On December 30, 2025, I purchased a Kuwait Airways ticket through Trip.com for a round-trip flight between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) and Kuwait, with departure on May 21, 2026, and return on June 5, 2026.
After purchasing the ticket, there were minor schedule changes to the flights, which I accepted and adjusted my travel plans accordingly. However, today — only one day before my flight — my ticket was completely canceled, allegedly due to the war situation in the Middle East.
For this trip, I had already purchased bus tickets for airport transportation, booked and paid for my hotel accommodation, and finalized all related travel arrangements. Despite this, neither Trip.com nor the airline agreed to compensate any of the expenses I incurred because of the cancellation.
Because Trip.com is a United Kingdom–based company, I have struggled to find a real point of contact. Every time I call customer service, I am redirected to virtual assistants and receive the same repetitive automated responses instead of meaningful support.
I repeatedly reported my customer grievance to both Trip.com and the airline company. Later, I was contacted by a woman calling from the number +44 20 4628 33 82, who informed me that they could not find an alternative airline within the last seven days at the same price or without additional cost.
Instead, I was told that if I paid an additional approximately $340, I could fly with another airline on similar dates. Otherwise, they would simply cancel the booking without penalty and refund the approximately $540 I originally paid.
However, I purchased this ticket approximately four months ago specifically because the price was affordable at that time. If the booking is canceled today, it is impossible for me to travel to the same destination under similar conditions and dates at anywhere near the same price because airfare prices have increased dramatically in the meantime.
My request was never for a unilateral cancellation of my ticket. I specifically requested transportation through an alternative airline within the same date range, or at least reasonably close dates, without being forced to pay additional fees.
Despite this, I am now being asked to pay approximately $340 extra while also receiving no compensation for the hotel and transportation expenses I already paid because of this trip.
Because of this experience, I cannot recommend purchasing tickets through Trip.com, especially since it is extremely difficult to reach a real representative and the company does not behave in a genuinely solution-oriented manner.
I expect my customer grievance to be resolved fairly, my transportation to be arranged under similar conditions without demanding additional payment, and a reasonable solution to be offered regarding the extra travel expenses I incurred throughout this process.
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