Have you ever heard of an airline that, if you miss a connecting flight because your transoceanic…read moreflight was 2.5h late, makes you buy a second, new ticket? Here's one: Meridiana Flight. If you need to go to Olbia from Rome Fiumicino, Meridiana is your one and only option. Sadly, having the monopoly and facing zero competition translates in a series of disservices. In fact, the disservice starts as soon as you book your flight through their web site: at the end of the booking process, you will get an error message and won't receive your ticket. You will have to call Meridiana, where you will be told that the booking appears in their system. Only then the operator will be able to issue your ticket and reservation number by email. If, after having received the first error message, you try to book your flight again via their web site, you will end up with multiple tickets. Unfortunately this is a bug in their system that exists since Meridiana first launched their web site. In non-fly-pass economy class the cost of the ticket does not include luggage, which costs 10 euros for the first luggage, and 55 euros for the second one. At least three times my luggage did not reach Olbia. The luggage will be on another flight from FCO that same day, but if you happen to be traveling during the weekend, Meridiana will not deliver your luggage: you will have either to wait until Monday, or to go back to the airport to collect the luggage yourself. If you fly Meridiana, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you buy travel insurance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Avete mai sentito di una compagnia aerea che, se perdete il volo a causa di un ritardo di 2.5 ore del volo transoceanico su cui vi trovate, vi fa comprare un secondo, nuovo biglietto? Eccone una: Meridiana. Se avete bisogno di raggiungere Olbia da Roma Fiumicino, Meridiana e' la vostra unica opzione. Purtroppo avere il monopolio della tratta e nessuna competizione si traduce in una serie di disservizi da parte di Meridiana. I disservizi, infatti, iniziano al momento della prenotazione attraverso il sito web Meridiana: alla fine del procedimento riceverete un messaggio di errore e non vi verra' mandato alcun biglietto. Dovrete chiamare Meridiana al telefono, dove vi verra' detto che la prenotazione e' presente nel loro sistema. Solo allora l'operatore sara' in grado di mandarvi biglietto e numero di prenotazione per email. Se, dopo aver ricevuto il messaggio di errore, provate a rifare la prenotazione attraverso il sito web Meridiana, vi ritroverete con piu' biglietti. Nella classe economica non fly-pass il prezzo del biglietto non copre il trasporto del bagaglio, che vi costera' 10 euro per il primo bagaglio, e 55 per il secondo. Almeno 3 volte il mio bagaglio non e' giunto a destinazione a Olbia. Il bagaglio verra' imbarcato su uno dei prossimi voli da FCO il giorno stesso, ma se vi trovate a viaggiare durante il finesettimana, Meridiana non consegna il bagaglio: o aspettate fino a Lunedi', oppure vi tocca tornare in aeroporto e ritirare il bagaglio coi vostri mezzi. Se viaggiate con Meridiana, vi suggerisco caldamente di acquistare un'assicurazione di viaggio.

Flight no. IG901 from Malpensa to JFK on September 18th, 2019…read more I politely suggested to a flight attendant that it would have been useful to explain to the passengers why the plane had been circling the tarmac for more than 30 minutes after landing without reaching the gate. The lady reacted to my comment in an extremely improper way, assaulting ASSAULTING verbally, SLAMMING the overhead compartment and saying that I "should be quiet and GO TO"...I hesitate to tell you where. As an American citizen, I am not used to being treated like this by flight attendants, especially after the airplane had circled around the airport for so long without the passengers being informed about what was happening. The lady not only reacted in this shameful way but when I asked her to show me her name tag, SHE COVERED IT, saying that was no reason for me to see it. This is contrary to the company's regulations since the name tag should always be visible. Things became even more surreal when the attendant called the captain, who approached me with a prosecutorial attitude instead of trying to understand the point of view of a passenger, a client and above all a polite person like myself. The captain started off from the assumption that the client was wrong just because the client had permitted himself to point out the bad manners of the flight attendant. The client should have received his apologies for having been treated so badly but instead I WAS ATTACKED a second time, to the point that the captain even permitted himself to threaten to call the police if I uttered another word. Unheard of. A clear case of abuse of power. The event shook me considerably, I got off the plane feeling very nauseous, I was speechless. I consider it unheard of that a passenger can be treated in this manner. The client is not an adversary to take one's frustrations out on. The client should be listened to and understood so that eventually he finds himself in the position of remembering his flight experience as a positive one. Not a traumatic one. After having been treated this way, I truly have no intention of getting onto the return flight that I have already purchased with air italy. I WROTE SEVERAL LETTERS TO THE AIRLINE. NO RESPONSE. I'm attaching an image of the flight attendant in question who did not comply with the regulations of the airline by continuing to keep her name tag covered.

No sheet on bed (but they tried to convince us it's not customary to sleep with the sheet in Italy)…read morein a $250 per night hotel. We've been traveling Italy for one month from the bottom to the top and every single hotel even the cheap ones I cheats both of them. The food the service and the restaurant is terrible overpriced and they do not treat hotel guess any more special than they do people coming in off the street. They have no ATM on site and they refused to give petty cash to their high-paying clients so you have to walk in the heat to try to find an ATM. (Not nearby). The air-conditioner works less then in hotels we paid 60 a night for. Terrible. The rooms are large and the furnishings are decent somebody cares about this hotel but they are not staying there to understand the actual experience. Worst hotel in 30 days of travel and second most expensive. Service is everything.

At every turn, they tried to extort money from me. In the end, everything cost me twice as much as…read morethe initial online booking price. To make matters worse, the car insurance they forced me to buy--from both Discovercars.com and the local rental company--ended up costing me more than the car rental itself.

I'm surprised they didn't offer me 7 donkeys. I might have actually accepted. We should have…read morerealized the company was cursed as soon as the car they prepared for us broke down in the first 5 minutes with what we thought was a flat battery. Admittedly, they were nice and offered us a 9-seater to replace our 7-seater (for our group of 7). While the extra room would be nice, extra room is not something the streets, roads, and villages of Sardinia have much of, and I did not relish having to squeeze a "bus" through mouseholes and turn it into a chess grater, so I declined their offer, and we headed off with what we thought was a charged battery. We had a long drive ahead of us, so hopefully, the issue would be fixed. It wasn't. Over the following 2 days, it broke down twice more, and both times friendly tourists (not locals, who ignored us) came to our rescue. On the second breakdown, I phoned them again, and again they offered me the 9-seater, which I had already declined and unless we teleported to a new country obviously wouldn't work. They then offered me two cars, which I also explained wasn't actually a solution since I was the only driver, but apparently, they thought this was a good offer. Finally, they came up with a good idea: they would come to me and replace the battery. So, after playing tag with their repair man for an hour and then sitting in the sun, they informed me that, alas, they could not replace the battery at all, and would I like the 9-seater or the two cars. Getting quite frustrated now with the disruption to the holiday, the many hours wasted, and the apparent inability to understand why both wouldn't work, I said we would just have to carry on and do our best and hope the car wouldn't break down again. This is where I'm surprised, they didn't offer me 7 donkeys instead. Would have been an ok solution maybe. A Bit slow, but maybe more reliable. Luckily the car didn't break down, and we made it to the airport and we dropped the car off. After all this, I tried to have a discussion with the company about an adequate refund for providing us with a car that wasn't actually up to the job of consistently transporting people around without incident. Surely some sort of refund would be appropriate and hugely appreciated. Apparently not. They believe there is no reason for a refund at all. In fact, they responded: "Good morning Sir, First of all, we've checked the car and everything is fine. About the problem that you had yesterday, instead, we spoke with our superior and a refund won't be possible because we offered you, from the first time (so since you were in our parking), to change the car. We proposed you a van or 2 cars and, in the end, we also asked our assistant to reach you to change the battery. So, as far as it was in our possibility, we have tried to do our best to ensure you the best solution, but it was your choice to keep the car." I give them a 2 instead of a 1, purely because they managed to do this all without being rude, so there is that.

We have been here during the last week and were pretty satisfied. The reception staff especially…read moreRoberta and Anton (or similar) have been verry friendly and helpful during the hole stay (and have been always there?!?!). The outside pool was not finished yet, but the construction is looking great, so that future guests will have a nice time there. The indoor Pool is managed by a different Company and so you have to pay it (18€/2h) it is a hole spa then inkl. all you can imagine and on a rainy day it might be worth the money, but in our case it was no option. Due to heavy rain the week before the Garage was flooded and we could not use it, but there are several parking options in the closer area to park the car. In our case we found a space every day directly in front of the Hotel (2min. walking). In 10 minutes you are walked from the Hotel to the City-Center, so you are not Downtown, but extremely close. Silence&Centered in once! In about 30-45 min. you are at the beautiful beaches in Costa Smeralda or San Teodoro where you can spend the day, after refreshing in the Hotel you go in the City to have a good Dinner and nice evening. Verry good located!! On the last day the Housekeeping has putted a Teddybear and a Nightshirt into laundry by mistake, Anton took care about it and called as soon the bear&the shirt was ready to be picked up. Cause it was our last day he even offered free shipping to Germany if found after leaving the island! Thanks for that! All in all it was a great stay and we are truly thinking about coming back.

From the owner: The Mercure Olbia is a 4-star hotel with Spa located in the heart of Olbia, just 400 meters from…read morethe historic center. The strategic location makes the hotel an ideal starting point from which to discover the Costa Smeralda. With more than 2.000 square meters of Spa & Fitness the Mercure is a refreshing oasis of relaxation, where you can take refuge all year. The modern design and the warm hospitality of the Sardinian earth come together at Mercure Olbia, offering its guests inviting and well-appointed rooms, attentive and discreet services, a wide range of activities dedicated to fitness and relaxation, and large rooms dedicated to the celebration of special moments.

I'm a big fan of this airport: small, clean, and easy to navigate, it has enough food options and…read moreshops to keep you busy if you have some time to kill, without being overwhelmed with options. Among the highlights are a bookstore and newsstand that is actually loaded with books, shops selling authentic Sardinian food and wine[1], and clothing shops selling brands who use the Sardinian flag of the Four Moors [2] as logo, which make for nice gifts. On the second floor, right by the police station, there is a seating area which is very quiet, with rarely a few people. The not-so-great thing about this airport is that public transportation is very limited: You have one bus that will take you to the main touristic destinations on the island[3], and taxis. And that's it. I strongly suggest to arrange for your transportation ahead of your flight. I was also very impressed with the COVID testing facility on-site. I had to take a COVID test before flying back to the US, and booking it on-line was very easy, with 3 options from rapid antigen test (result in 30 minutes) to two molecular tests (result in 6 hours or 24 hours). The Health Testing Center is near Terminal 1, and is super-clean. When I got there the day before my flight there were barely any people: I got tested at 10:21am, and at 10:23am I received the result by email. I wish it was this easy to get a test in the US... ------------------- [1] Sardinian wines are highly underrated. Vermentino is a very enjoyable white wine, and Cannonau and Nepente di Oliena two red wines I like a lot. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Sardinia [3] https://www.geasar.it/en/how-to-get-here/by-bus

9 evening flights and the only bar is shut as is one of the two food courts . Had to queue for 17…read moreminutes to get served. The one operating the till gets an order for a toasted sandwich and stands watching it cook while the other two wander back and forth waiting for the next drink order. Not enough seating even this late in the day and season, 2nd October . Why do airport operators hate people who want to fly? I can remember when I enjoyed flying and it was a part of the holiday experience now it is a torture to be endured

BEFORE YOU TRUST AVIS WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION, READ THIS…read more How does a global rental-car company lose track of its own rental agreement -- and then take nearly THREE MONTHS to provide it to the customer who signed it? That is exactly what we are experiencing with Avis. My husband has been an Avis customer for several years, and we previously had good experiences with the company. In June, we rented a car from Avis in Sardinia, Italy. We later needed our rental agreement to file an insurance claim. What should have been a simple request has become a three-month ordeal. We have: Called Avis U.S. multiple times Emailed repeatedly Contacted Avis Italy Requested one simple thing: a copy of our rental agreement We have repeatedly been told that someone would contact the appropriate department or get back to us. But three months later, we still have NOTHING. No document. No meaningful response. No resolution. And this raises a bigger concern: If Avis cannot locate a basic legal document it generated for its own customer, how can customers feel confident that their personal and financial information is being properly managed, maintained, and protected? To be clear, we are not claiming our information has been compromised. We have no evidence of that. But Avis's inability to locate a basic customer record after months of requests raises legitimate concerns about its internal record-keeping, communication, and data management. We aren't asking for a refund. We aren't asking for compensation. WE JUST WANT THE DOCUMENT AVIS CREATED. AVIS -- WHERE IS OUR RENTAL AGREEMENT? Three months is completely unacceptable for such a basic request. My husband has been a loyal Avis customer for years. After this experience, we are seriously questioning the level of customer service and accountability customers can expect when they need help. Avis, please take ownership, locate our rental agreement, and provide it to us. And if you've had a similar experience with Avis, tell us about it below. #Avis #AvisRentACar #AvisCustomerService #AvisItaly #Sardinia #CarRental #CustomerService #CustomerExperience #ConsumerRights #TravelProblems

A dishonest company with awful communication on top of that!…read moreStay away and do not risk it. We hired a car for a week and had nothing but problems. They stole extra money out of our account halfway through our holiday and then refused to discuss it when we were finally able to get in touch with the right location. We were told "head office will investigate" and upon returning home, and chasing up multiple times, were just blown off. Please do not waste your time or money with this rip off company.