Buying ticket with Expedia

[TheCruncher]

Anyone has experience with this company ?

I'm looking to book a ticket with China Airlines to Amsterdam.

On Expedia the same ticket is 1000 Baht cheaper than straight from China. Expedia says that ticket is not refundable, while my experience tells me that China tickets are all refundable with a cancellation fee of 2000 Baht.

So do I have to believe Expedia in this or is it just their standard conditions that show on the website, and will the ticket refundable.

Anything else I have to watch out for when booking with expedia ?

[yermanee]

If Expedia states that the ticket is not refundable then that's what it is : Unrefundable.

Want to take the risk for 1000 Baht ?, as the Thais say = up to you .

Yermanee

[TheCruncher]

If Expedia states that the ticket is not refundable then that's what it is : Unrefundable.

Want to take the risk for 1000 Baht ?, as the Thais say = up to you .

Yermanee

No I'm not take the risk for 1000 Baht, but I recall that a friend once bought a business class ticket with China through e-bookers, which also said it was not refundable.

When I advised him to contact China directly concerning this issue, he got his ticket refunded without questions asked.

[siam2007]

I had booked several tickets with expedia.co.th and it all worked fine, though I did not have to worry about refunds etc. the expedia country websites seem to operate independently from each other, and if u are an expedia.com.hk member, you will need to sign up again when booking via expedia.co.th, so don#+t be surprised to see different rules regarding refunds and fees.

But in general dealing with them is painless nowadays, even though it obviously has not always been like that in the past

[Nignoy]

we use expedia quite a lot,for flights hotels and sometimes even care hire,they are really very reliable until a mistake is made!! then you have a really hard time getting your money back, that happened to us once in Australia ,it took us 6 weeks to clear things up ,but it all worked out in the end, when expedia says the flights are not transferable they are definitely not transferable no matter what the airline says

[craigt3365]

Airlines tend to also have access to the better seat assignments. And if there is a delayed flight, it might be a bit easier to sort things out if you dealt with the airline directly???

[Nignoy]

A huge plus with expedia, if you have the luxury of being able to take the chance with booking 6 to 9 months in advance you can get some fantastic bargains,we booked in September last year to fly Business class From Brisbane to Munich return, they got us a fantastic deal with Turkish airlines,

[thrilled]

I always deal with the airline.Your ok with A 3rd party as long as everything goes smooth.

[WhamBam]

My last flight from BKK to LHR was done via Expedia. It said no refunds and no changes allowed.

When I phoned the airline itself I got the dates changed - for a fee. No different to previous changes with Etihad amongst others.

[alansiporin]

My opinion: never use China Airlines. I know three people who either had their flight cancelled or had their itinerary changed to something unacceptable.

My flight was cancelled (booked on CheapOair). China Airlines offered an unacceptable alternative. CheapOair managed to get me a full refund from the airline plus a refund of their commission. That was

positive and shows that refunds are possible, at least if the airline messes up.

Avoid the grief and book on another carrier.

[gk10002000]

I have booked with Expedia many times over the years. I have done it inside the USA on their USA based website so I don't know how well it works in foreign countries. I have bought tickets for China Air, EVA, and many USA carriers for my trips from the USA to Thailand. I prefer Orbitz because they give a 24 hour free cancellation. Now adays, on my international flights I almost exclusively fly EVA air and I just book directly with them because I can use my EVA miles for discounts.

[TheCruncher]

Thanks all for your replies, I have flown many times with China and never experienced problems.

The return date is changeable with China without a fee, that is also why I prefer them, and the Expedia site doesn't mention anything that I can notice regarding change of return dates.

Does that mean that I can assume that my return date is changeable ?

[searcher22]

It's always preferable to book directly with the airline, because if you don't and a problem arises, you're on your own. Last year I missed my Air Canada flight (booked thru Expedia) due to heavy traffic. I went to the Air Canada counter to make arrangements for another flight, but the airline said they couldn't do anything because it was not booked thru them directly. I had to call Expedia myself to make all the necessary changes. I was on the phone close to 30 minutes as they tried to book another flight for me. The reservation agent had a foreign accent and sometimes it was difficult to understand what she was saying. In the end it was too late to catch a same-day flight. I eventually obtained satisfaction, but having to make alternate arrangements myself over the phone in a noisy, crowded airport was very stressful.

[TheCruncher]

Thanks again all for your replies. I just booked my ticket through Expedia, as the price difference was now 2000 Baht with China directly, and was pleasantly surprised when I received the initiary from Expedia which said the following

• We understand that sometimes plans change. We do not charge a cancel or change fee. When the airline charges such fees in accordance with its own policies, the cost will be passed on to you.
• Tickets are refundable.

[mikebell]

Maybe I did something wrong? When I booked 2 tickets to UK with KLM by Expedia, my UK bank showed the transaction in $ which then had to be converted to UK pounds - probably at a poor rate.

[ldnguy]

Sometimes Expedia buy blocks of tickets, so they may indeed be unrefundable. It would be nothing to do with teh airline, as Expedia has already bought those seats. Bt I think they only do this on popular routes and airlines where they know they will sell them. If you want to be absolutely sure then buy a ticket that's refundable. Sounds like you're not sure whether you know you will use it or not. I use Expedia fairly often. But don't book a flight and hotel package together, as that really is unrefundable. Buy them separately and the hotel can be cancelled for a small fee.

[TheCruncher]

Sometimes Expedia buy blocks of tickets, so they may indeed be unrefundable. It would be nothing to do with teh airline, as Expedia has already bought those seats. Bt I think they only do this on popular routes and airlines where they know they will sell them. If you want to be absolutely sure then buy a ticket that's refundable. Sounds like you're not sure whether you know you will use it or not. I use Expedia fairly often. But don't book a flight and hotel package together, as that really is unrefundable. Buy them separately and the hotel can be cancelled for a small fee.

I think you overlooked my post.

When I looked up the ticket on Skyscanner it showed in the conditions that it was non-refundable.

After I booked and paid for the ticket I received an email with the itinerary which clearly stated that the ticket is REFUNDABLE.

[gk10002000]

It's always preferable to book directly with the airline, because if you don't and a problem arises, you're on your own. Last year I missed my Air Canada flight (booked thru Expedia) due to heavy traffic. I went to the Air Canada counter to make arrangements for another flight, but the airline said they couldn't do anything because it was not booked thru them directly. I had to call Expedia myself to make all the necessary changes. I was on the phone close to 30 minutes as they tried to book another flight for me. The reservation agent had a foreign accent and sometimes it was difficult to understand what she was saying. In the end it was too late to catch a same-day flight. I eventually obtained satisfaction, but having to make alternate arrangements myself over the phone in a noisy, crowded airport was very stressful.

Agreed. You have to go through an Expedia agent to change things and that can be an extra layer of wait time and bureaucracy you don't need. I have gotten decent deals with them, but now I do the airlines directly. Over the years with a little monitoring, I just don't see a big saving with Expedia, or others, except for economy class tickets on less than desirable times.

[TheCruncher]

It's always preferable to book directly with the airline, because if you don't and a problem arises, you're on your own. Last year I missed my Air Canada flight (booked thru Expedia) due to heavy traffic. I went to the Air Canada counter to make arrangements for another flight, but the airline said they couldn't do anything because it was not booked thru them directly. I had to call Expedia myself to make all the necessary changes. I was on the phone close to 30 minutes as they tried to book another flight for me. The reservation agent had a foreign accent and sometimes it was difficult to understand what she was saying. In the end it was too late to catch a same-day flight. I eventually obtained satisfaction, but having to make alternate arrangements myself over the phone in a noisy, crowded airport was very stressful.

Agreed. You have to go through an Expedia agent to change things and that can be an extra layer of wait time and bureaucracy you don't need. I have gotten decent deals with them, but now I do the airlines directly. Over the years with a little monitoring, I just don't see a big saving with Expedia, or others, except for economy class tickets on less than desirable times.

Did you know that with China there are even different prices dealing directly with them ?

Expedia 25015 Baht

China website 26015 Baht

China Bangkok office 27015 Baht

[gk10002000]

yes i am aware of price variations. Basically I know the general price I want and am willing to pay. I actually like China airlines. But EVA has that premier Elite class seating that for the extra money is fantastically worth it. Much bigger seats, plenty of elbow room, separate and basically no waiting in line at ticket pickup at the airports, have never had a crying baby in the section. For the one or two trips a year I make to Thailand it is the only way to travel. That seat class makes the trip enjoyable and much more comfortable than coach class. Eat, sleep, watch some movies. While I like paying $1,100 or less for the flight, $1,600 is acceptable to me and I pay less as I keep flying the same airline and earn and use my sky mile points.