Continental "Price Guarantee"

[A2thaK]

I just want to give everyone a heads up to this issue, as I was not aware of this myself.

Three weeks ago I booked a flight through continental.com for my wife and I from OKC to Cozumel. I had been watching the ticket prices for about a week while we made sure we could get the hotel and time off of work. Then, the day I go to book the tickets, the price went from about $450/per person to about $675/pp! But, since the dates are the only dates we can go, I was forced to book the tickets at $650.

Fast forward to yesterday. Still irritated at Continental, I have been watching the prices, which have stayed the same since I booked. However, yesterday the exact same flights there and back dropped to roughly $350/pp. I immediately called Continental to get their “Price Guarantee”. They did see they price had dropped, and said they would honor their price guarantee. However, there is a $50 per ticket “processing fee”. While I am happy that I saved about $500, the $100 “processing fees” have me a little disappointed, especially after reading about Orbitz not only price matching, but also giving additional vouchers out.

So, after all this ranting, is there any reason why I shouldn’t book through Orbitz from now on? If Continental is going to charge me an extra $100 to guarantee the price, and Orbitz is going to give me an extra $50, seems like an easy answer. Am I missing something?

EDIT: The difference in ticket price-the processing fee is getting mailed to me as a travel voucher. So, I still have to use Continental to redeem the money, but hey, its an excuse to go back to Cozumel.

 

[DandyDon]

I just want to give everyone a heads up to this issue, as I was not aware of this myself.

Three weeks ago I booked a flight through continental.com for my wife and I from OKC to Cozumel. I had been watching the ticket prices for about a week while we made sure we could get the hotel and time off of work. Then, the day I go to book the tickets, the price went from about $450/per person to about $675/pp! But, since the dates are the only dates we can go, I was forced to book the tickets at $650.

Well, if you were shopping on Continental.com and not another site, their system was watching you shop. At one time you could clear Continental.com cookies on your browser and check the fare again, but they have more ways to identify your computer now thru your browser, isp, extensions. Really, you are not anonymous on the net anymore.

Always check fares at Sidestep.com or other sites. I have checked Continental.com for fares, then found lower fares at Sidestep for the same exact flights, and been linked to the same itinerary on Continental.com for the lower fare. And phone in for help. The carrier agents can find fares you can't, really.

Fast forward to yesterday. Still irritated at Continental, I have been watching the prices, which have stayed the same since I booked. However, yesterday the exact same flights there and back dropped to roughly $350/pp. I immediately called Continental to get their “Price Guarantee”. They did see they price had dropped, and said they would honor their price guarantee. However, there is a $50 per ticket “processing fee”. While I am happy that I saved about $500, the $100 “processing fees” have me a little disappointed, especially after reading about Orbitz not only price matching, but also giving additional vouchers out.

So, after all this ranting, is there any reason why I shouldn’t book through Orbitz from now on? If Continental is going to charge me an extra $100 to guarantee the price, and Orbitz is going to give me an extra $50, seems like an easy answer. Am I missing something?

One problem with their Price Assurance guarantee is that someone has to book the same exact itinerary for less, thru them! The odds against anyone else booking from Lubbock or Amarillo to my destination on the same dates and times, same return, on Orbitz are tremendous.

The other part of the guarantee requires that you find and report the change, as you did with Continental.com. That has some value, and you can have Sidestep continue to track the fares with daily emails. But does that work with flights? All I see along those lines is with hotels. Some of the price assurance links on orbitz.com are not working; do you have a link to their guarantee with regard to lower fares found?

I did find this Low Fare Promise but it has a few shortcomings...

1 I see a $50 coupon promise, but not refund on the fare paid?
2 You have to fill out the claim form in "My Trips" by midnight Central Time on the day you buy your Orbitz ticket.
3 It applies only to travel wholly within the 50 United States.​

BTW, finding a lower hotel rate was easy enough for me, shopping on Sidestep, but getting Orbitz to honor that guarantee took a few emails and screen shots. See http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...s/331431-fun-orbitz-200-package-discount.html

 

[Shasta_man]

Rule #1 - Never go back and check prices again. Think "I did the best I could". It only gets you PO'ed.

 

[DandyDon]

Rule #1 - Never go back and check prices again. Think "I did the best I could". It only gets you PO'ed.

I could not disagree more! He did get money back on the 30 day rule, and even if that had expired - he could have rebooked, lost $150 each, but still saved some.

 

[A2thaK]

Well, if you were shopping on Continental.com and not another site, their system was watching you shop. At one time you could clear Continental.com cookies on your browser and check the fare again, but they have more ways to identify your computer now thru your browser, isp, extensions. Really, you are not anonymous on the net anymore.

Luckily, I had read your articles on this issue beforehand, and had checked prices on my work and home computer, both with the same price. I bought through continental.com because it was the same price on the date of purchase as orbitz or anywhere else.

One problem with their Price Assurance guarantee is that someone has to book the same exact itinerary for less, thru them! The odds against anyone else booking from Lubbock or Amarillo to my destination on the same dates and times, same return, on Orbitz are tremendous.

Thanks for clarifying this. I thought it just had to be a published fare. I had read your $200 orbitz package thread on how you got the rebate for your hotel, and had misunderstood that it would apply to flights as well.
So, I guess continental.com was the best way to go. I just hate to loose $100 to "processing fees". At least they gave me a travel voucher for the remaining difference. Continental will price guarantee any published fare up to 30 days after purchase, as per my phone conversation with a customer rep yesterday, minus the $50/ticket fee.

 

[A2thaK]

Rule #1 - Never go back and check prices again. Think "I did the best I could". It only gets you PO'ed.

Umm, Even though I was charged $50 per ticket for processing, Continental mailed me a travel voucher for about $450. So, no it did not only get me PO'd.

 

[DandyDon]

ok well, always check the fair on Sidestep or other. Glad you won some this time.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Better 450 in your pocket

 

[DandyDon]

Wait! I think I missed something that may have worked for you. I've never purchased a plane ticket from Orbitz, never seen a point, but I am always learning - and I'm sure I've paid much too much at times in the past.

When I did book an Orbitz Vacation package of air and hotel both, the air cost was charged to my card payable to Continental, balance to Orbitz to cover the hotel. So if you had booked air only thru Orbitz, and if your card was charged payable to Continental, you'd still have the 30 day price guarantee direct with the airline - I guess. Additionally...

You'd have that same day to find a cheaper fare and claim the $50 coupon, altho not much chance of that.

And you'd still have the Orbitz deal if someone else booked a ticket identical to yours for less, I guess. If you paid Continental direct, I don't know how they'd do that - but maybe?​

I still don't see much point in buying air only with Orbitz, but I am trying to explore options here.

I wonder if we can get a straight answer from a phone agent?

 

[vladimir]

Well, if you were shopping on Continental.com and not another site, their system was watching you shop. At one time you could clear Continental.com cookies on your browser and check the fare again, but they have more ways to identify your computer now thru your browser, isp, extensions. Really, you are not anonymous on the net anymore.

I think Don has nailed it. Although I have no proof, I have seen my price jump when I returned to a website to book a flight. Now I check flights on Travelocity, then go to the individual airline's website (where fares are often cheaper) when I'm ready to book. It is unfortunate that the airlines resort to what I consider a sleazy practice; their constantly fluctuating prices generate enough ill-will.