Urgent help please: flight change

[Dixie Dog]

Ok guys here is the situation. My sis went on a mission trip this summer like she always doe but this time she wanted to try international. Well she got assigned to the phillipeans. She has been there for about a month and a week ago she had three seziures. It's mostly stress, no sleep, and everything else. Well she is feeling better and recovered and told mom and dad she was determined to finish her work there. The mission board calls her Friday and tells her they think it's in her and their best interest to send her home. Which I'm not upset about but she was destoyed. Now we are trying to get her home. We bought the roundtrip thru a travel agency and also bought the insurance. Now they are saying we basically have to buy a one way ticket home. Mission board won't help w the cost because they say she is a volunteer. Insurance says they won't pay bc she didn't receive med treatment. The closest town to her was 3hrs away. Does anyone have any idea what to do? What would yall do before I get to calling these people bc I'm afaid I won't be to nice. This is my baby sis. Please help with any ideas. Thank you so much.

[Bamawebfoot]

What's the deal with the mission people??? I mean after all she has given them her time as a volunteer, you would think they could get someone that could take the time to get her to where she needs to go to catch her flight. I understand them balking at spending anything to get her home maybe, but telling her it is time to come home, but not helping her get to where she needs to be to leave the country is stupid. Maybe they need to go back and read the "Golden Rule". They need to be thanking her for her willingness to volunteer and assisting her in anyway they can to get her home.

[Dixie Dog]

They have gotten her to davo city and that's where she will fly out of. My question is what is insurance for and why buy a roundtrip air fare? I'm not understanding this and bought to get pissed but I also know that won't help either.

[edub20]

They should allow you to change return flights for the return trip but may charge a change fee. Never heard of one making you buy a one way ticket unless it's a rouge airline.

[bustercat64]

First off I hope she is ok and will get home soon but my call would be to what ever mission group she went with and as soon as I got off the phone with them no matter what they said I would put in a call to the red cross. They will help out or at least help you get answers.

[fieldt76]

A threat to the travel agent to call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint may get he/she off her sorry ass and help out.

[DoublePslayer]

Has anyone talked to an airline rep personally yet. They should be able to get it changed for s fee

[landscaper]

If it's medically in her best interest to get her home I would figure out a way to buy as many one way or round trip tickets and insurance policies as I had to be sure she gets home safe and sound. Work out the wrinkles with the airline later.

[Dixie Dog]

Thanks guys for all the responses. We are in the process, and have been for 3hrs now, booking two flights for her to come on home. This has been a nightmare and hope and pray none of yall ever have to go thru this. Thanks again for all the help on short notice. Plan is to have her home by Saturday. Thanks again guys. I really appreciate the help.

[regishay]

just curious, but when was she originally scheduled to return home?

[Dixie Dog]

Originally scheduled to return home the 31 of July.

[regishay]

only 3 weeks, they should have let her finish it out, just cut her hours back by half.

[Double R 2]

International ticket change fee is $250. With near-term flight, could be increased fee to re-issue the new ticket. Talk directly to the airline. This is no big deal on the ticket change, just sounds like to many cooks in the kitchen, and the Mi$$ion and Travel Agen$y are ever-worried about their bottom line$ which is the entirety of their existence, IMHO. Call the airline directly. Best of luck regarding your sister's health.

[mfalkner]

DR2,

Not to hijack but I felt I had to address your implication that the "mi$$ion" agency was only interested in the money. Not sure what organization she is with, but I can attest that most mission sending agencies will move mountains to get people off the field when necessary. I serve on the board of one such agency which requires that all volunteers have travel insurance which covers evacuation costs.

Mike Falkner

[trawler]

Hey there, this is Anita, Linwood's wife. He just showed me the e-mail and asked for a comment. I am a travel agent and I am working with missionaries, selling such missionary tickets beside leisure travel. It's probably easiest if you call me to go over your options, but here is the basic run-down. I assume that it is possible to change the return, if the ticket rule permits it. If this is the case, the traveler or the ticketing agency can call the carrier and change the ticket or the agent does it in their reservation system. I would have to figure out what ticket it was. Next problem might be, that there are not seats in the coming days available in the booking class the ticket was issued in, to get her onto an earlier departure. However, if the agency has a relationship with the airlines (yeiks, that's a really hard thing to find these days), they can call the carrier and beg for help. Under the circumstances, I would think that someone in the Phillipines (and it's mission location) should be able to show some kind of medical report stating that it is in her best interest considering her health to get back home. Summary: Call the agency that issued the ticket and ask them if the ticket allows to be changed, mostly for a fee imposed by the carrier. If they say that ticket does not allow it, ask them for the airlines reservation locator of her ticket and call the airlines directly. Tell them what's up and beg for help. Being nice to them, even thought you might like to act different, is the best approach. Remember that everything you share with them will be recorded in the reservation profile. If you are still stuck stuck, call me at the office tomorrow and we discuss this more detailed and see if we can come up with a plan. W 601-714-1959 CST