Flight to Florida cancelled - compensation?

markuscj

Hi

We are off in February to do Disney etc and booked with First Choice, the flight was booked with BA.

We have just been told by First Choice that BA have cancelled the flight, we can either go the same day with Virgin (for a huge increase in cost) or take a flight with BA on the following day (so missing a day of our 'holiday of a lifetime').

All in all there are 10 of us going, and with flights, accomadation, park tickets, hire car etc we are spending about £10,000 between us.

First Choice have offered is a total of £500 if we lose a day of our holiday and fly the next day. I have heard of similar circumstances where people have been offered £250 each!

Does this offer sound fair to you? Anything we can do about it other than kick up a fuss?

TIA

richardw

What does it say in the terms and conditions about flight changes?

markuscj

I've been trawling the ABTA and ATOL websites for this, it doesn't look like we have a leg to stand on tbh, this comes under the 'Montreal Convention':

Major changes to your holiday
Occasionally, we have to make major changes to the flight or accommodation making up your holiday with us. If we tell you about any of these changes after we have confirmed your holiday booking, you may either:
- accept the new arrangements offered by us; or
- accept a replacement holiday from us of equivalent or closely similar standard and price, if one is available; this can include the choice of a replacement holiday from another TUI Travel Group company. Should you choose this option the terms and conditions of your holiday will not change and these conditions will still apply to your booking.or
- cancel your holiday with us and receive a full refund of all monies paid.

Either way, we will pay you compensation, using the Compensation table shown, unless the change is for reasons beyond our control (see the ‘Important note – events beyond our control’) and we will always refund the difference in price if the replacement holiday is of a lower standard and price.

Major changes to your holiday for which we will always pay compensation, using the scale shown, may include the following changes: a significant change of destination; a change in accommodation to that of a lower category, a change in the time of your departure or return flight by more than 12 hours, a change of UK departure airport (excluding changes between London airports, London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford stations and between Dover/Folkestone ports) but see also ‘Important note – events beyond our control’. These changes are only examples and there may be other significant changes which constitute major changes. This standard payment will not affect your statutory or other legal rights. We will only make one payment for each full-fare-paying adult in the holiday booking. Any children not paying the full adult fare will receive 50% of these amounts. Children using a free child place will not receive any standard payment.
Compensation
These scales are based on how many days before your booked holiday departure we tell you of a major change. See also the ‘Important note – events beyond our control’

Period before departure when a major change is notifiedCompensation payable per person
More than 56 days £0
55-29 days £10
28-15 days £20
14-8 days £30
7-0 days £40

My guess is First Choice are offering us compensation for the night we lose for accomadation, I just wondered if anybody had a similar experience?

delwynshd

if im honest they have offered you a flight with virgin for the same day, this is therfore giving you the same date of travel. they would only offer you these two alternatives. I very much doubt you will get anything extra

markuscj

delwynsholidaydeals wrote: »

if im honest they have offered you a flight with virgin for the same day, this is therfore giving you the same date of travel. they would only offer you these two alternatives. I very much doubt you will get anything extra

They have offered a flight on the same day with Virgin - at the cost of about £3000! If it was a straight swap at no extra cost it wouldn't be an issue.

discoinferno_99

Is it possible to move your holiday back a day and start with the BA flight the day after? BA will have availability on the way back except for 3rd and 10th Feb. That might be one solution to propose to them.

I am guessing that you are travelling out on either Tuesday 3rd or 10th Feb as BA have pulled the Orlando flights on these dates. All other dates that month look ok.

Failing that, you can get a full refund for the whole holiday and try to book it again elsewhere? That may concentrate the minds of the folks at First Choice if you threaten that action. At the moment they appear to be taking the path of least resistance, with the emphasis on you being invonvenienced and them merely processing an easy change. If you are spending over £10k with them, they may wish to be a bit more helpful.

What I find strange is that based upon the 3rd or 10th Feb outbound, the Virgin flights departing that date, with returns within a couple of weeks are generally cheaper than BA. Even the most expensive returns appearing to be circa £30 or so more per person and certainly not the £300 per person that they are suggesting to you.

markelock

have you checked virgin's website? as above, virgin are usually cheaper.

get your money back. asking for more money is taking the michael.

markuscj

Thanks, we will be having a look at Virgin flights tonight to see if we can get it cheaper, then off to see First Choice tomorrow......

Voyager2002

See if you can get any joy by contacting BA directly. They have procedures in place for putting their passengers on to Virgin flights: whether they use those procedures for you is another question.

delwynshd

i would look into cancelling the holiday an re-booking, they should not be charging you more money to travel, they have disrupted the holiday therfore your entitled to all your money back.

hope you get sorted out

bagand96

When you say you booked with First Choice, do you mean you booked the BA flights at a First Choice travel agent, or it is a First Choice package holiday? I tend to think the former, First Choice use their own flights on their package holidays do they not?

If it is flights booked with the agent, that BA have canceled then the agent will just offer you alternatives, its about the best they can do with the situation. If it is a package holiday then the tour operator has to sort something out....

Have you tried speaking to BA direct, maybe they can defer your flight home for a day, ensuring you get the same amount of time on your holiday. I'm sure there will be a solution, but if BA have simply canceled a flight then its on them to sort something out....

If it is a package holiday then First Choice (the tour operator) should be sorting out the situation by finding you an equivalent holiday....