Last week I booked a flight with a major airline for a trip at the end of November. While initially the complete charge of the trip showed up on my credit card account as a pending charge, when the charge was approved it showed up as only 10% of the total charge. Concerned that something was wrong I called both my credit card company and the agency I booked my flight through and both confirmed that everything was alright. Apparently they only charge 10% initially and the remainder later. When I inquired why I was charged only 10% I was assured that the rest would be charged later (completely evading my questions about why the entire sum wasn't taken at once).

Is this common?? Do airlines only charge 10% initially and the remainder later?? If so why is this done?? I've honestly never heard of it and it doesn't strike me as being true.

 

I've never heard of any airline doing this.

 

Never heard of it.

 

I've heard of this in some industries, but I can't say I recall it in air travel specifically. To be fair, I can't definitively say that I haven't either. I just happen not to recall.

 

i've also never heard of it. point for me.

 

All of my flights are full price charged when I buy the tickets.

 

Methinks someone ****ed up and is covering the company's collective ass then.

 

The Travelocity Gnome frowns on shenanigans like these.

 

Unfortunately, surfing is his life now.

 

I always get charged the full price, but I book nonrefundable.

 

Mine was also nonrefundable.

 

What airline did you book with anyway?

 

Delta

 

Did you book on Delta's web site or through a third party?

 

Through a third party (better prices).

 

Um, who was this third party anyway?

 

Flightnetwork.ca

 

Please tell me you either saved or printed out the terms and conditions for that ticket? If not then I'd suggest you go over it with a fine toothed comb ASAP. The whole thing seems very odd.

 

I'd be checking the receipt with a fine tooth comb and make sure you haven't sold your soul to Mephistopheles.

 

Having read the terms and conditions the only applicable information I can find states:

I see nothing about instalments.

Again I get the feeling that someone messed up and someone else is covering for them now.

 

Definitely a shady-looking domain. The hell is ".ca"?!

 

".ca" means that its a Canadian website.