Booking flights!

This week I had to book flights for google to go to Canada with her sister Mary in September. To get the best deal I went to a flight search engine and then looked up the cheapest and went direct to their websites. See, if you actually book through one of these search sites you are paying them commision usually.

For example, the cheapest I found Air Canada flights were £880. But when I went to Air Canada's site it was £840. So use the flight search sites to find who is the cheapest then book direct! Just a tip there, nothing to do with the story!

Anyway she wanted to fly with Air Canada or BA and as Air Canada were cheaper we tried to book it. So I went to their website and got the prices but because my mum has had a couple of illnesses and may need oxygen on standby on the flight I couldn't book online so rang them instead. Big mistake!

After being passed around five differnt people, where I had to explain everything each time, we got the oxygen sorted. An extra £150, even if she didn't use it. So then I hand the phone over to my mum and she tries to pay. Firstly they want to charge an extra £20 because we are booking by phone and not online. So I go back on the phone and point out that it says quite clearly on their website that if you cannot complete your booking online for any reason then you wont get charged the extra.

"But that means if there is a technical problem" she tells me.

"Well I don't know about you but I consider there not even being a box to tick to add the charge for oxygen a pretty big technical problem" I told her.

And eventually the charge was dropped.

"Your Joking!" is the next thing I hear my mum say.

Over half an hour we had been on the phone to these idiots and when she went to pay they don't take Maestro! This is Nat Wests only debit card, held by around nine million people and they don't take it!

So off we went to British Airways. Who were brilliant! It was all sorted withen ten minutes including arranging a wheel chair each end for my mum. It was £50 dearer but she got her insurance cheaper through them and the flight times were better as well.

The only thing I didn't like with BA was that next to how much luggage can you take it said whatever you like but remember that you are never going to see it again!