The Saga Continues: My Canceled Reservation Was Not Canceled After All, As I Learned at Check-In

A few weeks ago, I wrote about missing an international flight because of a positioning flight’s delay.

I Missed the First Leg of My Flight to Morocco

I booked a cheap fare from New York City (JFK) to Porto, Portugal, on to Casablanca, Morocco, and back to JFK all on one ticket operated by Royal Air Maroc. I missed the first leg of the itinerary because my positioning flight from Salt Lake City to New York City was delayed. To meet my friend in Porto, I booked a last-minute one-way cash flight on TAP Air Portugal, which cost me a pretty penny.

After speaking to at least three different RAM agents, I learned that the rest of my itinerary had ben canceled and I had to recreate my remaining flights if I wanted to go to Morocco and return home. It nearly killed me to spend any more money, but I booked another cash flight from Porto to Casablanca on RAM and transferred some Membership Rewards points from American Express to Iberia for a return flight to JFK.

The Tale of Two Reservations

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the Porto Airport three days later to check in for my flight to Casablanca and a RAM agent asked me why I had two reservations under my name!

I explained that I had missed my flight originating in NYC and that I’d been told by three people that the rest of my ticket was no longer valid. Well, it was valid all right! Not only did I fly to Casablanca, I was able to return to New York City on the same ticket! The problem was, I had two new flights to deal with at that point.

What Happened to My New Flights

Luckily, I was able to cancel my Iberia ticket that I had booked with Iberia Plus Avios. It cost me 25 euros, which is not the end of the world, and all my Avios had been re-deposited back to Iberia. Unfortunately, the transferred miles cannot be transferred back to Amex, but they don’t expire for at least 36 months, and I hope to find a great use for them in the future.

What about my duplicate Royal Air Maroc reservation? I’m glad you asked. At the check-in desk in Porto, one of the agents called the RAM office in Lisbon and was told I simply had to call back and would receive a full refund for my second flight. However, after calling RAM myself, I was told I’d have to pay a penalty of 100 euros to receive a refund, which would leave me with 10 euros in my pocket. Also, since I technically could not hold duplicate reservations on the same flight, the other should have been canceled on the spot.

I’m not impressed with RAM and its employees’ gross incompetence, to be honest. First, the boarding pass I obtained online was not valid in the TSA line at JFK. Second, I received contradicting information from RAM agents about my ticket. And third, they can’t agree on the amount of my refund, either. I opened a case via RAM’s client services two weeks ago and have received no response so far. Naturally, I hope to receive a full refund as I’d been told, especially because I didn’t have to book a second ticket in the first place.

What I Think Happened to My Original Reservation

So why did the rest of my original ticket work? I’m not 100 percent sure, but I do have a theory. Before missing my Royal Air Maroc flight at JFK, I had checked in online and printed a boarding pass. I think that because I checked in with RAM and was supposed to be on board, the rest of my itinerary could not be canceled automatically, but I’m speculating. Nobody could give me much information, and the little information that was given was incorrect. Who knows anymore, but I’m glad it was not a total loss. Hopefully, I can get my money back for the duplicate ticket.

 

Have you been able to reinstate your flights after missing the first leg? If so, under what circumstances?