I'm having a problem with Orbitz, a third party travel site, where they changed my plans in a way that won't work for me. I need to know what I can do about it, so that either I get a refund or I get accommodations that work for me.
I originally booked a package deal (flights,hotel and car) with Orbitz on July 31st for travel date of 23rd Nov. It was for a flight at 7:45AM, the earliest my family can manage, given we have a child with special needs.
Around September 1, I received an email saying my itinerary has been changed and they have put us on a flight which is 1:45 hours earlier (departing at 6:00 AM). The 6:00 AM flight option was available when I did the original booking, but I chose not to take it even though it was cheaper and chose 7:45 a.m. flight. The 6 AM flight offered as a result of change to my itinerary will not work for my family, as it is too early for us to get to the airport.
I called Orbitz to see what they could do. Since the change is within 2 hours of the original scheduled time, they could not cancel my flight. They asked me to call American Airlines and request them to do so.
I called AA, and they offered me another flight which has 2 hour 40 min layover(original layover was 1 hour). My son has special needs and this itinerary will also not work for me. Now AA is not ready to refund my ticket and Orbitz has nothing to do with it. The reason I booked almost 4 months in advance was so I could select the itinerary that was convenient for my family and situation (special needs son).
In this situation, can I file a merchant dispute with my credit card issuer (Chase - Sapphire Preferred) as I am not getting the services I paid for? Or is there any other recourse for me?