El Paso Couple’s 50K Vacation Ruined Due to Airline Issues

This has to be a huge vacation and financial nightmare. El Paso couple Emmett and Christy Reagan were excited for their African safari vacation. The couple spent $50,000 on the trip and booked it 18 months in advance.

According to El Paso Inc., three weeks ago their vacation and their $50,000 invested in it was gone due to airline issues. The United Express plane that was supposed to take them to Houston got delayed four hours because there was no crew to fly the plane. This would make them miss their connecting flight in Houston to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. From Washington D.C., they were supposed to take a flight out to South Africa. Since the next days flights were all booked, they were going to try and leave on Tuesday, which would still get them there in time for their safari. United booked them on a early flight out of El Paso, then a connection in Denver that would get them to Dulles with plenty of time for their South African flight.

When they got to the airport Tuesday morning, their flight had been again delayed and they would not be able to get a flight to Dulles in time. If they couple was lucky, they would be about four days late for their African safari. They opted to not go on the trip, and after arguing with the airline, the Reagans were reimbursed their airfare and given a $300 credit. This amount was not even close to the $50,000 that the couple invested into their African safari trip.

Situations like the Reagans' are happening more often these days, due to flights being flown at capacity, giving less chances for flight changes to be made. El Paso International airport also sees more of these issues because airlines have reduced service here. The connector flights to larger airports are also flying at full capacity usually.

Veteran Sun Travel agent Lenore Kobren recommended to El Paso Inc. that travelers invest in travel insurance, like Travelex coverage, for expensive vacations. Through Travelex, it would have cost the couple about 4% of the total for the insurance, but they would have received all their money back in this instance.

To read more about the Reagan's travel nightmare, visit El Paso Inc. website.