Airlines

hi, I forgot the first of my partner’s 2 last names on the Ryanair booking (for example, his name is Durand Dupond but I only put Dupond). Do you think I need to change the reservation? It costs 110 €, so I’d rather avoid it—we’re traveling in Europe and leaving in 2 days. Thanks so much!

Hi everyone, I’m planning to go to Vietnam in 2026. Direct flights are super expensive, so I’m thinking of making a stopover to visit a city along the way. I’m considering Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong, but I’m open to other ideas. The goal is obviously also to get a better price than the direct flight from Paris (Brussels, etc.) to Hanoi. Anyone have a great tip? Thanks everyone

Hi everyone,

I booked a flight to Bali in December through an online travel agency. I received my reservation number but not the e-ticket, so I wanted to check everything on the airline’s website (Qatar Airways).

On the airline’s site, for each of my flights, I see the status "confirmed" and an e-ticket number. However, I can’t generate the ticket. Should I be able to generate it, or are the e-ticket numbers enough?

Also, when I check the passenger information, the "title" field is grayed out and can’t be completed, even though it’s marked as mandatory. Is this a problem? Can I wait until check-in at the airport? Should I contact the agency or Qatar Airways?

Thanks in advance for your help! !

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, I often see people here claiming that if a flight is canceled due to weather, the passenger isn’t entitled to any compensation. However, the airline is only exempt from compensating the passenger if—and **only if**—they offer re-routing “as soon as possible.” Here’s what happened: A single booking with Swiss International Air Lines (a Lufthansa subsidiary) for Paris - Zurich operated by Swiss, then Zurich - Puerto Plata operated by Edelweiss Air (another subsidiary). After arriving in Zurich, the airport was closed for a few hours due to weather, and all flights were canceled. So far, nothing unusual. But Swiss International Airlines really outdid themselves:

Meals and hotel (plus transport to and from): “Figure it out yourselves, but we’ll reimburse you.” No re-routing offered at the time of cancellation (which is **mandatory** at the **same time**), nor in the following days, even though possible re-routing options existed. Worse: After 2 days with no information from the airline, the passenger showed up at the airport to demand immediate re-routing (3 hours later) on a flight operated by the same airline that had canceled the original flight, even though the final destination was 6 hours by road from the originally planned airport (Punta Cana instead of Puerto Plata). The airline refused because there was only space left in business class—and thus, the passenger had to pay!!! It’s completely absurd!!! The passenger declined, so the airline refused the re-routing! No other re-routing options were offered. The next day, the passenger returned, and this time, they were offered—**for the following day**—the exact same re-routing that had been refused the day before (Zurich - Punta Cana)! The passenger accepted. Arrival at a destination 6 hours by road from the final airport. Complete silence from the airline about the transfer. The passenger had to figure it out alone! In the end, arrival at the final destination with a 5-day delay. When the passenger claimed reimbursement for their expenses (nearly 600 €) the day after arrival, it took a month and a half to get the money back.

Swiss didn’t even bother responding to the registered letter requesting compensation. The passenger only received two replies from the parent company (Lufthansa), responding on behalf of its subsidiary, stating that the request should be addressed to its other subsidiary.

The passenger turned to the justice conciliator (a mandatory step before taking the case to court). The airline went silent and didn’t respond to the conciliator, who then issued a report of failure to cooperate. The passenger took the case to the local court in Aulnay-sous-Bois and sent Swiss their “submissions.” The airline remained silent until less than 48 hours before the hearing. Then, over the phone, the airline’s lawyer verbally agreed to pay the 600 € owed but proposed a reduced settlement for the rest. The passenger refused. Then, 24 hours before the hearing, the passenger received Swiss’s “submissions,” confirming the previous day’s verbal proposals.

Finally, the hearing took place, and the judgment was received: 600 € in compensation, as provided by Articles 5 and 7 of EU Regulation 261/2004 + 500 € under Article 12 of the same regulation (additional compensation, given how badly Swiss handled things) + 200 € for legal costs (registered letters, preparing the particularly large case file). All the details of this case (correspondence, justice conciliator, passenger’s submissions, the airline’s submissions, the arguments presented in court, and the judgment) are available here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/ In summary: -Just because a flight is canceled due to weather doesn’t mean the airline is automatically exempt from compensating the passenger. -In such cases, immediately look for possible re-routing options yourself (same airline or not), stop just before payment, and take screenshots. -Don’t always blindly believe what the airline tells you. -Don’t give up: the process is simple and free. But you must follow the templates provided on my website https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com without deviating from them. Best regards,

Hi everyone. Sorry if my post might make some of you laugh, but here’s the thing—I’m emetophobic, which means I’m terrified of vomiting or seeing someone vomit. So, I’m *extremely* afraid of flying and the possibility of someone getting sick on the plane. I’m taking a flight in a few days from Lyon to Palma de Mallorca. I know it’s a short flight, but I’m still terrified that someone might get sick. I was wondering if there are any professionals or frequent travelers who could honestly share their thoughts or experiences with this. Thanks in advance for your kindness and support.

Good evening, On June 19th, I’m flying with Air France to Morocco (Rabat). I have a carry-on suitcase that’s 53x36x24, and on the Air France website, they list the dimensions as 55x35x25. On the forum, I read that the sum of the three dimensions shouldn’t exceed 115 cm, so I should be fine since mine adds up to 113 cm—but the Air France site doesn’t mention this at all. Do you think I’ll run into problems because the width is 1 cm over? Thanks for your replies! Have a good evening

It's really simple and without any reservation—I wouldn’t recommend Kenya Airways. I travel about three times a year and have been doing so for 23 years, and I’ve never said that about an airline before. Sure, they serve food all the time, but it’s not even good. The planes themselves are fine. As for the rest, here are the issues: Just to be clear, everything that happened to me also happened to everyone I spoke with on various Kenya Airways flights. 1. Booked 12 flights with decent schedules. In the end, nearly all of them were changed, resulting in sleepless nights, arrivals in the middle of the night, or arrivals 24 hours later than originally planned. 2. Luggage arrived 24 hours late. 3. Flights canceled and delayed mid-trip. So, hours spent in transit zones. They’re very nice and try to fix the problems, but you end up wasting so much time struggling. For example, getting to the hotel they provide can be a huge hassle, and it often isn’t even valid in the end. You might even risk missing your flight.

Hi there! 🙂 We’d like to find a covered parking lot (other than the Q-Park ones with prohibitive rates at the airport). While browsing the web, we came across Parking 42 in Ransart, 850 m from the terminal. Have any of you used it before? If so, please share your feedback.

Thanks everyone! 😏

Rapp

I’ll be arriving at Brussels Charleroi Airport at 3:40 PM with a carry-on bag on Ryanair. The Flibco shuttle to Lille leaves at 4:00 PM right outside the airport—will 20 minutes be enough? The next shuttle isn’t until 5:00 PM. Thanks for your help! Paule

The couple involved refused to pay the extra fee demanded by the flight coordination company. Things quickly escalated. It got so bad that the man ended up physically fighting with an airport agent, even rolling on the ground.

https://www.nicematin.com/faits-divers/il-refuse-de-payer-un-supplement-bagages-le-litige-se-termine-en-bagarre-a-l-aeroport-de-nice-999711

If you can’t afford to pay for your luggage, don’t travel 😡. What’s next? Are they gonna hit the tour guide in Mykonos because the price of the tour went up without warning 🤪?

A heads-up to all EasyJet travelers: baggage checks are more strict than ever!

Hey everyone, We bought a ticket a month ago on Trip. It was supposed to be a flight leaving at 2:30 AM to arrive in Kuwait at 4:30 AM to catch a connecting flight with the same airline (Kuwait Airways) at 8:30 AM the same day, arriving in Paris at 12:45 PM. But Trip just informed us that KA "modified" the first flight to depart at 1:20 PM, which means we’ll miss the second leg of the journey. No alternative offered for that portion. After checking, the only solution is to take the flight the next day—so more than 17 hours of layover. We have to go back to work the next day, even though we’d planned a rest day. Trip’s only options are to cancel or accept the change!!! We asked them to propose an alternative flight, but their response was to contact the airline. We did, and their answer? Wait a bit longer for the final schedule!!! From my research, this counts as a cancellation or at least a delay of over 3 hours, so the airline is obligated to find us an alternative flight and compensate us. Has anyone had this experience with this airline or another? Any advice? Thanks in advance

Hi,

I received an email from the airline saying my return flight was canceled and rescheduled to another flight.

Nothing about the connection in France...

I checked my passenger file, everything is the same as when I first booked.

I asked for an explanation by email.

They replied that my original flight was canceled and that I should sort it out with Air France since I bought the ticket through their site.

I called Air France. Finally got through to someone. The agent checked my file and told me there were no changes and therefore couldn’t reschedule my flight.

I checked my file again: the flight is the same as on the day I bought it.

They suggested I change it by paying!!!

I forwarded Air Mauritius’s emails to Air France. Waiting to see what happens next...

Have you ever had this kind of problem? What’s going on with Air Mauritius? Have they become a third-rate airline that’s absolutely not recommendable?

Thanks for your thoughts and any attempts at explaining this...

(The Air Mauritius flight is no longer for sale on Google Flights. The replacement flight isn’t either... Yet it still appears on the Air Mauritius site as the replacement flight.)

Hi there,

I need to get to Mulhouse Airport. I’m flying with EASYJET for the first time. On my ticket, it says check-in on the Swiss side, but I’m heading to Bordeaux. I’ve never been to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport before.

Could you tell me exactly where I need to check in—French side or Swiss side?

Thanks for your help!

Netty971

Good evening everyone, I wanted to change my ticket with Lufthansa. There was no information about the price of the change on the confirmation.

On the LUFTHANSA website, it finally states that the change costs nothing except the price difference between the two tickets.

However, when I call, the advisors want to charge us 130 € in fees per person. I spoke to a supervisor on the phone who refused to listen.

I would have obviously paid if the fees had been indicated. However, the fare conditions on the website for my booking clearly state that the fees are zero.

I don’t know what to do now. What do you advise in this situation? I’m really facing total bad faith from Lufthansa.

Thanks in advance. Have a great evening everyone!

Hi, I bought a flight ticket to Colombia with Lufthansa, but I’m giving up on this trip because of the pandemic in South America. The airline is only offering to refund the airport taxes. Is this normal? Has anyone else run into this issue? Thanks for your replies! Anne-Elise

Hi, Lufthansa is really pushing it:

Cancellation of two flights with no rebooking options offered, even though rebooking is possible on the same dates with comparable travel times. Yet Lufthansa claims no rebooking is possible;

To get a refund for a flight canceled by the airline (well after the Covid crisis), you have to take legal action! A refund request was properly submitted, but Lufthansa hasn’t responded.

Lufthansa’s lawyer admitted in court that the refund request is valid and that the airline is willing to refund. But over a year later, the refund still hasn’t been issued! Clearly, Lufthansa prefers to wait for a court ruling, which is a sure thing given their own lawyer’s statement;

After a phone call initiated by the passenger, rebooking was agreed upon by both parties—only for Lufthansa to cancel it immediately without offering any alternative rebooking.

In a follow-up call initiated by the passenger, Lufthansa proposed a rebooking with a travel time of 31 hours instead of 21, even though faster rebooking options with comparable travel times exist.

The proposed 31-hour rebooking includes a nighttime layover of over 12 hours with no hotel or transportation coverage;

For the first rebooking that both parties agreed on (but Lufthansa immediately canceled), they refused to cover ground transportation from the arrival airport to the originally planned airport;

Refusal of other "prompt" rebooking options, even though they were available and proposed by the passenger;

Ongoing legal case: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/10/23/lufthansa-championne-du-refus-des-droits-des-passagers/ 2 Best regards,

Hi,

We have a flight to Bastia with EasyJet in August that was originally scheduled to arrive at 4 PM. They just changed the time, and now we’ll arrive at 8:50 PM, which works a lot less well for us. Does this nearly 5-hour schedule change allow us to request a cancellation and refund for our booking? I know it’s possible with a "traditional" airline, but what about a low-cost carrier? And if so, can we get a refund for the entire booking or just the outbound flight affected by the schedule change?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

Hi there,

I’m starting this thread to ask for your advice on a tricky situation I recently ran into. Maybe you’ve been through something similar?

After booking my tickets for this summer, I realized I never received an email, payment confirmation, or reservation number (well, the number did appear on the page after payment, but I didn’t write it down, assuming I’d get it in the confirmation email that usually arrives right after). Even though I was charged, I have no other proof of purchase since I don’t have anything to back it up...

At the time, I wasn’t too worried—email delays had happened to me before. Worst case, I’d get it an hour later.

Except after a full day, I still hadn’t received anything, and the reservation still doesn’t show up in my personal account on the airline’s website.

What should I do?

I contacted support via message: still no reply (and they guarantee a response within two hours). I called them, but no one picked up (and on top of that, I was charged 7.5 € for 15 minutes on hold). Now I’m starting to lose my patience...

Has this ever happened to you?

Thanks in advance,

Hi there, I need to book a flight from Saigon to Roissy with a layover in Hong Kong. The layover is only 1h10, so I’m wondering what happens if there’s a delay (it’s a very short connection) and I can’t catch the next flight—what are the extra costs involved? I can’t find the info on their website. Could anyone shed some light on this? Thanks in advance

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, After our first trip ten years ago, we’d love to return to Cuba in February 2026 to explore the eastern part this time. With only about twelve days, we’re ruling out traveling hundreds of kilometers from Havana, but finding a flight to Santiago de Cuba or Holguín from Paris is proving to be a real challenge. If anyone has any tips, advice, or opinions, I’d be so grateful! Thanks in advance, Joséphine.

Hello, As a senior woman, I’m planning a 3-week solo trip (late April or early May) to explore the country by public transport, visiting the main cities (Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand), the Ferghana Valley, and if possible, the Aral Sea. I’m reaching out to the community to see if there are flights arriving in Urgench and returning from Tashkent—or the other way around? Thanks in advance to anyone with insights! 😉

Hi,

Icelandic airline Fly Play has ceased all operations with immediate effect. 400 employees were laid off this morning, all flights have of course been canceled, and thousands of passengers are left without solutions. It operated flights to several European countries and the USA, including France from Paris Charles de Gaulle :(

Hi everyone, I’ve got a problem… I don’t even know if it’s a small one or a big one. Back in May, I booked our flight tickets to go to New Zealand, and I just realized I misspelled my husband’s first name: Giiles instead of Gilles… I booked through Lufthansa, and on the outbound trip, there’s a Shanghai-Auckland flight operated by Air New Zealand, and on the return, an Auckland-Hong Kong flight operated by Cathay Pacific. The rest is with Lufthansa. We’re leaving from Nantes in February-March 2026. Have any of you run into this kind of issue, and if so, how did it go? It’s really freaking me out. Lufthansa added a note in our file about the ‘i’ instead of ‘l’ mistake, and they told us it’s not a problem for them, but what about Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific…??? Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific say they can’t do anything because the ticket was booked through Lufthansa. And Lufthansa added a note to our file, but will that be enough, or are we going to get turned away in Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Auckland?? After another call to Lufthansa, they’re implying that a correction isn’t possible and the solution is to buy a new flight ticket for 2800 €. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m lost and don’t know what to do.

Hi there,

I just made a reservation for a Bangkok/Chiang Mai flight: - I searched via Kayak.fr. - Once I chose my flight time, I was redirected to the site https://kiwi.kayak.com/ (Kiwi.com). - I completed all the steps up to payment. - After paying, I received my authentication code on my phone and validated it. - And since then, nothing. No confirmation email, nothing on my Kayak, Kiwi, or AirAsia accounts. Has anyone else found themselves in this situation?

Also, which site would you recommend for booking a Bangkok/Chiang Mai flight and a Chiang Mai/Phuket flight?

Thanks for your help. Fred

I booked a ticket to Spain with my married name instead of my maiden name.

On my ID, my maiden name (×××××××) is listed. Do I need to change my name? Thanks

Hi there,

I booked a flight from Paris to Bangkok, with a 1h35 layover in Kuwait. On the site where I reserved my flight (trip.com), it says:

"A visa on arrival is required for transit in Kuwait" ...

That already seems surprising to me, but when I checked the site https://kuwait-evisa.org/kuwait-transit-visa/, I read:

If you are remaining within the international transit zone of the airport and your layover is short, you may not need a visa. Confirm this with your airline or Kuwaiti embassy.

So I contacted trip.com for confirmation, and they redirected me to the Kuwaiti embassy, which hasn’t responded yet.

Has anyone taken this flight before and can confirm that no transit visa is needed?

Thanks.

Hi there, I just booked a round-trip flight from Brussels to Da Nang on eDreams, with a layover in Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. Does anyone know the check-in procedure for these flights? 1) For flight CX294 BXL-HKG, I’ll need to check in on the Cathay Pacific website, 2) For the next flight CX5552 HKG-DAD, what should I do? I only have a 2h25 layover. Will I need to collect my luggage, go through immigration, and then recheck in at the airport counter, etc.? I’m pretty worried about this layover—I thought check-in could be done on the airline’s website and that my luggage would be transferred automatically during the layover, like with most other airlines... Thanks so much for any help from those who’ve been in this situation!