– Traveling away from family and friends for half a year was a bit painful at first. “When you bring it up, it’s really awkward,” says Mary Jorgensen.
He is studying at the University of Bergen. Next semester she is going on exchange to Australia. He booked a flight until Sunday 10 July to start the semester in Brisbane on Monday 18 July.
The only problem is that the flight starts from Oslo to Copenhagen on an SAS flight. From there, the journey continues to Doha and Brisbane with Qatar Airways.
So she and her family drive to Copenhagen. Hope to start the journey there. But it’s not safe to go.
Tickets are purchased from the booking agency
Bravofly, the company he booked the trip with, informed him that check-in in Copenhagen was not possible. SAS canceling the trip from Oslo will result in the cancellation of the entire trip. SAS will not cancel until 24 hours before departure.
NRK has learned that the same problem has arisen for many people who have booked a flight from a booking agency that has multiple airlines involved in the same journey.
– When I take off on SAS’s website, it says that the flight may be canceled due to a strike. It’s a bit frustrating that Bravofly is still keeping it open, says Jorgensen.
He had electronic communications with Bravofly and also spoke with the company on the phone. And sat in line for hours.
Bravofly did not respond to NRK’s inquiry for customer service in Norway. No further contact information can be found on websites that refer to company journals.
The Consumer Council has issued a warning
The Consumer Council confirms that if the first flight does not take off, the entire trip will be lost.
Thomas Iverson is a consumer advocate at the Consumer Council.
Photo: Consumer Council
– In such a case, you will be compensated for the first trip only, but not much hope for the rest. You may need to rebook yourself so you can catch the next flight in the plan, says Thomas Iverson, an attorney at the Consumer Council.
He believes this makes the situation more difficult when buying tickets through booking portals.
– Passengers in this situation should check if they have a regular ticket. Then the company that printed the ticket will be responsible. But many middlemen or booking portals bundle asynchronous trips together and then you are far away.
The Consumer Council recommends buying tickets directly from airlines.
– The current situation is demanding, and Iverson says the Board of Transportation Appeals could clarify in the future which rights apply in different situations.
A difficult situation
Mary Jorgensen hopes to fly in from Copenhagen.
Photo: Kristoffer Apal / NRK
– To me, this is very hopeless. Moving to an entirely new continent is a big undertaking, so it’s best to prepare before school starts.
On the way to Copenhagen, she still doesn’t know whether to board the Qatar flight or not. Only she can believe.
– After a few days I will have to order a new ticket. My parents have booked a hotel in Oslo first in case they can get us on another flight. We have also booked hotels in Copenhagen, he says.
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