You should NEVER book a flight with Volaris Airlines. Here’s why.
Why you should never book a flight with Volaris
First let me say that I am a premium flyer. Then, you may ask, why should I book a budget airline? Well, here’s the catch. First of all, it was recommended by the bride as a cheap and easy way to get to Mexico. Secondly, it was the only airline to offer a direct flight and the flight times were cheaper than any other airline. However, if I had known then what I know now, I would much rather have a long layover with a reputable airline than deal with this unprofessional and fraudulent company.
My only tip for you if you decide to fly with a budget airline is to pay for the cancellation option. I mean, I obviously had no idea what was going to happen. However, knowing it wasn’t a major airline, I should have really thought through the options.
What I was charged for booking a flight with Volaris
My original flight was to Guadalajara and honestly booking with Volaris didn’t save me a dime. In fact, I paid MORE than I would have with Delta, my preferred airline. But here too I found it “worth it” because of the route and flight times. On my original booking, I paid a base fare ($154.06), which included one checked bag ($44), plus other fare benefits and VAT. The total amount was $342.23. I also prepaid the TUA (Airport Use Tax) of $73.37. That makes a total of $415.60.
A week before my flight, I decided to upgrade to a Premium Plus seat to board earlier and also allow myself to bring a carry-on bag – as I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fit everything into the 33-pound limit. This fee totaled $102.60. So now I’m looking at a total of $518.02.
The week of the wedding, a cartel boss was killed in Mexico’s Jalisco region, sparking unrest. This caused concern among everyone traveling to the wedding, and eventually the bride and groom canceled the wedding. I spent two days contacting the airline. Although I would prefer a flight credit, the only option the airline offered me was to change my flight at no additional cost. When I finally managed to get their outdated website working properly, I was able to change the dates and location of my original flight to book a new trip for later in the year.
Why Volaris is fraudulent
But here’s the deal. The original flight invoice and payment has been deleted from the system. Although my credit card has not been charged again, the new flight bill shows a completely different amount and does not include the amount I originally paid. In fact, the invoice includes a flight change fee and my TUA payment was removed. Therefore the new bill is $500.92. You may remember that my credit card was charged $518.02. Also, the new invoice doesn’t show that I paid the TUA fee in advance. Therefore, I have to pay a new TUA fee of $65.41 to check in for the flight.
As if the money wasn’t enough, I’ve been communicating with the airline for five days now (through X, by the way, because you can’t call or send an email). FIVE DAYS! They keep saying that I didn’t pay the TUA fee originally because they were such an unprofessional company that they DELETED my original invoice and replaced it with the new one. However, as mentioned, the bill is for an amount that doesn’t even match the amount that was charged to my credit card.
That, my friends, is cheating. For this reason, you should NEVER book a flight with Volaris Airlines.
Featured Photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.
