So you thought you had a plane ticket, did ya

A Lesson in Norse

 

Briefly, before we try to save the vacation of our lives – which Norwegian (Air Shuttle, their full formal name) royally fucked up today:

 

California Dreaming…

We booked flights on Norwegian (from Berlin, Germany) to LAX via Oslo in January – using Expedia – for today, July 21, 2015.

Our plan was to travel on to Alaska via Seattle (w/o Norwegian), before trekking down the West Coast for a month.

 

…turns into a Nightmare

As usual, we received the travel documents via email quickly, tucked them away, and pulled them out again yesterday.

We got out of the house nice and early this morning, and reached the airport with hours to spare (punctuality can happen when you become a family man…).

But when we stepped up to check in, we weren’t on the passenger list.

No amount of scrutiny and double-checking changed the fact that our names were nowhere to be found. The staff at the counter was not from Norwegian, but locally hired hands. Who were not helpful.

So our only option – as advised by the gruff ground staff – was to call the Norwegian hotline. In Norway. On our cellphone. Who were not helpful, informing us that Norwegian had sensed credit card fraud, and canceled our (via Expedia) booking.

So we called the Expedia hotline. Who were not helpful.

No-one gave an inch in several long (long, LONG!) phone calls with both Expedia and Norwegian, leaving us completely stranded.

In other words, we showed up at the airport with precisely the same documents, and after having had exactly the same communications with Norwegian (and Expedia), as any other passenger (yes, this could have been you, Mr. or Ms. Online Shopper…), yet no-one anywhere felt an inkling of responsibility to help us get on the flights we had bought. Or at least closer to our destination.

Lots of well-trained faux-heartfelt “Sorrys!”, though.

 

So what really happened?

Well, before subpoenaing the records in question, it will all remain pretty mysterious.

What we’ve been able to piece together over the last idle hours waiting for a flesh-and-blood travel agent to save us (yay meatspace!), is that Norwegian called our bank for the confirmation of our credit card, which we’ve used regularly before and after.

Answering Norwegian’s inquiry, our bank confirmed that our credit card was legit, funds were available, plus whatever other information one might want to exchange about a brimmingly healthy account.

Yet for reasons only known to Norwegian, they still canceled our bookings, presumably months ago.

And did not tell us!

No call (they had our number...), no email (…and our email address, of course), no other attempt to reach us.

No message to us, or the credit card company (to our knowledge), or our bank (confirmed via phone), or Expedia (as per call-center staff), whom we used to book these flights.

So ironically, everyone kept up the flurry of marketing emails with Exciting Things To Do! in Oslo! and Los Angeles!

Including actual (well, virtual) flight and travel plans from Expedia (e.g. “Your upcoming travel: Los Angeles”, “Your upcoming travel: Oslo” [translated from German: “Ihre nächste Reise: Oslo” etc.]).

 

Fight or Flight?

I just heard we’ve found other flights, for a few thousand extra.

Oh well, we’ll still have fun.

And return with a well-rested, nicely rounded grudge, itching to be exercised.

 

Top Travel Tip: Be very careful when dealing with Norwegian and Expedia

So our word to the wise – if you can’t avoid Norwegian altogether, be sure to triple check all communications with them.

That they send you a “Travel Receipt” doesn’t mean that they’ve accepted your payment.

That they send you a “Travel Document” doesn’t mean that they’ll actually give you a seat on a plane.

To a lesser extent, this also applies to Expedia – that they send you official-ish online documentation of a supposedly upcoming journey does not mean a thing when it counts.

 

TBC