PHILADELPHIA — There is an important alert for airline travelers.
In addition to your Real ID or passport, there is something you need to take with you to avoid problems.
Herb Weisbaum, a contributor to WPVI, an ABC Philadelphia affiliate, shared his personal experience with Consumers’ Checkbook, known as the Consumer Man, highlighting a significant issue.
Weisbaum told the WPVI Troubleshooters that he and his wife traveled to London, and their trip was terrific until it was time to come home.
He explained, “We arrived at Heathrow Airport on the morning of our flight and tried to check-in at a kiosk. The process required us to input the credit card used for the ticket purchase.”
Weisbaum said they couldn’t scan their passports or enter their confirmation number.
A Delta supervisor informed the Weisbaums that without the credit card used for buying the tickets, they couldn’t issue the tickets, meaning they would either have to stay in London or purchase new tickets.
“Or you could have somebody get into your house, get the credit card and take a picture of it and text us a picture,” he said.
A neighbor was able to help out.
“I told him how to get through the garage door and then turn the security system off,” he said.
Some airlines, mainly in Asia and the Middle East, also enforce a similar policy, requiring the presentation of the original credit card used for ticket purchases in certain cases.
There are numerous complaints similar to Weisbaum’s online, especially from parents who booked flights for their children or business travelers whose tickets were company-funded.
He expressed his frustration, stating, “It was completely crazy. My wife was really anxious, fearing we might end up stuck in London. My main issue with Delta is the lack of clear communication about this requirement.”
Delta pointed Weisbaum and the Troubleshooters to the fine print on its website:
“To safeguard against credit/debit card fraud, the purchaser may have to show us the credit/debit card along with a valid photo ID. The time varies based on the billing address of the credit/debit card or the country of travel. If the purchaser is not traveling, they can show us their credit/debit card and ID at an airport ticket counter or another ticket office location, whichever is most convenient.”
Delta also told the Troubleshooters, “Most customers in most instances will not have to show the card used to purchase their booking,” and “The time varies based on the billing address of the credit or debit card, or the country of travel.”
But it is still befuddling, since Herb says this was not a new card, and he’s lived at the same billing address since 1986.
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