Gate 1 Travel Reviews 

Gate 1 Travel deceptive airline credit is a claw back

In March of 2023, we signed on for a trip to Ecuador with Gate1 Travel but cancelled after earthquake 2 days before we were to depart. We had both Gate 1 travel insurance and Arch Right Insurance. We were told that neither insurance covered our situation. We spent over $4,000.00 for this trip.

After many emails to Gate1 Travel, pleading our case, Gate1 Travel offered as a goodwill gesture, to provide airline credit of $972 with American Airlines and a travel credit of about $1300.00.

In June 2023 I called to reschedule the trip to Ecuador, using the airline and travel credits. I was told by the agent that I could use the airline credit, BUT I had to pay a SURCHARGE of $376. For what, I asked. Well, he said, you are getting a direct flight so you have to pay extra if the flight is nonstop. I was baffled. I never heard of such a thing. There is only 1 American Airline flight from MIA (Miami) to Quito each day and it is a direct flight and the price of the ticket should reflect the total cost without adding a surcharge. Has anyone out there ever heard of being charged a surcharge for a direct flight above and beyond what the ticket cost.

The agent said he could not provide any information about the airline credit until, I committed to book a reservation for the trip and paid a NON-REFUNDABLE FEE of $600. The point of this was to lock me into a reservation in which I would lose $600 if the air faire credit turned out to be bogus, which it did. This is about as predatory as you can get.

THEN the agent told me the cost of the ticket from MIA to Quito would be $1800.00, twice the original amount of the ticket. What appeared to be a credit suddenly turned into a debit before my eyes. A $972 ticket faire credit turned into a $1800 debit and a $376 surcharge to boot. While pretending to give me a credit, Gate1 clawed back the credit and required me to pay the actual faire that I originally paid. I then called to see if I could use the credit for domestic flights. NOPE. You can only use the credit for a scheduled tour with Gate1. I am betting that the faire will be double what is advertised on the airline website and I will end up owing Gate1 money for the ticket if I attempt to use it. Offer an air faire credit and construct barriers to prevent the customer from using it.

I was incredulous at how fast it happened as the ticket agent, was talking a mile a minute, but I was in such disbelief, I went to American Airlines website, keyed in the air-faire on my computer while talking to him, and saw on my computer screen the actual price of the ticket on American Airlines listed at $432, per person round trip, not including tax from MIA to Quito. It was the exact same flight that the Gate1 Travel agent was booking me on from MIA to Quito, for $1800 + $376 surcharge, leaving and returning at the exact same time as the flight the agent was booking me on.

Gate one did allow me to use the $1300 travel. Since we have not gone on the trip yet, scheduled for September. Based on other reviews I expect to have to cough up tips, fees for everybody I encounter on this trip. They lure you in with low prices and then nickel and dime you after you arrive at your destination.

I am astonished at the used car lot sales tactics used by Gate1Travel. Sleazy, deceitful, manipulative. After this trip to Ecuador is finished, I will never do business with Gate1 Travel again. Has anyone out there had a similar experience with Gate1travel deceptive air faire credit?

I am done with Gate1 travel. My business will be with Triple AAA from now on.

The response from Gate1 Travel below states Gate1 Travel addressed this issue. That is untrue. I emailed a copy of what I posted here and never heard from them. The issue has not been addressed

Recently took a 17 day tour of Eastern Europe including a 7 day river cruise. Everything was very well done - tour manager was very well organized, hotels were 4-5 stars, bus transportation was comfortable and there were only 25 people in the land tour portion of the trip.The one thing I absolutely hated is that you are constantly tipping everybody- bus drivers, local guides, tour managers, city hosts, etc., etc. On this particular trip there were 5 countries with 4 different currencies involved which meant you had spend time looking for an ATM and once you you got local currency you then had to get change so you had small denominations for tips. Major hassle. I wish Gate 1 would include all gratuities in its up front pricing. Even though the trip was excellent, in the future I will use a tour company that includes gratuities in the price.

Gate1 booked our travel reservations to the Canadian Maritime Provinces, June 24-July 1, 2023. The original booking got us in to Halifax in the middle of the night and the return flight had us leaving Saint John at 5:30am. I called to complain at least 3 times with no luck. Gate 1 wouldn’t even set up transit from the airport to the hotel! Then as we were ready to drive to the airport, the leg of the flight from Montreal to Halifax was canceled by Air Canada. Called Gate1, and the first flight they could find for us was the next day. That meant we lost the first full day of the tour and welcome dinner. The agent assured me that there would a welcome package at the hotel lobby or our room. However, there was only a brief note in the room from the tour manager with no useful information regarding bag pickup or bus departure . I called and asked her to come to our room, At this point, I was extremely stressed and therefore a bit short with the tour manager. Instead of smoothing things out, she took umbrage and flounced out of the room without giving any further information. My observation of her leadership style during the remainder of the trip is that she is hubristic. She has an inflated sense of self without any exceptional credentials and is insensitive to understanding travelers needs. During the rest of the trip, she was rude to me anytime she could do that without others noticing.
I’ve been on other tours, and this tour manager was totally unprofessional.

This was an independent tour so our group liked that we can plan our own activities/tours. Glad that our Louvre tour got canceled because it was nice to be on our own pace.
Gate 1 needs to improve on finding better hotel locations. We were so far away from the center of everything in London and Paris! The only plus in Paris was the metro was right there. For the amount we paid I think we could’ve gotten better hotel accommodations. (We had to switch rooms in Paris because the AC wasn’t working!)
The airport transfer pickups were on time and smooth.

Traveled to Greece June 2023. The 20+ page itinerary made no mention of the actual length of the bus tours and the actual set up of the tour days. The bus tour occupied about 8-11 hours of our day with 630am wake up calls to get the day started. They should really mention an estimated bus travel time because that may be a deal breaker for some people especially those with back ailments, tall people, or people with leg issues. This would not be conducive for anyone that has these problems sitting in confined spaces for long periods of time. My husband, who is 6’6, his legs were swollen everyday on the bus with the length of the rides and the cramped spaces. My back was on fire due to my back issues. There was assigned seating on these buses which constantly put us next to the same couple who were not at all fresh and it was nothing we could do about it because the seats were ASSIGNED! 8-11 hours daily stuck on and off a cramped musty bus is not my idea of a good time. I did ask if our seats could be moved but this request was not taken seriously until we decided to bail on the tour Friday June 16th after 3 days. We could not take two more days of that and from hearing the same complaints from some of the other travelers the feeling was mutual. When gate 1 rep was told of our plans to leave and called us to ask why we were leaving the tour and I told them there was no accommodations made and we were told that there would be no refund even though I hadn’t asked for any refund at the time. I paid out of pocket to book a shuttle to go back to Athens ahead of the tour then had to book an additional last minute hotel stay. On top of that the tours we experienced were very boring. It was Athens, Olympia, Kalambaka, Delphi. However, The tour guide, ViVi, was very knowledgeable and thorough in explaining the sites. This did not feel like a vacation and unless you’re into forced early wake ups, all day rides on cramped smelly buses, forced interactions (because you get the feeling you can’t even break off from the group if you want to) assigned seating like you’re at summer camp, and learning all about rocks, caves and olives..pick another trip! Gate 1 needs to be more thorough and up front with the explanation of the tours/trip!

We had a great trip to Nova Scotia and Geoff was a wonderful guide!

I have traveled 18 times with Gate One, have referred dozens to them, feel they are a terrific value ,
BUT….
Their discovery tours you pay more for, and get a higher level of service.
Booked Patagonia trip for 2, in March, called them in October with airline question, was told, all our flights were cancelled. Really? When were you going to tell me?
Spent total of 5 hours overs 2 days trying to rebook. Asked for manager, too busy, they’d call me back, never did. I tried repeatedly to get manager involved, never could. I had to pay $3200 for new flights. I paid for the trip in September in full. So I paid for flights twice!!!!!! Many emails even to owner of gate one, no resolution.
At the very least I am owed $950 x2 ( the original difference if booked land only price), so $1900 due to me for buying flights twice.
Gate one has asked me to be patient, well, now I need money back!!! Not patience left!!!!
Stop avoiding me, do the right thing for a loyal long term always happy customer. This need’s resolution now!!!
If they treat someone who travels with them this much, this way, would you be confident booking with them????

Buyer beware about Gate 1 travel insurance company, Arch Insurance. And beware of Gate 1 for selling it and collaborating with them on denying my claim. I have used Gate 1 in past and totally loved and recommended. Never had to use the insurance before though. You can look up Arch's BBB complaints, and I see some here also. I have appealed several times and am very angry, not only about my issues, but all the others who are being billed by Arch...and Gate 1. I have never written a bad review on a company before. Update: Gate One sent me an email in response to this and just said - yes, Arch insurance had denied my claims. Thanks, I already knew that ! Help me get the money owed!

My $3000 Peru trip was interrupted due to nationwide strikes/civil and political unrest which happened after our arrival where we were held against our will in the Urubamba sacred valley for multiple days and were awaiting the National Military to take control of the region and reopen local airports which had been overtaken by protestors. Our original airport we were supposed to depart from in Juliaca did not reopen until the following week as strikes and riots were more violent in that region, so we had to make alternative arrangements to fly out of the Cusco Airport once it reopened so that we could get back to Lima International Airport in order to fly to the US from there. This took 4 days of negotiating with local strikers involving the mayor and local police at times which did not work and finally we had to depart under the cover of night, physically remove road barriers, bribe strikers to let us pass and not throw rocks at our bus in order to make our flight. We made it through luckily but some other busses that left the area after us that evening did not and were held hostage by strikers 30 minutes outside of Cusco city. It was a treacherous trip which caused me and others on the tour much duress, many sleepless nights and was far from anything that could be considered a vacation, which is what I thought I was paying for. I also had to change my flight back to the US because the new flight departure time from Cusco was later than the original one from Juliaca and I could not make my original flight. I arrived in the US a day later than originally scheduled and had to cancel travel I was supposed to make for a job interview. We were told by our tour manager that we would receive a refund and it would be better if we had insurance (I did). After 7 months of trying to get this matter resolved with Gate 1 (including contacting the president directly) and their sham Arch insurance company, I was given back $270 and an insulting $200 credit which I will of course not be using. Please be wary that you will be offered ZERO coverage and protection in the event of an incident while traveling and should consider that money gone when booking whether you take the trip you paid for or not.

Gate One has been my go to tour company in the past for international travel of many years. Unfortunately, I was totally disappointed of the most recent trip. The company has tripled the size of people in a group. To accommodate the large number of people in a group by one tour guide they added a teenager as assistant of the trip. You have to pay tips for the tour guide, bus driver, local guides daily of different sites and the assistant. If you think the tips are voluntary, you are giving reference of how much you should tip throughout the trip as frequent reminder. You think Gate One has better discount. It is not the case. You are dealing with hidden costs and crowded bus with every seat filled with people. I am glad I did not go when it the weather is really hot. Can you imaging how uncomfortable it will be in the summer and peak season. I am sharing this with everyone who is interested of Gate One tour to be aware of the situation first so you can make informed decision. I will definitely stay away from Gate One after my recent experience unless the condition is improved.

Thanks of Gate One response! I already submitted my feedback to the link you provided. They basically defended themselves of what happened. I believe that is what they are taught to do. This is why I am going through outside reviewer so it is more transparent by the public. And, the reviewers of the site can make their own decision of what they think.

My mom and I traveled to Italy this past April. We had a great time although it was a bit too busy for us, but we did cover almost all of Italy you could possibly imagine. The breakfast was fair, not good but not bad. Dinners were good but not great and lots of fun. My biggest complaint is we were on a tour in Florence with Gate 1 travel and taken to a jewerly shop were we were than given a short talk regarding their products and than instructed we would receive a discount for being with Gate 1 travel. My mom and I both purchased 1 piece of jewelry each. When we went to purchase the products, we were told our discount was in the form of a tax credit and we had to turn the paperwork into customs to receive this discount. I was skeptical and questioned the process a few times but was reassured by the staff that it was very easy and if we had any problems to contact an email that was written on the instructions we were to follow. We followed the instructions as written and verbalized to us by the jewelry shop staff but were unable to complete due to our flight being delayed from Naples into Munich and we had to literally run to our next flight. I contacted the email 3 times with no response and I double check both my spam and the address given. I than contacted Gate 1 and were told in simple terms, there is nothing they can do. I believe this is a scam!!! I believe this is a way for them to make more money off of you. My mom and I are out 300 dollars. Which isn't a ton of money but I am sure we are not the first ones this has happened too! The Jewery shop is called "The Gold Market" and address is 50122 Firenze. I have also submitted this review to the BBB to further investigate this.

This company lied to me about being able to add travel insurance the day after I paid for my trip after I had a chance to check with my travel partner (my elder mom). I called the next day to add insurance after my mom said she wanted it, and was denied. Then they told me I could do a name change if my mom couldn't travel and after she ended up in the hospital, I spent hours booking new flights, and then was denied a name change by Gate 1 on my land only reservation. HORRIBLE customer service! Avoid! Their response suggesting they addressed my concerns is a complete lie too. No integrity at this company!
Absolute nonsense that my concerns were addressed!

This 9 Day tour should actually be called 7 Day Classic Japan - Gate 1 needs to revise / review since 2 of the days you are actually in transit. Our tour guide Ichiro was phenomenal- kudos to him for his patience & handling the hiccups. Loved the country, it's people & the culture. Only disappoinmet was that Japan has so much to offer but the Gate1 itinerary focussed on way too many shrines/temples.

Don’t bother getting trip insurance, they don’t help. We used to love Gate One and took many trips with friends, neighbors and relatives. I will not use them again.

In general, we liked our "9 Days Classic Alaska" tour, but going to Alaska we, I'm sure like many others, were expecting to see the major attraction, a glacier. And it was planned but didn't happen due to the weather. Yes, the captain was right to turn the ship because of the storm, but Gate One should have planned it better and made another attempt to show a glacier on the next day if the first one fails, instead, we had a half-day bus ride to the next city and half day was just waisted. Our Tour Director, accommodations, and pretty much everything else was great, but not seeing one of the miracles of the world, which pretty much was the purpose of our trip to Alaska was a HUGE disappointment.

Had to log out of Gate 1 twice because of pop-up ads. Very unprofessional.

We've done 4 Gate 1 trips in the past and this recent trip to Azores was our first independent one. Our tour guides, Phillip and Hugo were FANTASTIC, making the optional trip experiences amazing. We have always given Gate 1 a 5 star rating, but this time it seems the hotel and hotel breakfasts were just ok... below the usual standards for our previous Gate 1 trips. Guess we should have upgraded.

We just returned from a 12 day Morocco trip. Our first and definetley not the last. The hotels were all clean and in good locations. Loved the medinas and the highlight was the Camel ride in the Sahara. We extended our stay in Casablanca for 2 nights, and our guide Mohamad, verified the driver would pick us up at 4 am, and asked the hotel have a to go breakfast for us.. beyond the customer service experience.
Our flights luckily were all fine, so that is the luck of the draw these days.. We enjoyed exploring a lot of places in morocco. Yes the bus rides can be long, but the stops were frequent, and prearrange stops with good restrooms. Always had plenty of water available on the bus. Our trip included folks who had been on more that 10 gate one trips, so that was good to know since our first. So next year we are planning another trip.

Just completed the 11 day Essential South Africa tour. I had decided that I would never book with Gate 1 again before I left for the trip. This was due to the number of times that I and the others in my group made phone calls regarding our reservation. We got agents who didn’t follow through, did not return calls, provided incorrect information and a manager who told me we should have gone through a travel agent. The agent was very accommodating when we booked. Having questions and looking for answers, feeling you were a problem was awful. Colleen our tour guide was excellent. She took excellent care of us and only because of her, I would give Gate 1 another chance. Patience is a virtue, and it doesn’t stop when you get a customer’s money.
Sandra Green

Edit: 6/15
I received my air fare from Arch Insurance.
The process was unnecessarily convoluted.
Here I am with a potential illness, and I am unable to talk directly to anyone, at either company. This would have been fine if the receptionist or travel agent, had asked the 'back office' the correct questions. They come back with an answer to a question you didn't ask. So you go round and round. Bits and pieces of money are sent with no explanation. I felt unheard, and that they were unconcerned about me.
Summary. All is pretty well , fiscally, still looking for $121.57.
I will travel with gate 1 again, because the guides nd managers are wonderful and extremely knowledgeable about their culture history etc.
I will look into other travel insurance companies and consider booking my own flights.
As long as you go on trip as planned all is good.

ORIGINAL:
I have been traveling with gate 1 off and on for many years. I usually get the insurance for most trips. In April we would due to go to Fiji. I was diagnosed with the heart condition And told not to fly travel or exert myself in anyway until after I was cleared by my doctor. I had to cancel the trip of course so I filed an insurance claim the trip was approximately $1,500 per person. We canceled it Under the 30 day mark so gate 1 would only give us 10% of our money back. However, Arch insurance Only gave us $475 back. The indicated Gate one would refund the rest. Odd, bot ok. 6/2/23 I called gate 1 and advised them of conversations with Arch..they said no, call arch and ask if they refund airfare in their policy. They were closed, so I called American Airlines, to find out that $776 had been credited back to GATE 1??!!? The cost of the airfare was 776. Why did Gate One take my air credit and why did arch travel insurance send me $475+/- and CLOSE MY CASE? Gate one has my and traveling partners airfare, and I paid $149 for Arch insurance travel policy through Gate one, only to get $475 back from Arch in Total??? Now I have to call again and find out who has the .money.