Run, Don’t Walk from the Tauck Air Department
This was my first time using Tauck’s air department and it was a huge and costly mistake. I have always either scheduled my own or had my travel air or had my travel agent do it. This time I booked directly through Tauck. My initial flight was cancelled (ten minutes before departure) and I called Tauck only to be placed on long holds, disconnected twice and treated disrespectfully. I was able to finally find an airline agent who understood the importance of rebooking me quickly so I wouldn’t miss the international flight, however I was seated in economy and paid almost $10K for business. I had no choice or I would miss the international flight. Tauck’s initial booking was ridiculous according to the airline. Now, I have to deal with applying for a refund (for the difference between economy and business) through the airline. I thought this was bad enough, but another mishap occurred. After a 14 hour long haul flight, I was denied access to the airline lounge. I have always used the lounges upon return to the USA on long haul trips. I was rudely informed because I was on partner airline (another story) I could not enter. I specifically told the Tauck agent when booking the ticket, I wanted access to the lounges before and after the trip. Of course, I had a six hour wait because of poor flight arrangements by Tauck. I called them and they could have cared less—of course this was the case, because they had their money! I was fortunate to be able to purchase a day pass and will be reimbursed by my credit card, but just another hassle! I doubt I’d ever travel with Tauck again and certainly would NEVER book air and would always have a travel agent make all the arrangements. It was foolish of me not to use a travel agent because Tauck doesn’t offer any incentives for direct booking!
Comments
Travelhj sorry for your experience. We normally book airfare ourselves but asked Tauck what options they had for our Lisbon-Douro-Madrid trip last July. Tauck’s air department quoted the same flights we were looking at with American Airlines at a significant cost savings. We were able to use the lounges and Tauck did not request payment until the final payment was due. We are using them again for our Amsterdam to Milan trip next July. Much better pricing than we found.
How unfortunate that happened to you, especially at the beginning of a tour. We have encountered the issue of a connecting flight on a partner airline keeping us out of the airline lounge. This was on a flight booked through our regular agent, not by Tauck, so this may be a common experience and not Tauck's fault. It is maddening the way airlines cancel flights so often, and so close to departure.
Good Luck! I didn't book with them to save money. I'd rather pay more and receive service and what I request.
travelhj, do you work for Viking, Uniworld, etc., etc.?? Your comments are a complete 'troll' job.
Tauck doesn't have anything to do with whether some airline employee denies you lounge access. Friends of ours were denied access at LAX with employees falsely claiming their business class seats on our incoming and outgoings flights wasn't enough without the right Amex card. My husband and I did get into the terminal thru their dedicated BC entrance (baggage check and TSA line) with direct lounge access. All on exactly the same tickets booked by Tauck. My friends did get Delta to.admit the error and promised them free lounge passes.
Yes, Tauck air does need to be quickly available when emergencies happen.
I do not work for any travel agency or company, not that it's any of your business. I'm a highly educated, well-traveled individual with high standards and obviously not a Tauck-junkie like everyone on this forum. I find your comment insulting! So, I hope you can take what you dish out. You appear to be uneducated because of the way you wrote your comment. Do you only expect to see positive items promoting Tauck? Don't bother responding, because I won't be wasting my time responding.
Okay. You are quite humorous...
Travelhj, iif you are as well traveled as you say, I can’t believe you have never encountered being denied access to a lounge with a partner airline ticket. You have just been lucky.
The same with your experiences with the Tauck booking. Didn’t you have the well educated sense to do some research first.
Clearly I like Tauck but have been disappointed at times with air choices they have suggested when I know there are better options because we researched it first. Sometimes we book ourselves, sometimes we use Tauck.
For help, when things have gone awry, we have found when we book with America Express Travel, they truly are available 24/7. I’m still unclear how one gets in touch with a US travel agent from a country that is on a different time zone when it might be the middle of the night in the US.
People often post with frustration when there’s really nobody to blame. To me this was a rant posted by someone who was angry because things went sideways. That’s travel folks, as most of us know. Certainly there are times when your travel is disrupted and there is a definite cause. And there is someone or some organization to blame. But sometimes flights are canceled, lines are long, etc. If you want to travel and have absolutely no problems, I don’t know where you can go in this world.
Airline lounge access rules are as complicated as the airfare rules themselves. Always consult the airline's website you intend to use. Every airline is different, especially when it comes to flying on "partner" airlines, whether or not the ticket is a codeshare, elite status tier either with the airline or within the alliance, class of service, etc. Even the airlines' own agents struggle with the rules let alone a 3rd party travel agency. You have to do your homework.
It is also my understanding that 4 hours prior to scheduled departure the airline takes over control of the ticket from the agency who booked it and so any last minute issues should be able to be handled directly by the carrier you are flying on and not necessarily the agency who booked it. Refunds and credits are another issue altogether and could be a thread for another time.
FWIW, I never use any travel agent, live or online, and make my own bookings directly with the airlines after doing my own research. YMMV.
It never fails to amaze me what people will say behind the safety of a computer screen. Kindness matters whether or not you are face to face or screen to screen. Happy travels, everyone!
I always book the air myself, better $$ and the connections I want. . You do have to research, do your homework... at the end, you will get what you pay for.
We do that same as Mil. Long ago, we used a cruise company's air department to travel to a cruise. That was the last time I put our transportation in the hands of anyone but us.
On long haul flights, my feeling is that you need to be in total control of how you get there, and how you get back. As we travel more, we find we are much more particular about which airlines we would travel on, connection times, lounge access, etc.
When things go sideways on a travel itinerary, having the ability to make changes, sometimes while sitting on an aircraft, rather than wait to connect to a tour operator/travel agent can literally save your trip.
One of my rules while traveling is...never depend on anyone to sort things out for you. Do it yourself, and do it fast. Worry about refunds later.
I’ve flown AirNZ by choice and found it to be a very nice airline. I love how they incorporate the Māori culture into their business operations. The herring bone seating isn’t idyll, but I knew that at booking. One quick viewing of a you tube video on biz class seating on every airline can be found with the click of a mouse.( Emirates which is considered top airline also has non idyllic seating in Biz on their 777 aircraft) but service on both these airlines made up for seating issues. Heck, I spent most of my flight sleeping, so not really an issue.
As for airport/airline lounge crowding issues, this is an issue across all airlines or credit card lounges. And it has been discussed ad nauseam in every business and travel news source. I would think someone who was “highly educated, well travelled with high standards” (euphemism for S.n.o.b.) would be totally aware of this issue.
Travel, especially globally, is an experience. It’s not always going to be perfect. But a not so idyllic airplane seat? Meh, ends when the flight ends. A bad meal? There’s always tomorrow. The worst however is the travel whiner on your journey, the one that thinks everyone and everything owes them fealty. That can ruin the entire journey and always wish those folks would just stay home.
Well said, SandyFeet. It's not what is said but how it is said. In my opinion there is absolutely no excuse for a lack of civility.
Not to take any sides, I have found the best airfares on my own. In the past I did book through Tauck, only to find better seats, and pricing afterwards. However, the Air department was easy to work with. I was able to cancel my original booking and moved on. I found that taking control of my air travel, I had quicker access to my flight information, and if I did encounter an issue, the airline responded to me, rather than sending me off to deal with a third party. Bottom line, for me, is to check with Tauck first, but always due diligence is a must.
Remember a benefit of using Tauck Air, is book now pay later, and you can always make changes. That’s a pretty big deal considering all the restrictions airlines place on customers.
Sorry to read about your issue.
Many flights now booked through Tauck have to be paid when Tauck books them. So the advantage of Tauck booking the flights is less attractive.