Andrew Spector and his family experienced a major travel debacle during their trip to Nigeria. After a lost bag mishap, they encountered a more serious issue when they arrived at the Abuja airport and discovered they didn’t have tickets for their flight home. Despite having receipts as proof of their purchase, United Airlines failed to issue tickets to its partner airline Lufthansa for their business-class seats. This forced the family to spend over $4,000 and endure a two-day delay to finally make it back home.
Rewritten:
Andrew Spector, along with his wife Onyi Iweala and their three children, were optimistic that their lost bag mishap would be the biggest hiccup during their 10-day trip to Nigeria. Little did they know that they would encounter an even bigger issue when they arrived at the Abuja airport for their return flight. Despite having a receipt, the family discovered that they didn’t have tickets confirmed for their flight home. This unexpected problem led to a frustrating ordeal that cost the family over $4,000 and resulted in a two-day delay.
A month prior to their flight, Andrew Spector noticed a missing connection on their itinerary. In mid-March, he purchased five tickets from United Airlines for $10,181. The plan was for the family to fly out of Abuja on United’s partner airline Lufthansa in August. They had upgraded their seats to business class for the long-haul flight, spending an additional $3,450. From Frankfurt, their plan was to board a United flight to Chicago, with a further upgrade to premium economy for $1,375. Finally, they would fly with United to their home in Durham, North Carolina.
On July 1, Spector received an email about a schedule change, and upon checking their Lufthansa account, he saw their confirmed reservation, including the upgraded business-class seats. A few days before their flight, Spector made a call to United, concerned about potential delays caused by a military coup in Niger. He wanted to explore the possibility of changing their flight to an earlier time. However, United informed him that they couldn’t make any changes without charging a fee. Spector decided to stick with the planned flights, assuming that if they missed their connection, United would be responsible for arranging an alternative flight.
But when the family arrived at the check-in desk in Abuja on August 11, they were informed by a Lufthansa agent that the airline hadn’t received a ticket number from United. As a result, the family couldn’t be issued tickets for their flight. Spector expressed his confusion, as they had booked the flights months in advance and possessed all the necessary documentation. The Lufthansa desk couldn’t assist, suggesting he contact United. However, United claimed they couldn’t do anything and directed him back to Lufthansa. Despite several phone calls, they hit a dead-end, and with the airport closed for the day, the family returned to Iweala’s mother’s house.
United eventually provided an alternative route for the family, rebooking them on Turkish Airlines. They departed from Abuja to Istanbul, then continued on to Munich, Germany, Washington, D.C, and finally arrived in Durham. However, due to delays caused by the military coup, they missed their connecting flight in Istanbul. After some negotiation, Turkish Airlines managed to book them on a flight to New York and then to Durham.
The Spector family endured a long and arduous journey, arriving home two days later than scheduled on August 14. In total, they spent over $10,000 on their journey home, approximately $4,000 more than originally planned. They are now seeking a full refund or at least $4,000 to cover the additional costs they incurred, including hotel stays, seat upgrades for flights they couldn’t board, and transportation expenses. They are also requesting a refund for their baggage fees. Despite submitting a refund request, they are yet to receive any money back.
Andrew Spector and Onyi Iweala expressed their frustration and bewilderment, wondering why this issue couldn’t have been prevented or resolved by either United or Lufthansa. Both airlines acknowledged the problem but claimed they were unable to find a solution within their computer systems. In the future, the couple has decided to stick with a single airline to avoid any booking issues.
This unfortunate incident is not unique, as other travelers have faced similar disruptions due to booking problems. For instance, a group of 31 students, teachers, and parents were stranded in Japan after their tickets were not found at the check-in desk. Their journey home became a 48-hour ordeal that took them around the world.
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