Korean Job Discussion Forums

Typhoon · Joined: 29 May 2007 Location: Daejeon

So I am curious if anyone is in the know about how the tickets work because I am stumped. I am planning to go to Canada on May 4th come back on May 11th return to Canada on June 19th and back to Korea on July 10th. Don't ask why, long story. So I thought I could buy two round trip tickets for each separate flight (the way that would make sense). But no. Of course not. I was told that there was no availablity from June 4th-June 30th on the Toronto route. I couldn't believe it. So I called a Korean agent based in Toronto and was told that it would be no problem to book a ticket for June 19th to come to Toronto out of Inchon on Korean Air. What the hell? Why can't I buy the same date for the same flight in Korea? I don't get it. So in the end I booked a flight for May 4th with a return July 10th from a Korean agency and a flight leaving May 11th returning June 19th from the Canadian agency. This seems completely insane to me. My wife can't explain it to me nor can the Canadian or Korean travel agents. Can anyone out there help me figure this out?

aldershot · Joined: 17 Jul 2006

oh man, travel agents. travel agents. the travel agents are... they seem to be...i've been to a few in my time here... they act like...

...when booking complex travel, it seems the agents can't wrap their minds around your plans. i've had travel agents ask my wife and i, "why are you going over here, then over there, then back to here, and then back to korea? it's impossible. no tickets for you!"

reality? laziness. immense laziness.

Horangi Munshin · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Location: Busan

<sigh>

Yeah that attitude pervades many areas of business. They seem to want you to use the competition.

Taxi's ("You want me to turn around? Sorry I only go the other way")

Fast food restaurants. "You don't want coke? OK here is your coke, Have a nice day please come again!"

...

Typhoon · Joined: 29 May 2007 Location: Daejeon

I was afraid that was why I had such a hard time and had to use a Canadian agency, but I was hoping there might have been some strange Korea Air rule about selling tickets in Korea and in other countries. It is crazy that I was told that June 19th was sold out and then was able to buy a ticket for that flight from a Canadian agency. I just don't get Korea or Koreans. Maybe I never will.

NilesQ · Joined: 27 Nov 2006

I know what you mean about tickets. I go through an agent in T.O. also. I think what happens is that airlines give a certain # of seats to an agent who in turn sells them to smaller individual agencies. So the agent you talked to was probably right, for their ticket agent. If they don't have the ticket you want, or are unable to get it, you cease to exist to them. They just say no available tickets. Translated into KIND HUMANese, it is "we don't have any tickets but you may be able to find one here or there."