Skip to main content

Visa Notification, and pleasant airline ticket story

Image
By

March 25 late afternoon we both received an e-mail from the Portuguese consulate informing us that our visa application was approved and authorized.  Tomorrow morning I will take the train in to the city and hand-deliver our passports to the VFS office!  Typically it takes 4 working days to put the visa sticker in the passport.  We have learned to not count on the timing -- don't hold your breath.  After all, we applied for the visa last December 4th, and other later applicants already got their visas!  And I had purchased a cheaper round-trip ticket, expecting to return to Porto on the 24th of March.  

When the visa notification still had not arrived by last Friday, I worried about changing the ticket: what date would I change it to?  We cannot be sure when the notification will arrive, and when we will get our passports back.  Fortunately, they can suspend the itinerary for successive five-day periods.  What a relief!  Now we truly will not schedule our flight back until we have the passports + visa sticker in hand.

Details: I purchased our roundtrip ticket on KLM, with a change-fee.  When I called FlyingBlue customer service they surprised me by offering to cancel the return schedule and hold the ticket open for 5 calendar days.  After that time they will simply cancel the ticket.  However, if I call before the 5-day period I can re-schedule the flight and then pay whatever extra fees the computer shows (I presume the change-fee plus the current charge for that flight over my credit for the ticket).  Further, if I call before the 5-day period, I can simply ask them to reset the 5-day clock again, multiple times until I am ready to schedule the flight.  Final deadline is 1 year after ticket purchase.  

However, I did not ask about fees for seat-assignment and checked-baggage, some of which I already paid separately from the original ticket purchase.  Will they re-instate those as well?  

I assume other airlines would have similar policies -- at least the major airlines. But, as always, Your Mileage May Vary. Any similar stories?




 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My COVID journey, finally

By
11oct22 story of Covid: I flew to Des Moines for a mini-reunion of Thomas cousins; flew back on Monday the 3rd.  I did not wear a mask.  Evidently I should have worn a mask, as I later came down with Covid.  The infection could come from anywhere, typically airborne virus shed by someone in the communicable phase of the disease.   Throughout my airport and flight experience was quite calm and uneventful, so my guess is the most likely vector for the virus was the deplaning time – people are really eager to get out,  they are talking, pressing close together, straining to grab bags from the overhead compartment and coordinate with their partners, thus breathing heavily.  Very few people wore a mask.  I do not remember anyone coughing or sniffling or breathing heavily around me, but that deplaning process is always rather hectic.  I did not press to go quickly, but I did not want to delay my windowside seatmate, so I joined the crowd.  As it was, when I arrived at baggage claim, my suit
Post a Comment
Read more

Montpellier

By
  [23mar22] Another walking day: to the A rc de Triomphe , passing through quaint quiet attractive old neighborhoods, particularly the P lace de Marché des Fleurs.  Arc de Triomphe is spectacular, next to an equally impressive Palais de Justice , and the Promenade de Peyrou that has a great view of the surrounding hills and the aqueduct built by Peyrou to supply the city's fountains.  The Jardin des Plantes – oldest botanical garden in Europe – opens at noon, so we walk around to the Cathedral St.Etienne, with its obscure side entrance, but huge interior space, really huge and rather stark, in keeping with its 13 th century origin – though of course several later kings and bishops added chapels, stained-glass, and organ.  While there, the organ started up, providing appropriate sonic accompaniment to the surroundings (ref. My video).   We return to the garden to await its opening, chatting with some Chicago tourists (go Bears!).  The garden is very nice place for sauntering, and
Post a Comment
Read more

Riding the Bus often

By
From 201010 Saudi scenes It is ironic that this land of cheap gasoline has so much group transport -- buses. From 201010 Saudi scenes Our housing compound has a Toyota-Coaster bus that takes some to/from school (we usually go earlier and return later, on a similar bus that the school provides). Driver Yahya takes residents on the 90-minute trip down to the Big City shopping every Thursday morning. The above picture shows our group one Thursday, usually going to Ikea or the new Lulu's Hypermarket , or the Dhahran Mall. Coleman rides a different bus every day to and from school -- usually 100 minutes there, 80 minutes back.  His bus is evidently an old tourist bus, usually comfortable but a bit dusty.  The air-conditioning usually works too well.  I've ridden it with him several times, to attend business meetings at the district office. From 201010 Saudi scenes There he is, at 5:45am every morning, at the start of the bus run. Fortunately only about 20 students
2 comments
Read more