STA Travel

The most incredible WORSE customer service ever!!! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY UNLESS YOU HAVE MONEY TO THROW AWAY!
As a single mother, I need to spend my funds wisely and make the best use of time and money to insure my son’s education. That included having to head south to visit the USC campus. This trip was made disappointing when we realized our trip’s RETURN flight home was on a «AM» flight the morning of our 8:00 a.m. meeting. I called STA travel to help assist me during this stressful drive on the LA highway… with my son. They were in NO WAY going to assist, stating it was my fault and that all they could do was to get us on the correct flight LATER that night– and it would cost me $ 600,00. for 2 tickets to fly from LA to Monterey CA– an hour flight. I was shocked as the original tickets round trip was sightly over $ 400.
What is this world coming to? I asked if they could PLEASE call the airlines directly and have them re-​book the original tickets for the $ 75.00 fee each and simply –rebook to the correct time. He said no– that’s not possible. WHAT??? I said? Your kidding me, right? He passed me on to another «so called gentleman» that pretended to help me and that he would book 2 one way tickets for $ 500??? Again, I asked, why aren’t you calling the airlines and helping me, I booked the original flights with you and you made a commission… I am driving down the LA freeway and need help. He told me to call the airlines myself and that I needed to do so in less than an hour or else there is nothing the airlines can do after the plane takes off –9:00am that morning.
Well, we pulled off the highway– called on my Iphone, was on hold for 35 minutes, got the correct airlines– not the one that was even on my ticket– I went from Alaska Airlines– to the US Airways, and ended with American… they that Airlines will have my business for the rest of my life! They were so helpful, with a kind voice assisting me, it was as I suspected… only a $ 75.00 re-​booking fee for each– $ 150. total and we got a flight for that evening.
WHY DIDN’T“T STA TRAVEL help? Do you want a travel agent that only takes your money and never be there in time of need??? Hummmm that would be like ordering your new VW from a certified dealer, — it falls apart the next day and he tells you to call the manufacture– that there is nothing he can do to help– or just buy a new car.
I do not throw money away and will not use STA travel again.

I’ve always had good luck with STA. In college I booked international plane tickets & Eurrail. Changing dates was never an issue. This spring I used them to book a trip to SE Asia. The service was very good & the fares were a good value.
I purchased their travel insurance which I’ve since recommended to several friends. I was hit by a motorbike in Saigon & they quickly hooked me up with a western clinic & doc who spoke perfect english. I didn’t have to present any money. Everything was set up & taken care of. It’s very inexpensive & the claims seem to be dealt with quickly.

Around the world…
Meagan has helped me a couple times. She is prompt, courteous and provides me detailed information the same day. This place is a good deal for students or teachers.

STA Travel handles all of our complicated international travel for my department at UW and they do it well! I’ve never had a traveler stranded in a foreign country without assistance and they always accommodate last minute changes with a smile. I
I just started using them for my own travel bookings and they’ve been great. Pay their service fee and do yourself a favor: relax with a cold beverage while they search through the airline flight schedules and find you the best deals. There is no reason you should do it yourself AND they always find great rates (even better than Expedia at times).

Wow! Was initially concerned that there were issues with booking my flight to London online… gave me an 800# to call, which routed me to Amy at this STA and she was KICK ASS. Talk about customer service! A complete 180 from my initial concerns, walked away so happy! I will be using her for all of my future international bookings… granted the price is right ;)

Super friendly staff and gave me just what i wanted-​a trip booked for 2 to europe and split the payment during the transaction. i went through hell trying to book myself with expedia and will never use them again. its my first time trying a travel agency and i’m extremely pleased! will be a repeat customer.

Originally when I booked with STA everyone was friendly and the pricing seemed fair. I received an invoice via email and it gave me the total amount I owed after the deposits (equaling over $ 700) I made on the plane ticket and tour. The balance due was $ 1400. Well 3 weeks prior to when my payment was due I sent them an email to confirm the due date and they dropped another $ 1200 on my bill! When I said that must be wrong they said yes, it was wrong, and I only owed an additional $ 875 on top of the $ 1400!!! This place is a scam, don’t use them! They promise low prices and then at the last minute change everything. You can book directly through Gap Tours, which is what they use. DON’T GO TO STA TRAVEL!!!

Great fast, pleasant service. I kept hearing «I found a better deal!» My trip was slightly complicated, so I looked around on the web to ballpark the prices, and then decided to see what a human could come up with. I was not disappointed! I will use STA again.

worst customer service i have ever encountered. i never expected complications to come up in traveling, but they did while i was studying abroad and they were of no help and basically told me i had to figure things out on my own. it was pretty terrifying to be by myself in Athens, Greece with no flight home or a phone to call to make flight reservations. i will never use them again.

Great help and customers service. A++

OK, so we had a honeymoon planned and it all went awry. So we thought we would go to a travel agent to see if they might be able to conjure up a last minute honeymoon to San Fransisco. Sure it was a bit of a challenge being as we were eleven days away from our date but we figured we were working with professionals. It was bound to be better than what we could find on our own right? WRONG! We sat down and immediately got the sense we weren’t making the agents eyes roll with dollar signs. Within a minute of talking she had basically told us that we were screwed, that we would have to spend at least $ 2,000 to even have a honeymoon at all and that this would be the case anywhere we went. She didn’t seem like she even wanted to try to do business with us. Well I walked out and with literally 2 minutes on the Iphone on Expedia I found way better deals with hotel and car included. When I got home I did some more research and found even better options. I’m not sure if this was because they are more geared to students and we just didn’t fit the mold or what, but it seems kinda crazy for me to do better than a professional agent with five minutes on the internet.

My friends and I wanted to spend spring break sitting on a beach, and we wanted it to cost less than $ 1000. After countless hours scouring Expedia and Travelocity, we came up empty-​handed. So, I took a walk up to STA Travel (aka Council Travel), and my life was changed.
It only took five minutes before Marcie, my wonderful agent, found a package deal that fit our needs completely. Puerto Vallarta, five nights, all-​inclusive (unlimited food and drinks!), beach-​front resort, round-​trip flights from Seattle, and taxi service for $ 750? Unbelievable! They handled everything for us… all I had to do was tell them what I wanted and give them my credit card number. (STA doesn’t charge for travel planning… they take a commission from the airlines and hotels… so you’ve literally got nothing to lose.) The resort was even better than we expected. Other guests were paying twice what we paid!
No longer do I spend my time checking Farecast or waiting for Orbitz to give me a good deal… I call up Marcie, tell her what I need, and she handles the rest.
STA is an invaluable addition to my life.

STA Travel is at the Council Travel office on the Ave and across from the bookstore. Lisa at STA has helped to get me great prices and has a lot of great suggestions, so much so that I have wondered why I haven’t gone to a travel agent before. If you are doing any complicated trip at all, go to this travel agent. STA is the travel agency for students and people under 26, but they can even help old fogies like me. Lisa has helped me step by step, and I really do believe that she is offering honest and helpful suggestions, not just trying to gauge me for her partners in the hotel and tourism industry.
In the age of the Internet, we arrange so much of our own travel, but it is freeing to say «I need help.» That’s what I tell my AA sponsor every day (just kidding folks… or am I?).