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Couple's Vacation Nightmare Serves As Lesson For Airline Travelers

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) — A California Couple booked a Hawaiian trip online, but one leg of the trip was removed from the itinerary and no one told them. Unfortunately, they didn't know about it until they were already in Hawaii.

Karyn and John Hoffman said the night before they were to come home, she called to confirm the flights. She said that's when she learned someone canceled their seats on Mokulele Airlines from Kona to Maui where they would catch their plane home.

"It was awful, awful, awful," said Karyn. Afraid they'd miss their connecting flight from Maui home, Karyn rebooked the flight for another $204. But she says neither Expedia nor the airline would refund her.

Click here to watch Cynthia Demos' report. 

"Just really upset that no one will say they made a mistake," said Karyn.

Travel agent Trudy Flores believes this clearly wasn't the passenger's fault. She said, "It's rare, but sometimes computer glitches cause segments of trips to be canceled and don't expect someone to tell you about it. No one is going to advise you because they didn't even realize that ever happened," Trudy added.

She says the travelers shouldn't have to pay for that mistake. Once we got involved, Expedia admitted a booking agent incorrectly canceled the flight and offered to cover the $204.

"At least we got off the island," said Karyn. She also said she doesn't plan to use third party travel sites like Expedia again. "I'm going straight to the airline," said Karyn.

Flores recommends you should always confirm your flights a day ahead of time, which is exactly what Karyn did. It would've been an even bigger mess if they didn't realize this until they arrived at the airport.

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