[arun.mendi]

I would like to bring to your attention an issue through this email. My name is Arunish Mendiratta, and I had booked two tickets through the website Priceline for an Etihad Airways flight traveling from IAD to DEL on 5th Nov 2014, for both of my parents.
One of these tickets needed to be changed to 20 Dec 2014, but by mistake, wrong date was communicated to the travel agent, and the itinerary was changed to 20 Jan 2015 instead of 20 Dec 2014.

Initially we didnt notice it, but upon realizing that the date on itinerary was wrong, on 7th Dec we called the Etihad Airways to correct this, as my mom (who is the person travelling on this ticket), can, under no circumstances, stay till January in USA. The customer care representative told me that the airlines understands my problem that my mom can not travel that late, and were ready to wave off the second time change fee. But after looking into more details, the representative told me that the ticket had been done through an agency (priceline) and they had no authority to change this ticket. Eithiad agent said - "this ticket is locked for us and only agency can change this, so call the agency and they will be able to change this for you and will also wave the fee".

On calling Priceline.com, their agent told us that the change fee goes to airlines and they cannot wave this fee in any case. Now, I had to get the ticket changed in any case, as it was never intended in the first place to be for January, and my mom really needs to leave in December only, so I had to get the ticket changed through them, despite the fact that they charged me a second-time change-fee, and the full fare difference, despite explaining the whole situation again and again, and telling them that even the Etihad airways representative was ready to wave-off the change-fee if he could change my ticket.


I hope you understand that this situation made me feel like I am stuck in between the agent and airlines. Airlines want to wave off this fee but cannot as this is agency booking and on the other hand agency cannot wave this fee as this is charged by airlines. So my question here is, if the airline understood my problem and could wave it off, who did this second time change-fee go to?

I would like to bring your attention to the fact that, in the end, i am Etihad's customer, as i am travelling through Etihad airways flight, not through any flight operated by Priceline!! Then why cant Eithiad customer care help me in this? Once booking is done, shouldn't it be Etihad Airways who should be taking care of my itienary and other things, and not some agent? Are there any priceline agents on the airport to check-in my luggage?? Are there priceline air hostess on the flight, who will serve??

Another thing, when I changed this ticket, Etihad Airways was running a promotion for "Cyber Monday", and was giving 30% off on the bookings. When I requested for a change I was not even given this promotional rate and was charged in full. I checked on the website, and no where in the "terms and conditions", it was specified that the promotional rate is not valid for any changes to itinerary. I am a returning customer, the Airlines should have, infact, honored me this rate. Instead, the Etihad Airlines representative told me that the airlines will be charging me a second time change fee + difference based on full price of the ticket, if they were to change the itinerary for me.

Please find the attached screenshots of the "Cyber Monday" promotion and you will find that in the terms and conditions, no where it is mentioned that a changed ticket can not be treated as a new one, or that the promotion is not valid for changed tickets.

Also, I am copying both the priceline(agency) and the Etihad airlines on this email, as I believe that being the customer, I, am being bounced between the two, and being fooled, as it should be clear if the airlines can understand my problem and wont charge any change fee, then why cant the agent confirm from the airlines regarding the same, as they (agent) claim that they pay this change-fee to the airline, and don't keep for themselves!

I request for waving the second time change-fee as the Etihad customer care representative mentioned and also request to honor me the promotional rate that was going on for "Cyber-Monday".

Name of Passenger- Kamini Mendiratta
Priceline Ticket Itinerary #23611821262
Trip Locator: 3AS6GX
Record Locator: WJNKIL
Etihad Airways