NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Jeffrey Howenstine and Lance Finnicum of North Canton have traveled the world, but their latest attempted European cruise quickly turned into a nightmare when Lance tried to bring his oxygen equipment on an international flight.
The married couple told News 5 they have done four cruises with Viking Cruise Line and have been extremely pleased with each trip, but said in July they were turned away when they tried to board a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Romania because they were never told they needed a doctor's note to bring portable oxygen on board the flight.
“You know I love Viking a lot. We started our first cruise with them in France and did a second one, and this would have been our fifth cruise," Howenstine said. “ But when we tried to get on the plane, they told us that they didn’t receive a doctor's note to approve that; it had to be submitted to their medical board 48 to 72 hours prior to the flight. We knew nothing about that.”
Finnicum said there was no way he could travel without oxygen after having a tough fight with COVID-19 in 2022. The couple said Viking was well aware they were taking oxygen on the trip but never mentioned a doctor's note.
“We booked everything through them, the air everything, they dropped the ball," Finnicum said. “It was very stressful, it truly was. I’ve been in a situation like that; it was like being in a car accident.”
The couple said they then made more than two dozen calls to the airline and Viking trying to get a credit voucher for the $14,500 trip, but said after two months of wrangling, the company would only offer them a credit on the $7,000 cruise and not the more $6,000 for the flights.
“Their flight desk booked the flights; that’s why we used a company like this rather than do it ourselves," Howenstine said. “I made probably 30 phone calls at least, I had been on the phone sometimes two and three hours.”
Cleveland Better Business Bureau General Manager Ericka Dilworth told News 5 that travelers need to do their homework and should contact each airline used on their trip to get policy information weeks or months before they head to the airport, especially when it comes to medical needs and equipment.
“We’re talking about international travel that takes it to a whole different place," Dilworth said. “We want to just rely on that booking agent, but we’re not in a perfect world.”
Dilworth urged travelers to book trips using a credit card so that if something goes wrong, the credit card company can assist in making it right. When it comes to trip insurance, Dilworth said to read the policy carefully before you buy.
"Then it then becomes your credit card company’s responsibility to help you sort it out," Dilworth said. “With trip insurance, if you’re going to pay the money, make sure you know what you’re getting, or what you’re not getting, or what it’s going to cover and just don’t assume it’s going to cover "X" when it’s only going to cover "Y."
News 5 contacted Viking corporate headquarters for this story, and the company responded immediately. The company thanked News 5 for bringing this situation to its attention. And while Viking would not get into details, it's now offered a full credit voucher for the failed European cruise.
Meanwhile, the couple said they will continue to book future trips with Viking and is now urging all travelers to make their own checks on flight requirements and regulations.
“I thought I had done my homework, but I didn’t," Howenstine said. "So yes, I would now stress the next trip we take on any airline, I'm going to look a little deeper and make sure, even if it’s in the United States."
