Package holiday airline cancellation

[West]

Hi Folks, after a little advice please...

I was going through my travel information for mine and my partners trip to NYC in January. Whilst I was doing a few bits and pieces I decided to check on the status of my flight and was simply met with my reference on the AA website saying Status: Cancelled. Instantly this obviously prompted me to speak with the travel company to find out what had happened, I also spoke to AA who confirmed that they are no longer running any flights out of Manchester next year.

OK I thought, it's fine, ill ring and speak to them and we will just get another flight.

Anyway, the travel company come back to be and the only flight they can offer me is an indirect flight via London and across to JFK which I'm really, really not to keen on as I booked this back in March and I have paid for a direct flight into JFK.

I have been further speaking to them this afternoon having now offered to change Airport if needed (not willing to travel to London however as this realistically defeats the object in my eyes, and plus its way, way too far!) and I am willing to do this at either end and tbf, I really don't care who I fly with as long as it gets us there.

What I really want to know out of all of this though is that the travel agents have since said to us, we can get you direct flights but they are with different airlines but it will be at a cost to me! surely this isn't right??? I have paid the holiday already in full on the basis of direct flight.. it isn't my fault surely the AA have pulled out of Manchester??? nor there's either but I need to know who is liable here??

Has anyone got any idea where I stand???

 

[Diagro]

they have failed to fulfill the contract. You could simply pull out entirely and request a full refund.

Tell them you want a direct flight from a local airport or you will have a full refund inc interest.

 

[.Lethal]

What I really want to know out of all of this though is that the travel agents have since said to us, we can get you direct flights but they are with different airlines but it will be at a cost to me! surely this isn't right??? I have paid the holiday already in full on the basis of direct flight.. it isn't my fault surely the AA have pulled out of Manchester??? nor there's either but I need to know who is liable here??

Has anyone got any idea where I stand???

Liable? I understand you're upset and frustrated but it's nobody's fault that the circumstances have changed and certainly nobody is liable to pay the difference for your convenience in re-booking. I'd imagine the only option other than pay additional for new flights is a refund.

 

[Lopéz]

(not willing to travel to London however as this realistically defeats the object in my eyes, and plus its way, way too far!)

Rugely to Heathrow is 2 hours, in the grander scheme of things I don't think that's a great distance. National Express would probably cost you around a tenner each way.

 

[D.P.]

What does the T&C say? I'm pretty sure they cover their backsides and your holiday included the cost of the original flight. Their responsibiltiy will be to get you to your destination, you don't have much say in how many stop-overs etc.


I fly a lot and experience multiple cancellations and delays a year. Cont yourself lucky if you manage to go at the same date even.

 

[Rids]

We had something similar happen on our honeymoon - booked a direct flight from Vegas to Orlando. Two weeks before we were due to travel they changed the flight to one that stopped off in Charlotte for a 4 hour stopover, our only option was to go with it or cancel and pay an additional £200 each to fly with a different airline.

 

[RaohNS]

Ask them to pay the cost of airport transfers. That would be a more fair option. Given the change make sure you get both transfers down to and from LHR.

If its an early morning flight it might just mean bed an hour earlier to compensate for waking up later.

 

[ZXSpectrum]

Rugely to Heathrow is 2 hours, in the grander scheme of things I don't think that's a great distance. National Express would probably cost you around a tenner each way.

And those 2 hours on a coach will feel like a lifetime! We caught a NE coach to and from Derby-Gatwick and it took flipping hours. It wasn't the most comfy of trips and it made about 8 stops. Not fun at all especially when you just want to get home and to bed.

 

[Lopéz]

And those 2 hours on a coach will feel like a lifetime! We caught a NE coach to and from Derby-Gatwick and it took flipping hours. It wasn't the most comfy of trips and it made about 8 stops. Not fun at all especially when you just want to get home and to bed.

I've just got back from Thailand, I used National Express and it took 2 hours which was the advertised time. It made one stop to drop off people. The coach was as comfortable as a coach can be - I've got no complaints!

EDIT
That Derby - Gatwick route stops at Leicester, Milton Keynes and Heathrow before it goes to Gatwick. It's the same coach as I caught!

 

[VincentHanna]

And those 2 hours on a coach will feel like a lifetime! We caught a NE coach to and from Derby-Gatwick and it took flipping hours. It wasn't the most comfy of trips and it made about 8 stops. Not fun at all especially when you just want to get home and to bed.

At school we went on a coach trip to Spain which took 20 hours each way and that was before the days of smartphones and mp3's...

2 hours on a coach is hardly the end of the world.

 

[Maundie]

How far from Manchester are you and also how were you planning on getting there?

2 hours on National Express isn't that bad at all, it took us nearly 2 hours to get from Heathrow to North Greenwich on a tube which are a hell of a lot more uncomfortable.

 

[ZXSpectrum]

I've just got back from Thailand, I used National Express and it took 2 hours which was the advertised time. It made one stop to drop off people. The coach was as comfortable as a coach can be - I've got no complaints!

EDIT
That Derby - Gatwick route stops at Leicester, Milton Keynes and Heathrow before it goes to Gatwick. It's the same coach as I caught!

LOL Well it was over 10 years ago now and it certainly stopped at more places than that. I recall Coventry as well. It took about 4-5 hours and that was at 3am!

 

[Maundie]

LOL Well it was over 10 years ago now and it certainly stopped at more places than that. I recall Coventry as well. It took about 4-5 hours and that was at 3am!

You do realise that nearly all of National Express coaches are less than 3 years old now don't you, things have moved on a hell of a lot in 10 years.

When going down to London I used to use NE instead of the train when there was track disruption on a weekend, would take 3.5 hours rather that 2.5 hours on the train but not a bad journey plus you were guaranteed a seat.

 

[Amp34]

Liable? I understand you're upset and frustrated but it's nobody's fault that the circumstances have changed and certainly nobody is liable to pay the difference for your convenience in re-booking. I'd imagine the only option other than pay additional for new flights is a refund.

As much as the OP is probably screwed (the best he will probably get IME is a refund), it is some bodies "fault". The airline sold tickets for a flight that was subsequently cancelled. There is/was a contract to provide that service and they have failed in doing so. They are at fault.

What gets me is how airlines are allowed to do this, as it can end up costing the purchaser of the tickets a fairly significant sum that has to come out of their pockets*. At the moment the only protection people have from this is the two week cancellation rule, which airlines get around by cancelling two weeks and a day prior to your flight**.

Airlines should be forced to be held accountable for this sort of thing, just as you are held accountable if you decide you don't want to go on the trip any more (no refund). Just a refund and rebook is not really an option for a lot of situations, because as the op has found out it'll end up costing alsignificantly more money.

OP best bet is to keep pushing and be flexible unfortunately.

*things like transfers, hotel bookings, trips/tours and continuing flights booked for example 24+ hours after the flight was supposed to land. Travel insurance doesn't cover this unless the cancellation is basically on the day, so you have to hope for goodwill in getting any reservations changed.

**thats happened to me, I've also had a set of flights around Christmas cancelled about 6 weeks prior to flying.

Edit: and the same as the above, get the flight from heathrow and see if they will pay for the transfer by coach. Seems a reasonable offer if it arrives and leaves at a similar time.

 

[Amp34]

We had something similar happen on our honeymoon - booked a direct flight from Vegas to Orlando. Two weeks before we were due to travel they changed the flight to one that stopped off in Charlotte for a 4 hour stopover, our only option was to go with it or cancel and pay an additional £200 each to fly with a different airline.

And the reason you were told two weeks prior:

With cancelled flights, you won't receive compensation if:

the cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances for example due to bad weather, or

you were informed 2 weeks before the scheduled flight date, or

you were offered an alternative for the same route with a similar schedule to the original one

http://www.airpassengerrights.eu/en/flight-cancellation.html

It may very well be the flight just didn't have enough people on to make it economically viable, so they cancel the flight and move everyone on to another flight.

So basically a "sorry, yeah, can't afford to take you..."

Edit: and similar IME is within 3-4 days...

 

[Arsonist]

Why is this so much of an issue?

First, it's exactly the same as if you bought a 'product' online which you wanted and you knew you'd have to wait a few months for (pre-ordering a game or CD etc) to get it. If that company then tells you 2 weeks before its due to ship that actually, sorry, we don't sell it anymore, they don't 'owe' you anything other than your money back.

Second, you've been offered a flight to London, which transfers to JFK. I regularly travel from Manchester to Heathrow for connecting flights with work, and it's not even slightly an issue. So it might add a few hours to my journey. In the grand scheme of things, it's hardly an issue.

 

[byeo]

Why is this so much of an issue?

you've been offered a flight to London, which transfers to JFK. I regularly travel from Manchester to Heathrow for connecting flights with work, and it's not even slightly an issue. So it might add a few hours to my journey. In the grand scheme of things, it's hardly an issue.

100% this.

 

[Amp34]

Why is this so much of an issue?

First, it's exactly the same as if you bought a 'product' online which you wanted and you knew you'd have to wait a few months for (pre-ordering a game or CD etc) to get it. If that company then tells you 2 weeks before its due to ship that actually, sorry, we don't sell it anymore, they don't 'owe' you anything other than your money back.

Second, you've been offered a flight to London, which transfers to JFK. I regularly travel from Manchester to Heathrow for connecting flights with work, and it's not even slightly an issue. So it might add a few hours to my journey. In the grand scheme of things, it's hardly an issue.

Because you don't normally buy a "product" online that is vital to a number of other components that generally need to be booked several months prior as well.

I think a minor change in consumer law making airlines liable for any non refundable costs incurred due to flight changes would solve a lot of these issues. It would probably make airlines less likely to put on flights they know there is a good chance won't fly, but also it will help consumers get some protection that isn't currently covered by anything else.

If the airline cancels a flight after tickets have been bought then a consumer should be able to claim compensation from the airline for any costs they incur due to the changed flight - for example an unrefundable night at a hotel due to not arriving until the next day; an onward flight booked for the next day, that will be missed due to you now arriving 28 hours later, or even the cost of transfer either from your home to the new airport, or more importantly from the new arrival airport to the original airport/hotel etc. Doesn't seem unreasonable to me, they are the ones that cocked up.

In the OP's case though as long as the flights are within a few hours of each other then he got off lightly. At the same time it is rather galling if you purposely paid extra to get a direct flight to then be forced onto one of the cheaper flights you could have booked in the beginning, for a fair chunk less. A great money earner for airlines as well...

 

[Housey]

I travel to Heathrow from 8 miles out of Rugeley often, will be doing it week after next. It's an easy run, perhaps twice as far as Manchester but not biggie. Not sure I would get too stressed. Toll road, M42, M40, M25, M4, Heathrow. I've done it under 2 hours.

 

[TJM]

Just book the bus and be done with it.