My cheap flight deal to Mexico City fell apart at the airport

Booked a $220 round trip from Phoenix for a long weekend, thinking I'd nailed the ultimate hack. Got to the gate yesterday and the airline said my ticket was 'on hold' because the third-party site never processed the payment fully. The line for customer service was 50 people deep and my flight left in 45 minutes. I had to buy a new one-way ticket right there for $189, which blew half my trip budget. Has anyone else had a third-party booking completely fail like this? I'm wondering if the savings are even worth the risk anymore.

3 comments

3 Comments

sammartinez5d ago

My last third party booking disaster involved a hotel in Denver that turned out to be a condemned motel next to a highway. I saved maybe forty bucks and spent the whole night listening to trucks downshift. At this point I treat those sites like a sketchy carnival game, you might win the giant teddy bear but you're probably just going to lose your money and feel dumb. The tiny chance of a deal isn't worth the sheer panic of your plans dissolving at the gate. I've just accepted I'm not crafty enough to beat the system and book direct now.

richarddixon5d ago

Wait they just left you stranded at the gate? That's brutal. Those third party sites are a total gamble.

fionam115d ago

Ugh that's the worst feeling. But just to be clear, the airline didn't really "leave you stranded." They just can't let you on a flight that isn't paid for. The real problem is that third party site took your money but didn't finish the deal with the airline. It's a total failure on their end, not the airline's. That's why that panic happens, you're stuck fixing their mess. I'm so sorry that happened to you.