Bumpy Ride

Your recent story “A Cautionary Tale for Bargain Air Fare Seekers” (Travel Insider, Aug. 13) exactly described my experience planning my wife’s trip to London.

I booked LAX to London through the consolidator Cheap Tickets, then realized the reservation had to be changed. I spent hours on the phone with Cheap Tickets (on hold mostly--I thought you were a little too kind on these guys), went up to L.A. and found there was no way of changing the seats despite the suggestion that I could. So I got resourceful, called Virgin Atlantic, made a reservation in Upper Class, transferred my frequent-flier points, etc.

My lessons learned? I never want to deal with Cheap Tickets again. Life is too short to deal with all this stress. Also, I don’t like the restrictions or the excessive amount of time on hold with these guys. The final lesson learned? Next time my wife wants to go somewhere, she can plan it all herself!

PHILLIP JONES

Laguna Beach