Bikeguy, this is for sure NOT standard with Swiss. I was two times denied boarding with Lufthansa because I "arrived late at the gate" but had never problems with Swiss. Seems to me a very out-of-business-policy. I would recomand you to contact customer service and ask if this is standard policy.
Here are the contact details.
Here are the contact details.
It is interesting that no one else has heard of others being charged $200 for being late.
Aug 3, 2006, 6:52 pm
#11
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Originally Posted by flysurfer
Then again, the UA website cheerfully tells you to be at the airport at least 2 hours before departure on international itineraries, regardless of COS.
See http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,2131,00.html for the awful truth.
See http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,2131,00.html for the awful truth.
To/from all other international points, customers must check in and obtain boarding passes at least 45 minutes prior to departure and must be available for boarding at the departure gate at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
Sorry to hear about this sitation, Bikeguy. Swiss International Airlines (not liquidated SwissAir) seems to have really gone downhill; I remember them as a service centered airline. Hopefully they will respond favorably to a letter.