FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS: Volcano ash from Iceland hits UK flight plans

xellieqx

Things are finally looking up. I hope everyone is getting on okay.

terrain

DRiz wrote: »

I was due to fly tomorrow with thmas cook to turkey and booked my hotel through seperately travelrepublic, i have tried for 3 days to contact them via various numbers and they keep cutting my calls after waiting 20 mins+. I desperately need to cancel the hotel in turkey that I booked through them, as the flight has just been canx. (and hoprefully get back some or all the money for the hotel) I am so upset with travelreupublic for their lack of help. Is anyone in a similar position that can help, or direct me what to do next, please please help, many thanks

hi i am in the same boat as you been trying to phone them for 2 days to cancel my accommodation with them and hopefully get a full refund i have sent an e-mail today to cancel but it takes three days for a reply (if they reply) am going to keep phoning to see if i can eventually get through.

Buster1874

Good that things are getting going again but my daughter and her friends are stuck out in Palma Majorca and since being turned away at the airport last thursday morning after the flight was cancleed they not heard a thing from Easyjet. (Neither did my wife when she was stuck in Paris). All they were told is April 29th which is still 8 days away. Any contact I try to make with Easyjet fails. Any idea how I can force the issue of trying to get an earlier flight or alternative UK airport from them? As usual customer "experience" (oh how I hate that expression) teams have just gone to ground when there is something to do.

Hugh_Jass

sammytree wrote: »

hi, I have booked return tickets to China through expedia, the flight will leave on this Friday, I hope by the time there will be chance to fly away.

But, if the flight is cancelled, although my ticket is "non refundable", is it possible to get refund from expedia?

any one has some idea about this? thx!

Hi - my flight to Hong Kong was cancelled and Expedia gave me a full refund - even though my tickets were non-refundable

terrain

:j

terrain wrote: »

hi i am in the same boat as you been trying to phone them for 2 days to cancel my accommodation with them and hopefully get a full refund i have sent an e-mail today to cancel but it takes three days for a reply (if they reply) am going to keep phoning to see if i can eventually get through.

update after sending e-mail today travel republic phoned me and have refunded 100% of my accomodation money.

Birdy

Travelplan Direct although underwritten by Fortis are NOT covering cancellation, travel delay or abandonment.

Please find below details of the restrictions applicable on your travel insurance policy with regards to the disruption caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland.


Cancellation
No cover will apply under this section. The insured events are specific and this scenario is not covered under primary policies.



Travel Delay & Abandonment
This section of cover contains specific exclusions, one being any claims arising from the delay of travel arrangements by or on the order of any Government, public or Local Authority but not limited to any civil or federal aviation authority. For this reason the policy can not respond as the authorities have grounded/delayed flights.
Whilst the above overriding exclusion applies, it is also worth noting that a volcanic eruption is not a weather event and, whilst most policies provide cover for adverse weather, this does not apply in these circumstances.


It may be that you are able to claim refunds from your airline and/or accommodation provider directly.

Therefore, unfortunately there is no cover available for any costs incurred by the disruption caused by the Volcanic Ash, however, your policy will be automatically extended or the dates amended free of charge, subject to you rearranging your travel plans for any other claims that may arise.

I hope this clarifies your queries.
Kindest Regards


I thought the Fortis ones were paying out?

Booked flight and accommodation separately. I know flight will be refunded, but hotel paid directly and now too late to cancel under their T&C

B.

PhylPho

Just a thought.

Though I'm familiar with aircraft and general aviation it's also painfully clear now that I know nothing when it comes to ATOLs and ABTAs and components and carrier duties-of-care and what's a package and what isn't and what online travel brokers can get away with / cannot get away with / are more than likely to want to get away with and whether or not something not mentioned in an insurance schedule means it's automatically excluded or, then again, it might possibly be included. . .

Etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera.

The situation faced by the aviation industry here has been unprecedented, but to say this was merely a story about aircraft engines and ash ingestion is to completely misrepresent it.

It's actually a story about ordinary people who didn't realise they had to be qualified attorneys-at-law before they bought their holiday insurance or before they made an online flight booking or before they paid an online agent to pull together what they thought was a 'package' but which then turned out not to be.

People who didn't think it was obligatory to know chapter and verse of EC regulation / legislation before booking a family holiday to the sun.

The posts on here by MSErs who really seem to know what they're talking about have been amongst the most impressive this forum has ever carried.

The expertise of those making professional contributions, as it were, be it the small travel agency or whatever, likewise.

If those posters -- and I apologise, because it may be asking too much -- have anything to add by way of clarification or supplementary comment to Martin's 'Volcanic cloud: your travel, employment & financial rights' then I'm sure many would appreciate that.

In particular: although Martin's MSE article is superb, it doesn't in the time and space available provide much in the way of what-to-look-out-for warnings for the future.

Help by the posters mentioned above in terms of how to plan *sensibly* for that next DIY holiday, how to insure *sensibly* and what kind of operator or carrier scams to look out for is going to be invaluable.

Meantime, many, many thanks to all those MSErs who've put in so much time and so much effort here these past few days. :T

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Disneyland are also offering 1 day FREE entrance today only for stranded tourists

Take ID & cancelled e-ticket/boarding card to guest services

busiscoming2

Buster1874 wrote: »

Good that things are getting going again but my daughter and her friends are stuck out in Palma Majorca and since being turned away at the airport last thursday morning after the flight was cancleed they not heard a thing from Easyjet. (Neither did my wife when she was stuck in Paris). All they were told is April 29th which is still 8 days away. Any contact I try to make with Easyjet fails. Any idea how I can force the issue of trying to get an earlier flight or alternative UK airport from them? As usual customer "experience" (oh how I hate that expression) teams have just gone to ground when there is something to do.

We were due to fly with easyjet from Palma last Thursday, we were on our way to the airport when we were texted and told flight was cancelled! (no tv in our apartment!) we went to the airport and cannot fault Easyjet: They re booked us onto a flight this morning and put us up in the meantime, paying for everything. We flew this morning on time, no problem. So flights are back on - for the moment.

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Delta have now got us a slightly earlier flight, but out of LAX rather than Las Vegas. Took this option, and drove the 270 + miles down to LA yesterday
Booked into a cheap motel in Anaheim & contacted our car hire company to arrange taking the care back early but to a different airport.

Their website does mention a $150 one-way fee, but the !!!!!!s are charging us $250!! They say as we are cutting 2 days off our original rental, there is a rate change!

The service agent I spoke to was unaware of the ash problems affecting Europe!!

Even so, demanded to speak to a manager, who was completely unsympathetic.

When we originally hired the care (back in the UK via Carhire3000) the UK booking agents were excellent & assured me that on my original booking, no way-one fee would be paid, which it wasn't. But, Alamo say that the contract is different now that we've had to 'extend' it

Unless this is sorted out, will never use ALAMO again!