Q. We bought tickets last April to travel from Moncton to Vietnam via New York on United. The trip being in October, we bought early in order to get good prices.

Last week, we were advised by Expedia that United no longer offers flights between Moncton to New York.

United offered to reimburse the whole trip. It left us no choice but to cancel everything and book all over again, costing us $463 more. So much for the benefit of booking early, not to mention the stress that caused us since we have to catch up with a tour in Vietnam that is all paid for.

Under the circumstances, shouldn't United offer to do more to correct the situation?

A. This is one of the most un-regulated and annoying aspects of air travel these days. If you were to change your travel plans, United would charge you $200 or more. But United can change YOUR travel plans and cost you $463. Airlines should be required to put you on another airline at the same price you paid when they abandon a route or change a schedule so drastically that the flight no longer works for you.

And unfortunately, there’s no travel insurance plan that would cover this, either.

Above image via Shutterstock