Hi Voyage Forum members,

My wife and I took American Airlines flight no. 63 on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 9:30 AM, with a scheduled arrival in Miami at 1:30 PM local time.

After about half an hour of flight, a young passenger had a medical emergency. They were given care, and a flight attendant went to get an oxygen bottle. Then, an announcement over the loudspeakers informed passengers that the plane was diverting to London.

Once at London Heathrow (LHR), we were waiting to depart again. But a new announcement asked us to disembark because the plane wouldn’t be able to take off until the next day. (American responded to my follow-up, saying they’re required to limit their staff’s working hours to a certain number per day.)

A crowd of travelers gathered at the American Airlines counter, where they were told to follow instructions to get to a hotel. Meanwhile, I called the airline’s customer service to find a replacement flight that same day, since I couldn’t afford to leave the next day. If I had, I would’ve lost my hotel and car rental reservations due to late cancellation, which would’ve cost me a significant amount.

After discussing in English with customer service and the counter staff (who I handed my phone to), we managed to get two seats on British Airways flight BA 0209, which was leaving about 2 hours later.

That’s how, after a stressful wait unsure if we’d get our luggage back, and once we did, we hurried—heavily loaded—to reach the far-off terminal for our new boarding on foot and by train shuttle.

We finally took off for Miami and landed around 7:30 PM, which was 6 hours later than the originally scheduled arrival time of American Airlines flight 63.

On top of the stress, there were the costs of meals in the meantime, and I had to notify the hotel and car rental company about our delay.

As a result, I requested compensation for a flight delay of at least 3 hours (and I’ve involved my insurance’s legal protection to pursue this claim). American Airlines argued that exceptional circumstances prevented them from compensating me.

What do you think? Is my request unreasonable?

Hi there,

Have you ever traveled with this airline? It seems like they have a real monopoly on some destinations and are also much cheaper.

Thank youuuu.

Hi there, we’re planning a trip to Nosy Be next summer and we’ve come across Neos Air, which offers direct flights from Rome and Milan. It looks really appealing, but how reliable are they, especially in terms of punctuality—particularly for evening departures?

Hi there,

I’m heading to the United States for the first time, flying from Paris to Austin with a layover in Atlanta. I arrive at 8:55 PM and leave again at 10:30 PM. Air France told me I don’t need to collect my checked bags, but I keep reading that I *do* have to pick them up after immigration and customs—and that doing all that in 1 hour 30 minutes is basically impossible. I’m traveling with my son, and our English isn’t great. It’s making me a little anxious because the flight I need to catch is the last one of the day, and if I miss it, I’ll have to wait until the next morning.

Do you think this is doable?

Thanks so much

Which countries are flown over between Paris and Hanoi? Ch2

Hi, I know this topic has already been discussed, but in a rush, I booked a flight ticket with my married name (on my passport it’s noted as "married name X"). I’m flying with Oman Air, but since I booked through Expedia, they refuse to change it to my maiden name. Can I still travel? I’m really panicking!

Hi, I need your help because I’m stuck. I booked 6 flight tickets to Palermo on August 6th through the Lastminute site. The flight is operated by Air France, and I just realized my name is wrong. I immediately contacted Air France, who told me it’s up to Lastminute to make the change, but they say it’s Air France’s responsibility. I’m really anxious because I’m traveling with my two kids. Can you help me? Thanks

Hi, I’m planning a 20-day family trip to Japan in June 2026. I’d love to hear your thoughts on arriving in Tokyo and departing from Osaka (or vice versa)—not using the same airport for arrival and departure. I’m convinced it’s much more comfortable and avoids retracing our steps by train across Japan, but I get the feeling flight costs skyrocket.

Thanks for your input! :)

Best regards,

Joelle

hi everyone, what's the cheapest flight ticket to fly from Paris to Madagascar in July or August? thanks for your help

Hi everyone, We’re going on a Nile cruise. My question: We’re taking off from Brussels Airport to land in Cairo. Then we have to catch a second flight to Luxor. How does that work—do we pick up our luggage, do we have to exit and then re-enter the airport? Thanks for your help, tips, and advice, etc.…

Hi there, we're planning a trip to La Paz, Mexico at the end of December for a family of four. Which airline should we take? Where should we fly from? Are there any "layover countries" that are cheaper than others? Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Hi there, I’m traveling soon on Air Austral in a 777-300 ER. I’m over 1.90 m tall and always have legroom issues on planes. Do you know if there are seats with extra legroom for "long legs"? There’s probably an extra fee. Thanks for your feedback! Have a great day

Hi there, I’ve flown with all three, and they’re all great. Nowadays, for the same flight, the layover duration can vary depending on the airline. Have a great trip! Bernard

Hi, I’m torn between a few airlines for late March departing from Paris: Vietnam Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways. Which one is reliable with a comfortable flight? Air France’s schedule doesn’t work for me. Thanks for your feedback!

Hi there, We’re heading to Mexico in May, and I’d love to know if any of you have flown with this airline before and what you thought of it. Thanks for your feedback!

Can you see the Statue of Liberty when landing in New York?

Hi there. Thai Airways is offering a ticket with a flight from Paris to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Seoul, with a 2-hour layover in Bangkok. Is that doable? Normally, I won’t have any checked baggage to pick up. Thanks

Hi everyone,

You’re probably aware that Premium Economy classes are becoming more and more common among regular airlines. I wanted to get your thoughts—do you think the value for money is good? Personally, I’ve tried British Airways and Emirates Premium Economy, and I absolutely loved them! I do wish we had access to Fast Track and/or the lounge, but otherwise, I really think it’s an excellent alternative. Photos of Emirates PE

Hi, my current question: which airline to pick—the cheapest one and also the one that takes the least time from TOULOUSE? Thanks for your help

Hi,

I bought my flight ticket with my first (usual) first name, which appears first on my passport. However, I have two first names on my passport, and of course, it’s mentioned in the machine-readable zone at the bottom.

I booked with Turkish Airlines (through an online agency) for a trip to South Korea.

I wanted to know if it would be a problem that I only used my first first name on the ticket, while my passport has two. I had requested through the agency to add the second first name, but the airline refused because it doesn’t meet their general conditions. (They must have seen that the last name and first name were the same, and only the second first name was added.)

So, my ticket has my last name and first first name correctly spelled, and when I check in online, I’ll enter the passport details correctly.

I’ll have a layover in Istanbul on the flight.

Thanks in advance for your replies. Have a great day.

Hi there,

We're leaving for Albania on June 18th. When I validated the flight tickets with Wizz Air on Booking, I only put my son's first name but forgot to include his other three first names on the ticket. On the passport: SURNAME: Dupont, FIRST NAMES: toto titi tutu tata On the flight ticket: SURNAME: Dupont, FIRST NAME: toto I can't seem to reach anyone at Wizz Air to get an answer. Booking and Wizz Air's chat say I need to modify it, but ChatGPT says it should be fine. I wanted to know if he can fly like this or if I need to change his ticket? (It costs 140 €, I know I shouldn't have made a mistake🙁)

Thanks for your feedback.

Hello,

I’m really surprised because in TUI’s new tour packages, the airlines they’re using are of low quality. Before, they used to prioritize major airlines, but now it’s small airlines from small countries—companies with terrible ratings and borderline safety concerns. I even just noticed this note for a Tanzania trip: "We inform you that the domestic flight segment in Tanzania included in your trip is operated by an airline listed on the European Union’s list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the European Union. This ban only applies to European Union airspace, meaning this airline is not permitted to take off, land, or fly over European airspace. However, this airline is authorized to operate in Tanzania."

This means they’re using airlines on the blacklist!! It’s pretty worrying for safety. What do you all think?

Hi there, I have a question... Has anyone managed to get a refund from Oman Air?

After a delayed flight, we missed our connecting flight to get home!! At midnight, the flight attendant booked us on a flight to Nice via Munich, even though we were in Munich and wanted to get back to Nice... Too tired from the trip, we didn’t notice the mistake!! The next day, of course, the booking wasn’t valid!! We had to pay again for the flight back to Nice... I’m really struggling!! I think they’re giving me the runaround!! I’ve sent several emails, tried Messenger and WhatsApp, but the only responses I get are: "We need to investigate!! We’ll get back to you in 15 days!!" It’s been over a month!!

I just sent a registered letter (LRAR) to their office at Paris Charles de Gaulle, which is still open!!

Do you have any other suggestions for me?

Thanks in advance for your help! Virginie

Hi there,

This might be a silly question, but I’m traveling to Japan from CDG and returning via Osaka with EVA Air, and I have a pretty bulky aluminum knee brace. It’s this model: https://enovis-medtech.eu/fr_FR/OA-FullForce-74358.html

Has anyone had any experience with airport security checks or flying with one of these?

Thanks in advance! Best regards,

Hi there. I’m planning a trip to Chile, and the fares from the Colombian airline Avianca are really appealing. Way cheaper than Air France, for example. That said, the reviews I’ve seen online aren’t great. What do you think of this airline? Have any of you taken long-haul flights with Avianca? Thanks in advance for your replies. Eric

Hi there, I’ve got a long layover (about 10 hours) in Seoul on an upcoming trip. I arrive from Phnom Penh at 7:20 AM and depart for Montreal at 6:00 PM.

First question: Will my checked baggage be transferred automatically? I have a single ticket from KTI to YUL (Air Canada ticket—KTI-ICN operated by Asiana (codeshare) and ICN-YUL by Air Canada).

Second question: I saw it’s possible to join free guided tours (Airport Transit Tour). What do you think of this kind of service? And is my "actual" layover time (accounting for security checks, check-in, etc.) enough to do one of these tours?

Thanks in advance to everyone who chimes in on this!

So, even before starting my explanation, I’d like to introduce myself since this is my first post on the forum :) I’m Jérôme, a huge Asia enthusiast, and I’m currently in the process of moving to Japan with my family in 2028.

Now, onto the topic :)

We’re a family of four traveling together to Seoul, with two separate bookings.

Our original itinerary was: Madrid → Doha → Seoul (March 23–24)

The issue is that our entire outbound flight was canceled, and the airline simply rescheduled the Madrid → Doha leg. Now we’re left with an incomplete journey, with no solution to reach our final destination (Seoul).

Since then:

- Can’t modify flights online (technical error every time) - Can’t get help via chat or WhatsApp - Phone support is unreachable, and the usual French number isn’t working right now

We don’t want a refund. We just want to be rerouted to Seoul, as our original ticket promised.

We’re flexible:

- On dates (we can leave on March 21 or 22 instead of the 23rd) - On the itinerary (different layovers if needed)

Have any of you dealt with this before? Do you know how to unlock a booking in this case or get a rerouting? We’re considering going straight to the airport to resolve it at the Qatar Airways counter....

Thanks so much for your help! 😊

Hi, We just received an email from Volotea saying our flight time has changed (by more than 2 hours). The email states "you can request a free date change." If I change the date, will the flight price stay the same as the original price, or will I have to pay the difference? Specifically: Our flight on the 7th is 46.25 €, and the one on the 8th is 92.51 €. If we switch to the 8th, how much will we pay? When I request the date change to the 8th, it says "No additional fees." Thanks and have a great day! 🙂

Hi there, We’d like to visit Vietnam during the visa exemption period (45 days), and our flight ticket is already booked. After that, we plan to head to Cambodia via the fast boat from Chau Doc and return to Belgium from Cambodia. I don’t think we can buy the boat ticket from here. Do you think this is doable? I’m worried about potential issues at boarding in Brussels if I don’t have proof of leaving Vietnam after the 45 days. Thanks for your advice!

Hi, I made a flight reservation on Booking, but my reservation hasn't been confirmed and is still pending confirmation by the airline. It's been almost a full day now, and I haven't heard anything—I'm waiting for I don't even know what response... Will my reservation be canceled? In the meantime, I can't book another flight in case I end up paying twice... Has this ever happened to anyone? What should I do?