Sri Lankan sale - 5 days only from 16 Jan

[JohnK]

Thanks for that MEL_Traveller. Any comments about the IFE?. I read somewhere that it was pretty tragic.

I have done HKG-BKK twice and find the IFE poor. Service not much better.

Upgrade request again successful at USD100 for tomorrow's BKK-HKG flight.

 

[Isochronous]

I have done HKG-BKK twice and find the IFE poor. Service not much better.

Upgrade request again successful at USD100 for tomorrow's BKK-HKG flight.

With the upgrade auction - do you earn J SCs and points?

 

[JohnK]

A caution when dealing with UL:

Get your booking name right! Because no other airline website that I've booked on-line with asks for: Title then Last Name then First Name (in that order)! Not Air India, not Malaysia Airlines, not Qantas, not British Airways, not Cathay Pacific (and I could go on and on).

And oops, I reversed my first and last names. But I noticed it a few minutes after booking.

But there's no way UL will change the booking. And they have said I could be denied check-in (due to name mismatch). They have said they now cannot guarantee my flights. And they will not cancel and let me re-book (for the same fare) without a substantial fee.

In fact they are horrible to deal with. All just to try and correct a typing error. Qantas does it better: Same Day No Mistake | Qantas

I did the same thing a couple of months ago for booking in April BKK-HKG.

I sent UL a couple of emails to 2 different addresses. Received a reply that a note has been put on booking and will be fixed at check-in free of charge. Received second reply that it cannot be done. I have copy of first email and will try and get it sorted tomorrow.

Posted on Flyertalk and this has happened to others. It should be OK. They will issue boarding pass with correct names but even if names are the other way around they will still let you through at passport control.

 

[N860CR]

Entirely possible that passport control won't even notice. Some airlines print them First Surname, others Surname First. Immigration probably won't even pick it up

 

[JohnK]

With the upgrade auction - do you earn J SCs and points?

I earned business class miles with AA last trip.

Don't need the Qantas SCs and points. Crediting to AA again this trip. The boarding pass has class J on it again.

 

[clifford]

Service not much better.

I've flown Sri Lankan Y class a few times and have no complaints whatsoever.

My daughter (age 36) and I are travelling SIN-LHR in J class shortly and we expect the service to be OK.

Tell me, what level of service do you expect, and from whom????????????

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I've flown Sri Lankan Y class a few times and have no complaints whatsoever.

My daughter (age 36) and I are travelling SIN-LHR in J class shortly and we expect the service to be OK.

Tell me, what level of service do you expect, and from whom????????????

I concur.

I have had one flight out of a dozen on UL where service has only been so-so - and by that I mean just run-of-the-mill, nothing bad, but nothing exceptional. The rest (all of them have been in business class) have been excellent, with very good to outstanding service. On a flight last year from HKG-BKK the crew even opened the bar just 15 minutes before landing to accommodate a request by some passengers for a drink (a request I thought was fairly unreasonable and could have been denied).

 

[JohnK]

I did the same thing a couple of months ago for booking in April BKK-HKG.

I sent UL a couple of emails to 2 different addresses. Received a reply that a note has been put on booking and will be fixed at check-in free of charge. Received second reply that it cannot be done. I have copy of first email and will try and get it sorted tomorrow.

Posted on Flyertalk and this has happened to others. It should be OK. They will issue boarding pass with correct names but even if names are the other way around they will still let you through at passport control.

Enquired at BKK airport today about booking in April.

There is a note in booking about name the other way around. They will not change booking. Perfectly OK to travel with boarding pass showing names back to front. Will more than likely struggle to get credit for the flight.

 

[Austman]

I did the same thing a couple of months ago for booking in April BKK-HKG.

I sent UL a couple of emails to 2 different addresses. Received a reply that a note has been put on booking and will be fixed at check-in free of charge. Received second reply that it cannot be done. I have copy of first email and will try and get it sorted tomorrow.

Posted on Flyertalk and this has happened to others. It should be OK. They will issue boarding pass with correct names but even if names are the other way around they will still let you through at passport control.

Well UL will not actually say that (at least to me). And that's after a few phone calls and emails.

It also means that my Qantas FF number can't be registered because QF reject it each time it is tried.

I wonder if the Credit Card company identifies first and last names to the vendor when payment is made? If so, considering that UL insist that the card holder must be in the travelling party, they could have easily flagged the error when the CC card holder name did not match any of the booked passengers.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I wonder if the Credit Card company identifies first and last names to the vendor when payment is made? If so, considering that UL insist that the card holder must be in the travelling party, they could have easily flagged the error when the CC card holder name did not match any of the booked passengers.

the credit card holder could still be travelling with the party, but on a separate pnr.

It's a good question as to how much information the credit card company checks - I suspect some companies/banks may check more than others.. and especially if there is something like a mail order product.

In other circumstances, I suspect they check little more than the number and CCV... we have plenty of examples with using the 'El Sugundo' method (complete with a modified zip code) those doesn't get declined, and I suspect there must be thousands of transactions every day where people incorrectly enter information (swap letters or numbers in their name or address) and those transactions don't get declined.

 

[Austman]

the credit card holder could still be travelling with the party, but on a separate pnr.

Oh yes, that's a possibility. In my case, it was a booking for one - so the situation seemed pretty clear. The CC holder should be the passenger. But I guess I could have been buying a extra ticket for another member of my travelling party who just happens to have the same name as me (but reversed).

It's a good question as to how much information the credit card company checks - I suspect some companies/banks may check more than others.. and especially if there is something like a mail order product.

In other circumstances, I suspect they check little more than the number and CCV... we have plenty of examples with using the 'El Sugundo' method (complete with a modified zip code) those doesn't get declined, and I suspect there must be thousands of transactions every day where people incorrectly enter information (swap letters or numbers in their name or address) and those transactions don't get declined.

Yes but that's the CC company approving the purchase. I guess the CC company just gets the amount to approve from the vendor.

My point was that the airline itself, as it requires the CC holder to be a passenger, could check that the booked name matches the CC card name if the CC company supplies first and last names to them. Maybe they don't (I have no idea). I suspect they don't bother verifying the credit card name until check-in.

But the bottom line is: Why should this be so hard to correct? Typos happen. This one is pretty obvious and the passenger is not trying to take any advantage by getting it corrected.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Oh yes, that's a possibility. In my case, it was a booking for one - so the situation seemed pretty clear. The CC holder should be the passenger. But I guess I could have been buying a extra ticket for another member of my travelling party who just happens to have the same name as me (but reversed).



Yes but that's the CC company approving the purchase. I guess the CC company just gets the amount to approve from the vendor.

My point was that the airline itself, as it requires the CC holder to be a passenger, could check that the booked name matches the CC card name if the CC company supplies first and last names to them. Maybe they don't (I have no idea). I suspect they don't bother verifying the credit card name until check-in.

But the bottom line is: Why should this be so hard to correct? Typos happen. This one is pretty obvious and the passenger is not trying to take any advantage by getting it corrected.

The actual condition from the UL website is this:

1. Card holder must be among the travelling party and the card used to purchase the ticket must be produce at the check-in at airport.
2. If the card holder is not among the travelling party please click here for the procedures to follow, for a hassle free journey. SriLankan Airlines shall have the right to reject acceptance and deny boarding in the event the aforesaid procedures are not followed.

'Among the travelling party' doesn't mean the same PNR. You could be booking for your spouse or child (or anyone else) who decided to come along at the last minute. They'd have a separate PNR, and the computer isn't going to automatically check or locate that. It's also possible family members can have the same names (in which case it's usually a good idea to contact the airline so they don't think it's a duplicate booking.)

You may know you're the only passenger travelling, but the airline and computer don't (until you tell them). So you were correctly allowed to buy a ticket.

As to the broader issue - I dunno why it is so hard to change. I suspect there may be instances where passengers might try to take advantage of it.

 

[Austman]

You may know you're the only passenger travelling, but the airline and computer don't (until you tell them). So you were correctly allowed to buy a ticket.

But they (most probably) did know that the CC card holder's name was not booked on the flights at all! Anyway, if they did know they didn't bother checking. And, technically at least, it seems we do not have a contract at the moment or will not have one at check-in time.

As to the broader issue - I dunno why it is so hard to change. I suspect there may be instances where passengers might try to take advantage of it.

I suspect so too. And a way around that is to limit these typo corrections to a short time window - eg to within 24 hours of the booking.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But they (most probably) did know that the CC card holder's name was not booked on the flights at all! Anyway, if they did know they didn't bother checking. And, technically at least, it seems we do not have a contract at the moment or will not have one at check-in time.

at the time of you booking? Or when you were trying to rectify the issue?

At the time of you booking the computer wouldn't search the flight data base to see if the CC holder was on the flight.

Nor in fact do they need to - because the CC holder doesn't need to travel at all.

There is a process for on-line bookings where the credit card holder is not one of the travelling party. (Need to complete an indemnity form etc).

 

[Austman]

There is a process for on-line bookings where the credit card holder is not one of the travelling party. (Need to complete an indemnity form etc).

Yes at time of booking. And yes I see the "process" that can be done: Before You Book - Plan your trip, Visit Sri Lanka and Holiday in Sri Lanka

I suppose, in the end, wihout the indemnity form etc, the "FORMATION OF CONTRACT" conditions become invalid at check-in.

What I'm trying to say is that where the CC name does not match a passenger's name in a booking, and if the airline knows this, it could be a good time for the airline to note that VERY IMPORTANT FACT to allow for any typo corrections to be made. Or allow the booker to proceed with the booking as is knowing that they will either need to complete an indemnity form or ensure that they are a member of the travelling party.

But that's perhaps too much to ask.

 

[defurax]

I know the rules on name changes are amazingly strict, but the mistake you made of inverting first and last name is relatively common. I have a colleague who made that mistake twice on Expedia for flights from Canada to the US and he had no problem whatsoever. I think the CBP agent just mentioned to him that the names were inverted.

In your specific case though, considering how cheap the cancellation fee is I think I would cancel and rebook if "I" class is still available. This would give you peace of mind and status credits!

Just my 2 cents...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I suppose that what I'm trying to say that where the CC name does not match a passenger's name in a booking, it could be a good time for the airline to note that VERY IMPORTANT FACT to allow for any typo corrections to be made. Or allow the booker to proceed with the booking as is knowing that they will either need to complete an indemnity form or ensure that they are a member of the travelling party.

But that's perhaps too much to ask.

that's a good suggestion! How easy to implement I don't know. Seems even major airlines (like QF) have great difficulty in implementing even the simplest IT measures and protections... so UL might not be alone.

FWIW SQ has a similar policy (CC holder must be travelling, or authorisation completed at an SQ office). I did a booking for my folks but i can't recall any warning screen was given. Maybe someone with more recent experience will know.

 

[wandering_fred]

Having a TA in Colombo solves many of the problems discussed in the last exchange of comments.

Partly because she wants scans of the passenger's passports.

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[Austman]

In your specific case though, considering how cheap the cancellation fee is I think I would cancel and rebook if "I" class is still available. This would give you peace of mind and status credits!

Just my 2 cents...

I've re-booked - to get my name right. And now my QFF number resisters! I just haven't cancelled the "faulty" booking yet. And there's no need to as far as I can tell until departure. And if between now and the departure date there is a schedule change, the cancellation fee is waived. So I can't see how this situation helps UL either. They have a potential loss of sale of those J-class seats and may have to refund in full anyway. All because they wouldn't fix a name error a few minutes after a booking was made. Oh well...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I've re-booked - to get my name right. And now my QFF number resisters! I just haven't cancelled the "faulty" booking yet. And there's no need to as far as I can tell until departure. And if between now and the departure date there is a schedule change, the cancellation fee is waived. So I can't see how this situation helps UL either. They have a potential loss of sale of those J-class seats and may have to refund in full anyway. All because they wouldn't fix a name error a few minutes after a booking was made. Oh well...

if the flight is full and they need to review the flight they will cancel one of your bookings anyway. you should probably make sure they cancel the right one!