Urgent: missed flight advice needed

[ckmk47]

My daughter just missed her Swiss flight TLV-ZHR because of traffic going to the airport. (It took them 3+ hours in the taxi from Jerusalem.)
The flight was booked through United, who is telling her she must work through Swiss.  Swiss is saying no dice- buy a ticket for the next flight in the morning. 
All this is over the phone- no united or swiss agents at TLV.


Is there anything she can do?

[ilherman]

Ticket was award or revenue?

[ckmk47]

revenue

[Z56]

Call united office in israel 03-5116777

Anyways how is possible to take 3 hours to the airport ?

[David Smith]

If it was a revenue codeshare I think united should be the one handling rebooking under flat tire rule.

Anyways how is possible to take 3 hours to the airport ?

If you're moving 0 MPH the timeframe is endless. It's all a matter of what your average speed is.

[yelped]

Did you use a TA? I know my BIL had the same exact experience two months ago. TA took care of him and got him rebooked at no additional cost.

[ckmk47]

united wants to put them on a flight with a long stopover, basically travelling all day tomorrow- not the Swiss 5 am flight. "They need 24 hours to put their passengers on another airline."
For a $200 change fee.
No TA. And their flight home is from ZHR at the end of the week, so they'll need to get to ZHR or change their flight to come from TLV.
They're still talking to united.

[emak]

Try agent by the airport if they're there. Or HUCA with United.

[ckmk47]

She got seats on the 5am flight on Swiss.  $300 change fee. no additional charges.
I don't now how. One of the girls she is with used a travel agent, maybe they were able to do it for all 3 of them.
Thank you all for your tips.

[Alexsei]

She got seats on the 5am flight on Swiss.  $300 change fee. no additional charges.
I don't now how. One of the girls she is with used a travel agent, maybe they were able to do it for all 3 of them.
Thank you all for your tips.

Now post here....
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=48636.0

[yelped]

Now post here....
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=48636.0

Yup. It helps if you have a relationship with a TA. The TA can do the things for you as well that you won't get from booking direct or at an OTA.

[Solma]

Call united office in israel 03-5116777

Anyways how is possible to take 3 hours to the airport ?

Big Accident  https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1343500/video-photos-tractor-strikes-bridge-israel-falls-transporter.html

[Yammer]

Big Accident  https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1343500/video-photos-tractor-strikes-bridge-israel-falls-transporter.html

Painful

[ckmk47]

She got seats on the 5am flight on Swiss.  $300 change fee. no additional charges.
I don't now how. One of the girls she is with used a travel agent, maybe they were able to do it for all 3 of them.
Thank you all for your tips.

They hung around the airport in despair for long enough that the United counter opened for their night flight.   My daughter went to the counter and asked her to at least separate the flight home from the rest of the reservation so she wouldn't lose it. (I had told my daughter that if United replaced her 2nd flight (TLV-ZHR), she wouldn't lose the last leg (home), but in the midst of a crisis...) As the counter person looked into her reservation, my daughter asked for the 5 am Swiss flight.  She was told that with the change fee, it can be done.  (Although when the counter person realized it was X3, she almost backed out. )
Lounge passes for the rest of the night.



Thanks again everyone for your support.