OT - Airline ticketing

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote in message
...

"Al" wrote in message
...
My son in law purchased a ticket for my daughter on United Airlines
using a credit card. The purchase was made on line. When my daughter
showed up for the flight, she was refused boarding because she didn't
have the credit card in her possession. The ticket agent, in Eugene Or.,
said "We have to see the actual card, after all, it could be stolen". The
agent did say, that my son in law, a Marine, could go down to his local
United counter and show the card there, and the agent there would mark
the box in United's computer, so boarding could occur. The trouble was,
United doesn't have a counter in Al Asad, Iraq. The kid is coming home
from a tour of duty in Iraq, and the plan was for my daughter to get to
MCAS Miramar to meet him.
After some very tearful "discussion", and I believe, a direct threat
of bodily harm from my wife, the agent allowed my daughter to board.
Has anyone here ever heard of this crap before? Aren't E-Tickets
usable? What was going on here?

Al G




I've traveled using e-tickets on 3 different airlines in the last 6
months. None of which were UA. I've been asked for Photo ID but not for
the credit card.

Was the ticket purchased on the UA website or a 3rd party. I'm betting
UA's on site.
I don't know Gig.

Al G

"Al" wrote in message ...
: My son in law purchased a ticket for my daughter on United Airlines
: using a credit card. The purchase was made on line. When my daughter showed
: up for the flight, she was refused boarding because she didn't have the
: credit card in her possession. The ticket agent, in Eugene Or., said "We
: have to see the actual card, after all, it could be stolen". The agent did
: say, that my son in law, a Marine, could go down to his local United counter
: and show the card there, and the agent there would mark the box in United's
: computer, so boarding could occur. The trouble was, United doesn't have a
: counter in Al Asad, Iraq. The kid is coming home from a tour of duty in
: Iraq, and the plan was for my daughter to get to MCAS Miramar to meet him.
: After some very tearful "discussion", and I believe, a direct threat of
: bodily harm from my wife, the agent allowed my daughter to board.
: Has anyone here ever heard of this crap before? Aren't E-Tickets usable?
: What was going on here?
:
: Al G
:
:

Just another example of how the 'big' airlines just don't get it. They are in the customer service business. They need
to relearn that or they will go away...

".Blueskies." wrote in message
...
Just another example of how the 'big' airlines just don't get it. They are
in the customer service business. They need to relearn that or they will
go away...

Sadly, that's not precisely true.

I think that there is a viable niche for a true "customer service" airline,
but the vast majority of travelers *only* care about price. The main thing
that will kill the major airlines is their inability to adapt to the future
of airline travel (mainly, the limitations of the hub system they currently
use), and that only because it undermines their bottom line.

As long as the airline customer puts up with whatever inconveniences the
airlines subject them to, in the name of getting the lowest price from Point
A to Point B, lack of decent customer service will never be a big problem
for airlines, and certainly isn't going to make them disappear.

Pete

In article , "Al"
wrote:

It worked out. He is on the ground at MCAS Miramar as I speak. My
daughter was there, on time.

outstanding!

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

Al wrote:
My son in law purchased a ticket for my daughter on United Airlines
using a credit card. The purchase was made on line. When my daughter showed
up for the flight, she was refused boarding because she didn't have the
credit card in her possession. The ticket agent, in Eugene Or., said "We
have to see the actual card, after all, it could be stolen". The agent did
say, that my son in law, a Marine, could go down to his local United counter
and show the card there, and the agent there would mark the box in United's
computer, so boarding could occur. The trouble was, United doesn't have a
counter in Al Asad, Iraq. The kid is coming home from a tour of duty in
Iraq, and the plan was for my daughter to get to MCAS Miramar to meet him.
After some very tearful "discussion", and I believe, a direct threat of
bodily harm from my wife, the agent allowed my daughter to board.
Has anyone here ever heard of this crap before? Aren't E-Tickets usable?
What was going on here?

Al G

The agent was an idiot, but your daughter needs to learn that only
idiots use the ticket counters. Smart people avoid the idiotic ticket
agents and use the automatic kiosks or check in online. I've had people
buy tickets for me and obviously I don't have the credit card....all you
need is a credit card with your name on it to swipe at the kiosk. You
do NOT need the credit card that made the purchase, you only need a
credit card that has your name so it can match you with the ticket. And
yes, I've done that on United.

So in short, DON'T use the agents. If you need an agent because you are
checking bags, either a) learn to travel with a carryon or b) check in
at a kiosk that allows bag checking.

Rich Badaracco wrote:
Al wrote:

Has anyone here ever heard of this crap before? Aren't E-Tickets
usable? What was going on here?

Al G




I book tickets for my wife all the time using a credit card she doesn't
have. She has never been asked to produce the card prior to boarding.
This may be a United policy.

United does not require a passenger to produce the credit card that was
used to buy the ticket.

..Blueskies. wrote:
snip
:
:

Just another example of how the 'big' airlines just don't get it. They are in the customer service business. They need
to relearn that or they will go away...

Sorry, got to disagree with you on this one. This wasn't an airline who
didn't get it (I deal with United most every day, and they're pretty
good), it was a ticket agent who didn't get it.

I pay for employees' flights on multiple airlines using my corporate card
all the time.

Only once can I think of a time when they called me because they were
asked to show a credit card.

I think it was when I purchased it through a third party. IIRC it was a
"package" that included airfare, hotel, and car, and I think it did
actually say that the credit card would be required.

I don't think it was an E-Ticket. He had to go to the ticket counter and
that's why they needed the CC...


"Al" wrote in :

My son in law purchased a ticket for my daughter on United Airlines
using a credit card. The purchase was made on line. When my daughter
showed up for the flight, she was refused boarding because she didn't
have the credit card in her possession. The ticket agent, in Eugene Or.,
said "We have to see the actual card, after all, it could be stolen".
The agent did say, that my son in law, a Marine, could go down to his
local United counter and show the card there, and the agent there would
mark the box in United's computer, so boarding could occur. The trouble
was, United doesn't have a counter in Al Asad, Iraq. The kid is coming
home from a tour of duty in Iraq, and the plan was for my daughter to
get to MCAS Miramar to meet him.
After some very tearful "discussion", and I believe, a direct threat
of
bodily harm from my wife, the agent allowed my daughter to board.
Has anyone here ever heard of this crap before? Aren't E-Tickets
usable?
What was going on here?

Al G

"Al" wrote in message news:mmKAg.18

My son in law purchased a ticket .......

Al, I recall hearing of such policies being in place for a while after the
WTC and Pentagon attacks. I was unaware that they were still in place. I
think the basis for the policy was security, not CC fraud. Tickets
purchased remotely by a party not travelling were considered somewhat
suspect.

One factor in your daughter's case that jumped right out at me was that she
was using a remotely purchased third-party ticket, and that ticket was
purchased remotely from a mid-east country. These factors may have combined
to raise a series of red flags in the UAL computers.

In any event, I'm glad it has all worked out. God Bless, and my heartfelt
thanks and kudos to your son-in-law when you next talk to him.

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message ...
: ".Blueskies." wrote in message
: ...
: Just another example of how the 'big' airlines just don't get it. They are
: in the customer service business. They need to relearn that or they will
: go away...
:
: Sadly, that's not precisely true.
:
: I think that there is a viable niche for a true "customer service" airline,
: but the vast majority of travelers *only* care about price. The main thing
: that will kill the major airlines is their inability to adapt to the future
: of airline travel (mainly, the limitations of the hub system they currently
: use), and that only because it undermines their bottom line.
:
: As long as the airline customer puts up with whatever inconveniences the
: airlines subject them to, in the name of getting the lowest price from Point
: A to Point B, lack of decent customer service will never be a big problem
: for airlines, and certainly isn't going to make them disappear.
:
: Pete
:

If price is what the customer is looking for, then customer service requires that they get that price. Many of the
airlines are bleeding money like it is going out of style, and they are treating their front line folks very poorly. The
front line folks can't help but show their frustration. Automated kiosks are fine, but you still have to have a 'credit
card' with a correctly spelled name on it so it will match. Many folks don't have this and they have to deal with a
human. Many of the big guys think they have to do all the airplane maintenance and that sort of thing when the thing
they should be doing is turning the planes around and keeping them in the air, full capital utilization. Some of them
are still living in the regulated world where they used to be paid by the gov't simply to service a little airport. At
least these days many of them are operating with higher load factors...