Gate 1 Travel
Reviews and Complaints

I'm not sure what "resolved" means on these complaints. I just received an email stating complaint was "resolved". This was complaint from two years ago and I've never had any response of any kind... again - joke!

We cancelled our trip to Dubai with intention to rebook, Gate 1 gave us a credit minus Swiss Air's cancellation penalty of $300 each = $600.

There has been no way to receive a credit from the airline, which tells us that we have to go through Gate 1, not directly to them. I cannot believe that Gate 1 cannot negotiate with Swiss Air to be able to rebook the flight for the time we reserve with Gate 1. This is not just in this situation. Gate 1 tells me it should not have been cancelled, but postponed. But Gate 1 did this, not us.

I booked a trip to Turkey in December 2019 using Gate 1 travel, a company we had used several times before and was generally very good.

We were due to leave for Turkey on March 16. However, on March 9 I stumbled across a note on their website that indicated that trips could be rebooked due to the Coronavirus if we contacted them 7 days before the trip was due to leave. We were never notified of this option by phone or e-mail.

I attempted to contact them by phone to rebook the trip but no one answered their phones - even their emergency number was not being answered. Even right now I am trying to contact them by phone to cancel the trip but I have ben on-hold for 45 minutes and the estimated wait time has increased from 14 minutes to over 60 minutes. Finally, the day after the window of opportunity for free rebooking closed, I was able to get hold of an agent after another long wait on the phones who informed me that it was too late to rebook and I would 90% of my trip costs - not particularly helpful.

I feel we have been cheated out of several thousand dollars due to their failure to provide any notification of the possibility of rebooking the flight and then not being flexible with their cancellation policy.

The most desirable solution would be refund of the money we paid for the tour. However, we would accept rebooking of the trip to another date.

The day after receiving my check of over $2400 to pay the trip in full the company claimed they received a cancellation notice from my email. At no time did they reach out to either one of the customer to verified this transaction. We request a copy of the email of this cancellation and nothing. Then the lovely lady on the phone to resolve this problem was getting snippy. I have sent all my friends through this company but never again. Who has that kind of money to waste. This is my fifth trip with Gate 1 and I'm disappointed and very upset. Now we are being told that if there is a airline cost difference we have to pay. Inexcusable.

I was scheduled to travel to Jordan in November with Gate 1 (itinerary #1829298). The day before I was to leave, my 86 year old mother fell and was hospitalized. I called Gate 1 and asked to reschedule my trip. I had already checked and there were several tours leaving in December with availability. They refused to reschedule my trip. They refused to refund any of my money and to rub salt into the wound sent me an invoice for a 100% penalty!

I called Delta Airlines and Gate 1 had already requested a refund of my airfare so they made money on cancelling rather than rescheduling my trip. I don't know about the hotels, but I am guessing they made money on that also.

I have used Gate 1 many times in the past and this would have been my third trip with Gate 1 this year.

At a minimum I request that Gate 1 reverse the invoice for the 100% penalty. It would be nice if they would allow me to reschedule this trip with the money that I have already paid and the additional money that they received from the airline and hotels.

To Whom it may concern,

At this point, I am a very dissatisfied customer with Gate 1, not only with the service that was provided on our return home, but for not receiving any answer to my complaint. My friend who was on the trip with me sent a letter via post to the following people on October 28, I followed up with an e-mail on November 5, and called on November 6. We have not received even an acknowledgment of our correspondence. I find this totally unacceptable and am not sure what steps I should take next, so I am writing to you.

The people we reached out to are:

Elodie Giraud - Senior Operations Executive
Mark Kastner - VP, Reservations and Services
Ilene Pipano - Sr. VP
Dani Pipano - President

Dale Kramer
Attachments
Nov 5, 2019, 7:02 AM (3 days ago)
to ipipano, egiraud

Dear Ms. Pipano,

I have tried to send this e-mail to Mr. Pipano., but it is deliverable. You were copied on the previous emails, but I am not sure if you have received it. My apologies if you are now receiving it for the third time.

Dear Mr. Pipano,

On October 28, 2019, Marcie Kahl wrote to you, via post, regarding our " 8 Day Art Cities of Spain", (10/7-10/14). Her letter is attached. I am very surprised and disappointed that we have not heard back from you.

As you can imagine, this was a terrifying experience for both of us, one in which we will never forget. There were better options that Gate 1 could have chosen for our scheduled departure on October 14, including postponing it until the riots had stopped, leaving earlier in the day, etc. It was very poor planning as local Gate 1 representatives should have addressed this problem and notified regional or international offices to resolve it so we were not caught in the middle of riots/protests on our way to the airport.

If you are not familiar with what occurred in Barcelona on that day, please google Riots in Barcelona, and that will give you a better idea of exactly what we experienced.

I appreciate your looking into this matter, and getting back to us as soon as possible.

Regards,
Dale Kramer

This is the letter my friend wrote on October 28, which goes into more detail
Marcie Kahl

2748 Riverside Ave.

Merrick, N.Y.11566

[protected]

October 26, 2019

Re: 8 Day Art Cities of Spain

10/7 - 10/14

Reservation #1747669

Dear Mr. Kastner,

I recently returned from the above trip and it has taken me all this time to fully comprehend and process all that my friend and I went through on our last day in Barcelona. Up until then, it was a wonderful experience and we were very well taken care of.

On October 14th, we were scheduled to leave for the Barcelona Airport at 4:00pm for a 7:10pm flight home.

That same day there was a political rally by the Catalonian citizens and they were waiting for a referendum at 1:00 which would let them know if nine political prisoners would be released or have their sentences shortened. Everyone there knew this was an explosive topic. At 1:00 the decision was made not to release the prisoners or commute their sentences. At that point, word went out through phone, internet, and social media to close down the roads, the trains, and the airport.

Because of the unrest, we were told to leave at 3:00 as it would take longer to get to the airport. By the time we left, all the major roads were closed and a 10 minute ride to the airport took 2 hours. As we approached the airport, swarms of protesters were marching in on all the roads and every car, taxi, and bus was at a complete standstill. After 1 hour on the bus, my friend and I decided (with the assurance of the bus driver that this would remain peaceful) to walk the 2 miles to the terminal, with our luggage and carry on. We walked on a highway climbing over guard rails, skirting protesters who were throwing rocks, in the heat, and then rain.

An hour and a half later we arrived at the terminal and were greeted by police in full riot gear and thousands of protesters trying to surge through the doors. We showed our passports and were suddenly shoved through the door as the crowd did start to surge. We finally made it through security and ran to the gate where we were told the plane is here but the crew can't get to the airport. The airport went into lockdown. Three hours later they flew a crew in from Mallorca. An hour later, we left.

Once home, I looked on the internet to see what I had just experienced because it was too surreal. Everything slowly started to sink in. I was horrified - what danger we were in. As everyone was aware of the vote on October 14, our flight should have been changed to an earlier time as we were the only 2 that were leaving so late. There was trouble around the city before we left for the airport, Gate1 should have advised us to stay at the hotel. Neither one of us had ever traveled with Gate1 before. We selected it because several of our friends had very positive things to say about it. We agreed with that up until the last day which totally changed our experience and outlook about traveling with your company. Our safety was at risk and it left us both in tears and total fear. In telling our story to friends who travel often, they could not believe that Gate1 did not step up and ensure our safety home. This does not speak well for Gate1 and how it takes care of their customers.

Who made that decision to put us on a bus to go to the airport in the middle of an uprising? Our tour director seemed very uncomfortable doing it, so I do not think it was him (in every other way, he made the trip an excellent journey). He was obviously consulting with someone because he was constantly on the phone.

Someone needs to step up and take responsibility for the danger and terror that you failed to protect us from by not making a different decision. Please respond to this letter explaining how such a thing could happen and what you can do about it.

Sincerely,

Marcie Kahl

Dale Kramer

Gate 1 Travel is absolutely, positively the worst travel company for customer service. I booked an independent tour to Paris earlier this summer for my 70th Birthday. When we arrived at our hotel, the room was extremely warm. After dinner, upon returning to the room, the inside temperature was over 90 degrees. The Front Desk told me the air conditioning was not working. I asked for a fan and they gave me a space heater. I then decided to cancel the hotel reservation and leave the hotel prior to staying the first night. The hotel told me to contact
Gate 1 for a refund and was fully aware we did not stay one night at the property because of the extreme heat with no air conditioning. We booked and paid for another hotel for our entire stay in Paris. Upon our return I contacted Gate 1 and requested a refund. I got no response. I contacted the Better Business Bureau for help. I then contacted the Gate 1 Service Vice President. She refused to discuss my issue because I had contacted the Better Business Bureau. She was rude, insulting and refused to discuss the issue. I wrote a certified letter to the Gate 1 Senior Vice President who refused to issue a refund as she claimed the hotel denied we left the property! She reported the hotel claimed we stayed the entire time! She requested "Documentation to prove I did not stay at the hotel". I sent her a copy of the bill from my alternative hotel. Upon receipt she refused the refund, again asking for "Documentation" before she would consider anything. Gate 1 Travel failed to meet their fiduciary responsibility as agent for this hotel. Traveling to a foreign country one expects some level of support from the travel agency that booked your complete trip. Gate 1 does not.

I've been trying to get on the website for over a week to check the status of my payments for our river cruise next spring. OK, I really mean that I can't get throught! My complaint is too short!? What is this?

Each time I try the web site, I get the following:

This page isn't working www.gate1travel.com is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 502

My wife and myself took a tour with Gate 1 to Morocco in February, which I must say was very nicely organized. Where I have had an unpleasant experience with Gate 1 is in the booking of my flights thru Gate 1, and their refusal to address my issue. In booking our flights we requested Premium Economy on all flights to and from Atlanta / Morocco. We paid a surcharge of $599.00 each. The only flight we were accommodated in Premium Economy was Atalanta / Morocco. Connecting flight from Paris to Morocco was economy class with some of our fellow tour group who never paid any surcharge. Based on Gate 1 refusal to compensate for a product we paid for is unacceptable. My advice to anyone is, do not book your flights thru Gate 1, you are not guaranteed to get what you are paying for.

I am writing to complain about a vocation trip which I booked in your travel agency. I suppose to travel with my friend to India on the 10th of September, 2018 and return on 19th of September. I thought it would be a dream vocation, however, it have been my worst trip ever.

First of all, per Gate1 Travel referral I applied for visa at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html. I don't know if Gate1 Travel have some business interests with the following Visa company or not, but because of their neglected and unprofessional actions (e_visa dates were incorrect) I wasn't able to accomplish my trip and was denied by China Southern Airlines to depart the airplane.
I was calling this Visa company and tried to resolve error they made and when I asked them to transfer me to their supervisor or manager they hang up on me and never pick up the phone after I attempted to call them back again and again. Contacting them by email was unsuccessful as well - no respond.

Now, after trip is over and my friend that I suppose to travel with came back, I discovered that the China Southern Airlines that Gate1 Travel purchase air tickets from resold my air tickets to other passengers. China Southern Airlines not only kept the profit from me, but also make double profit from reselling my air tickets!

We had a fantastic time and our guide was extremely good. I am upset about damage done to my 16 year old daughter's luggage. When we arrived at Shanghai airport our guide instructed all to check to make sure our luggage wasn't damaged while on plane. He especially asked for us to check the wheels of the luggage. All was good. We walked through airport for about 5 minutes and then went outside where our bus and a truck was waiting. The driver took our luggage and we boarded the bus. The truck left and we left about 2 minutes later. When we arrived at the hotel the driver was putting all the luggage at the entrance of the hotel doors. When I went to retrieve my daughter's luggage it fell over. I immediately showed the tour guide and he called the driver who had just left. There was yelling in Chinese! Jason the guide told me he would give me a letter the next morning about the damage. The luggage looks as though it was thrown or fell off the back of the truck and pushed one of the wheels into the hard side luggage and cracked the body. The Gate 1 driver did this! I have been in contact with Chrystal B. who doesn't seem to understand or care about clients. I was told by her that it is more or less my worry and Gate 1 has no obligation as written in the small print, Even though Gate 1'S DRIVER Did the damage. I have even stated that I would be happy with a Gate 1 credit of $200 for my next tour and I still get the same uncaring response from Chrystal B. It is almost like she didn't even read my letter but just has a robotic answer. I understand life and if my luggage was out of my control for a few hours I would not be this upset but within 10 minutes YOUR Driver ruined my daughter's $245 Heyes Britto 30" hard side piece of luggage. Gate 1 should have a good will policy for unusual circumstances such as this! Thank you,

Overall the trip was wonderful. We enjoyed ourselves very much. It was a great experience.

However, the transfers were $98 for each in general. They require you to leave your hotel 4 hours before departure, which is ridiculous since we were less than 1/2 an hour away. We ended up taking taxis, where the rates are controlled. The fare in both direction was 49 euros. These transfer are too expensive and do not work a big rip-off. In 2 location (Paris and Venice) the transfers were not there when we arrived and could not be reached by phone. we took a cab. We also had a Louvre Tour booked. When we arrived, the tour company said Gate 1 Travel had booked our tour and it was scheduled for 6 hours earlier, so we did not get the guided tour. The hotel in Florence was terrible. Sub-standard room, no personnel at the door when you arrive, very cold and impersonal hotel staff, just not a good experience. Stay away from the Hotel Baglioni. This is not a 4 star hotel.

Instead of being excited for my upcoming trip to Austria, I am extremely concerned. At the time of purchasing the fly/drive/hotel package, I expressed the need to make seat reservations as my travel partner is 6'4". Was informed that I would need to make the seat reservations directly with the airline. It took 7 months to actually get the airline reservation information, and I immediately reached out to the airline to make seat reservations only to be told that the tickets purchased did not allow this. We now have to wait until we check in to (1) request leg room and (2) find out if we are even sitting together. This is a 10+ hours flight overnight. I have never purchased tickets that did not allow seat reservations (at a cost of course) and would not have booked this trip if I have known this. Gate1 mislead me and are not willing to assist...even stating that I made the air reservations on my own and not through them!

Do not book with Gate 1 unless you do not want any input regarding your travel plans.

Booked 6 day Iceland Northern lights tour starting March 31 to April 5. I was not informed that their were different class of airline tickets as Gate 1 handled all arrangements. Icelandair charged me for my bags from Newark to Reykjavik and Reykjavik to Newark. Flight Itinerary for reservation is #: 1379677. The trip was wonderful with the exception of the baggage charges I was not made aware of before hand.
I believe I am due the baggage charges from Gate 1 that I was charged.
Nowhere in your documents sent to me that I would be charged for baggage.

Terrible customer service while in Venice. We purchased a transport voucher through Gate 1 Travel, to take us from hotel to airport. We called Customer Service at Gate 1 Travel in Venice to find out if we could request a street taxi instead of water taxi, as we both developed bronchitis. The customer service supervisor, JEN, rudely said no, and that there would be No Refund. We had to use the voucher or lose our money. We never asked for our money back. Only to find out if the transportation could be changed to street taxi because we were very sick, it was freezing cold (35 degrees), possible rain, and our pick up time was 4:40 AM. Dark and cold. We also understood, according to Gate 1 Travel documents on Page 18, that after water taxi dropped us off, we'd have 1/2 mile walk to the airport terminal. This is outrageous. I tried to find out about this prior to our departure as I called Gate 1 Travel, and the rep said she didn't know anything about it. I said I was worried, but she could care less. Then with our phone call with Jen of Gate 1 Travel, we brought this up about the 1/2 mile walk that is stated in their travel documents. She didn't know anything about it. Jen put us on hold. Jen came back and said that she spoke with "someone" just then, and found out that our boat driver could call ahead for a taxi.

Upon arriving at the mooring dock near airport (the boat taxi was good. not cold as it was enclosed), the airport terminal was RIGHT THERE. There was no 1/2 mile walk! So what's going on? This had me up all night worrying. Gate 1 Travel needs to get their facts straight. They didn't care we were very sick.

Also, the "4 Star" Hotels Gate 1 Travel boasts, are not 4 Star U.S. standard. They are a step up from a youth hostel. Very plain, ugly rooms. Cold, hard leftovers for breakfast (breakfast included). All hotels were far from the main attractions. So you either had to take a taxi, or walk like we did for 40 minutes in freezing cold weather. The taxis were just too expensive.

We have traveled with Gate1 four (4) times and pleased with their service. However, in trying to make travel arrangements for this current reservation (#1365735), getting to finalize accommodations at one hotel has taken so long (September 25 to October 18, 2017).

Have reached out to Greg Lawson, Sales & left messages without any response (4 times according to my notes). Talked with others (Alberta, 2x & Tina, 2x ) who did nothing to resolve the issue on hand.

Finally, informed the last call agent, that due to the less than standard customer service, we will withdraw from this reservation, the response:
"Okay" !

Is that a responsible response to a customer of long standing?

Therefore, I would like to withdraw this reservation with full refund on our deposit of six hundred ($600) as this proposed trip was created in good faith on our part and inaction on Gate1 travel aka Discovery Tours.

Sincerely,

Erlinda Demeterio
713.894.7143

Although my wife has traveled with Gate 1 five times in the last three years, she was shown no consideration when she broke her arm and had to have stitches in her face from a bad fall documented by a surgeon. In fact, the supervisor we talked with was rude and insensitive to our plight. He told us "Gate 1 cares no more for a loyal customer booking a sixth trip than for someone who books for the first time."

My wife had also made a reservation for her seventh trip with Gate 1, and we requested that the $2500 for her Russia trip go toward that trip to Vietnam. The supervisor scoffed at our request and chided us for not buying their travel insurance which is expensive and nearly worthless. So we are out 90 percent of the $2500 for her trip.

Conclusion: Gate 1 cares nothing about its customers, no matter how loyal. They only care about their bottom line.

Reservation # 1204390
Tour- 9 day musical journey through the south
Our flight to New York from New Orleans which was arranged by Gate 1 was cancelled on June 20 due to a tropical storm moving into the Gulf Coast region. This was a most unpleasant ending to a fabulous trip.Unfortunately we had some unexpected expenses for lodging at a nearby hotel, food at the hotel (because we were unable to leave the hotel) and extra parking fees upon our return to N.Y. Fortunately we returned on June 21 because I was scheduled for hand surgery on June 22. This upcoming event caused additional stress because we were uncertain as to the day of departure. My wife and I have been very loyal Gate 1 customers (we have taken 9 trips) and are planning other Gate I trips in the near future. We have also recommended several other friends who have also become loyal Gate I customers. Although I understand that Gate I cannot be held accountable for weather conditions I was hoping that you would offer us a credit toward another tour in the amount of $160.00 which was the additional cost we had to incur on this trip. I'm not blaming Gate 1 for the cancellation due to the weather. I am hoping that because we have been loyal to Gate 1 and will continue to be future customers, you will perhaps extend us a credit of $160.00 toward a future trip.

Worst Travel Company I've Ever Used !

We booked a trip to Paris & London through this company and paid for upgraded hotels at both locations. The Paris Hotel was located in a very seedy part of Paris, was under construction and the air conditioner was broken. Additionally some illegal activities occurred at the hotel, I won't post those details here pending legal action. When Gate 1 was contracted via the telephone they did absolutely nothing but put us on hold for extended periods of time, 10 minutes at a time at international rates. Cant wait to see our cell phone bill ! and then we were told that 24/7 customer service emergency line was not equipped to handle these types of calls, and they were accustomed handling lost luggages and missed flights. We were told send an email to a customer service rep and she would handle our situation. When we did, we got an email telling us they were off for the weekend and would get back to us until the next business day. Nothing was resolved for our Paris trip and fortunately the London portion of the trip went well.
However we still continue to email the "Customer Service Rep" regarding the Paris issue and the company has done nothing to resolve or compensate us for a horrible stay in Paris.

This company was highly recommended to us by 3 loyal customers of Gate 1 who are long time repeated travelers, then along with us will no longer be using this company for any travel plans.

I booked a flight and recieved a confirmation email and the amount was taken out of my account. A few minutes later I recieved a cancellation and they stated the money was coming back to my account. Not only has the money still not come back to my account but they charged my card for a second time. I've called multiple times and there is absolutely no help.