Hello fellow travelers, I'm still fuming about my disastrous experience with OnlineTours (ONLINE TRAVEL GROUP LLC). It all started in February when my partner and I splurged on a tour to China's Hainan Island for our 10-year anniversary in July 2025. We'd been counting down the days for months, but on July 19, 2025, our dream trip turned into a total nightmare. We dropped off our cats at a cat hotel early that morning, then headed to Sheremetyevo airport with plenty of time to spare – almost 4 hours before our flight. But, oh boy, the queue for Hainan Airlines was absolute chaos – they had way too few check-in counters. After that mad dash, we moved on to customs, which was moving at a snail's pace (I'm not sure if it's always like this or we just got unlucky). By the time we reached the gate, our flight had already taken off 7 minutes ago. Of course, we pleaded with the staff to let us board, but it was no use – the rules are the rules. They told us where to collect our checked luggage, and we headed there while trying to get in touch with our tour operator. That's when we encountered the company's complete lack of customer care, the unhelpfulness of their staff, and their unwillingness to assist us in our time of need. We were the ones who messed up, but we were expecting some understanding and support. Instead, we got a cold, unhelpful voice on the phone. When we called the hotline and explained our situation, we were told that it was Saturday, and the office was closed except for a duty manager. They couldn't help us, and we should call back on Monday. Monday?!?! It's Saturday, and our flight has already taken off! Our trip is ruined, and we've got a prepaid itinerary burning a hole in our pockets. We're supposed to check into our hotel tomorrow, but what are we supposed to do?!?! The phone went silent, and the only response we got was that someone would try to contact someone else. We eventually got our luggage and decided to stay at the airport, hoping to find a way to catch a flight to our destination. But no one was in a hurry to help us. It wasn't until our 10th call, asking for assistance, that they told us to buy our own tickets at the airport and, get this, return them as well! Apparently, according to some rules, the entire flight block or package is cancelled, and we needed to find new flights. But, of course, everyone was too busy to help us. We had to go to the airport's ticket counter and find our own flights. It was a wild goose chase, but that's a story for another time. In the end, my partner and I bought return tickets to our destination, and we're still trying to figure out what happened and how to salvage our trip.

I'm still fuming about the whole ordeal with OnlineTours and OOO Paks. So, we ended up buying those return tickets on the same flight we were originally supposed to take – talk about a hassle! We had to reconfirm with OnlineTours, and they told us we needed to buy new tickets if we were flying the same route. Fast forward to the next day, and our flight got delayed by 5.5 hours, while the one we were supposed to catch took off on the dot. The receiving company, OOO Paks, was handling our baggage, and when we arrived at the hotel, the manager was shocked that we'd arrived a day late – even though they'd been searching for us at the airport in Hainan for over two hours the day before. We were just as surprised, since we'd only notified them about our flight delay after we'd collected our baggage back at Sheremetyevo airport. Needless to say, our holiday was pretty much ruined.

So, when we arrived at the airport in Hainan for our return flight a week later, the registration staff were confused – they asked us why we had four tickets and which one we'd be activating. We tried to explain that our original flight had been delayed, and that the return tickets had been cancelled, but they just didn't get it. We'd ended up buying two sets of return tickets because of the delay, and they just couldn't understand why we had four tickets between us.

When we got back to Moscow, we contacted OnlineTours again, explaining the whole situation from the start and adding in the story of the Chinese airport. We were hoping for some kind of compensation for the return tickets, since we'd been sold them twice! We filled out a complaint form, attached all the relevant documents, tickets, receipts, and invoices, and sent it off. But then, it seemed like we were just forgotten about – despite being told that our chances of getting a refund were good, and that they understood and sympathized with our situation. In reality, no one was actually working on our problem, and when we kept calling to ask about the status of our complaint, we were just passed from one specialist to another, with each one saying that our manager was either unavailable or would call back later (which never happened). The woman on the phone just told us to wait, and that it wasn't their problem – it was the fault of our tour operator, OOO Paks. They'd sent our complaint to them, but they weren't responding. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands and visit Paks in person on November 15th. And guess what? No one had even contacted them about our problem!

It's clear that OnlineTours is just trying to wring as much money out of us as possible, and then forget about us once they've got it. If everything goes smoothly, then great – but if something goes wrong, then we're on our own. We're not taking responsibility for the delay, but it's clear that OnlineTours is just trying to shift the blame onto us.

Our Moscow trip was already a total mess, and we're still fuming about the whole thing. I mean, we're not even sure what went down with our return flight getting cancelled, but we were determined to make it back. And guess what? We ended up flying back with the same airline anyway! It's just crazy to think about all the time and stress we wasted waiting for something that never happened. If they'd just been upfront with us and told us to stop wasting our time, we wouldn't have had to deal with all the anxiety. But no, they just left us hanging, and we were left with a ruined vacation (which was supposed to be a special 10-year anniversary trip) and a seriously negative impression of the airline. I mean, the country itself isn't to blame, but now every time we think of it, we're reminded of this awful experience. Needless to say, OnlineTours is now a black mark and a red flag for us. Even if they're the only option, we'd rather stay home and spend the whole vacation on our dacha than deal with them again. I'm sure most tourists have had the opposite experience with this company, but we felt like we were just an inconvenience to them. We don't wish that on anyone, which is why we're sharing our story - so people can be informed and make their own decisions. After all, it's always better to learn from someone else's mistakes than your own!

Editor's Summary

I'm still fuming about my disastrous experience with OnlineTours. They completely botched our flight check-in process, leaving us stuck in a massive queue with no clear solution. Their customer support team was completely unhelpful and unresponsive when we tried to contact them after missing our flight. I'd advise fellow travelers to steer clear of this company.

Featured FAQ

What happened during your experience with OnlineTours?We booked a tour to China's Hainan Island, but their flight check-in process was a disaster. We missed our flight and had to deal with their unhelpful customer support team.

Did you get any help from OnlineTours after missing your flight?No, their customer support team was completely unresponsive. We were left to fend for ourselves in a foreign country.

Would you recommend OnlineTours to fellow travelers?No, I'd advise people to steer clear of this company. They completely botched our flight check-in process and provided no useful information about the tour.

What could OnlineTours have done differently to prevent this disaster?They could have provided more information about the tour and been more transparent about the flight check-in process. They also needed to have a more responsive customer support team.

Have you had any other issues with OnlineTours?Yes, their lack of communication and transparency made it impossible for us to get the help we needed. We were left feeling lost and confused throughout the entire experience.

Are there any red flags that you noticed during your experience with OnlineTours?Yes, the tour operator's inability to adapt to changing circumstances meant that we were left high and dry when our flight was delayed.