Martin PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE campaign on this topic!

jnm21

Martin, this is my plea to you - please please please campaign on the flight change swindle.

I have flights booked with BMIbabay (booked after easyjet messed me around twice I must add) - I was due to fly to London at 06:40 for a weekend break - they have cancelled my flight & shunted me on to a 14:20 flight - nearly 8 hours later! My points are as follows:

• If I wanted to move to the afternoon flight, it would cost me around £60 per person, yet they give me nothing, not even costs for moving me. Not even the £12 for my easy bus that I only booked last week!
• If I wish to do anything other than accept, I must pay to ring them on a number they likely profit from (0844) - if I want to book by phone, they would charge me extra for them to have someone answer a phone - they won't pay for my time having to ring them!

How is this fair? It is a blatant double standard.

They should have to offer a) to pay me the flight change fee that they would charge me (if I accept or cancel), b) any flight within a 30 day window, free of any cost, including phonecalls or c) have to pay me the difference between what they refund and a similar flight with another airline.

You Martin have the clout to get this infuriating double standard stamped out - you can mobilise the masses via your media influence!

PLEASE?

Thanks

dmg24

I think it is fine for airlines to treat consumers like this.

jnm21 wrote: »

They should have to offer a) to pay me the flight change fee that they would charge me (if I accept or cancel), b) any flight within a 30 day window, free of any cost, including phonecalls or c) have to pay me the difference between what they refund and a similar flight with another airline.

Are you flying to cloud cuckoo by any chance?

jnm21

I would like to see Martin try to improve what is a terrible double standard

Why do you say that? I am simply saying that they are breaking their contract with me (to provide me a service) & they should have to compensate me for the costs I will suffer as a result. How is it fair that they would charge me a small fortune to move the flight if I want to, yet that if they give me two weeks notice, they can move my flight by several hours, even days & wash their hands of the consequences?

Surely this should be the same as any other purchase - they invite you to treat, you offer to purchase, they accept & a contract is formed - why can they move the goal posts for free when they would want you to pay to make changes - strikes me as totally unfair.

dmg24

I think it is fine for airlines to treat consumers like this.

jnm21 wrote: »

Why do you say that? I am simply saying that they are breaking their contract with me (to provide me a service) & they should have to compensate me for the costs I will suffer as a result. How is it fair that they would charge me a small fortune to move the flight if I want to, yet that if they give me two weeks notice, they can move my flight by several hours, even days & wash their hands of the consequences?

Surely this should be the same as any other purchase - they invite you to treat, you offer to purchase, they accept & a contract is formed - why can they move the goal posts for free when they would want you to pay to make changes - strikes me as totally unfair.

But you have not incurred any of the three costs that you say they should pay you!

jnm21

I would like to see Martin try to improve what is a terrible double standard

Does it cost them £50 to let me change my flight - I think not £10 at most. If I wanted to do the same change last week that they did this week, they would have profited from my choice - why should I not be compensated for their choice?

They have cost me over 25% of my time on the trip, one that is costing over £200 - so how can you say it hasn't cost me - of three full usable days, they have taken most of one.

I could have (and would have) left my trip with Easyjet had they not advertised the morning flight - I would have had the extra day to enjoy. Now to rebook with Easyjet will cost me double what I paid originally. I am not asking for hundreds of pounds, but I think they must realise that their actions have consequences & the fair way to do that is make them pay REASONABLE costs/compensation - I think that this is more reasonable than them having to pay because of the ash clouds, which after all they have no control over - schedule changes of this magnitude are commercial decisions, made for profit.

richardw

Have you asked them for the £12 easybus fare?

When are you supposed to fly?

jnm21

I would like to see Martin try to improve what is a terrible double standard

I am due to fly in just over two months (it is nearly two months since I booked).

I have not asked them for the £12, as they will weasel: "In line with bmibaby terms and conditions, bmibaby will not be responsible for any additional charges incurred as a result of these cancellations. All passengers are advised to pursue any claims for additional expenses via their own personal travel insurers."

It would cost me about £1-£2 to ask (they only give an 0844 number, no email option - credit to Easyjet - they now offer this).

I don't really care about the £12 - it is the 1/3 of my trip that I want back - I'm going for a few days holiday (for my birthday) & I am now faced with:

losing 1/3 of it,

paying approx £100 extra to book flights with another airline (that are less suitable & involve a lot more travel - that is why I moved to these flights in the 1st place) or

cancelling the trip (losing both a lot of money as I have booked things in London & my birthday trip).

richardw

jnm21 wrote: »

It would cost me about £1-£2 to ask (they only give an 0844 number,

Try http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

jnm21

I would like to see Martin try to improve what is a terrible double standard

I know of sayno (it is one of the best sites ever), but thank you for trying to help.

If you look at my three options, I don't think anyone can argue that the net cost to me is less than £75 (1/3 of the trip cost), so I do not think that expecting the airline to pay (relating to the options in my original post):

a) £60 (ish) compensation (or what they would charge me to do the same change for two people, not factoring in the fare increase)
or (not and, as I suspect dmg24 may have thought)
b) Effectively nothing (they have the seats & very few flights go 100% full - again, Easyjet offer this currently - credit to them)
or
c) £100 'funny money' (all airlines would get their fair share of such transfers & would make this money back - I'd even be happy for them to arrange the transfer to Easyjey/BMI/etc. for me if they could negotiate never paying the money between them)

dmg24

I think it is fine for airlines to treat consumers like this.

jnm21 wrote: »

I know of sayno (it is one of the best sites ever), but thank you for trying to help.

If you look at my three options, I don't think anyone can argue that the net cost to me is less than £75 (1/3 of the trip cost), so I do not think that expecting the airline to pay (relating to the options in my original post):

a) £60 (ish) compensation (or what they would charge me to do the same change for two people, not factoring in the fare increase)
or (not and, as I suspect dmg24 may have thought)
b) Effectively nothing (they have the seats & very few flights go 100% full - again, Easyjet offer this currently - credit to them)
or
c) £100 'funny money' (all airlines would get their fair share of such transfers & would make this money back - I'd even be happy for them to arrange the transfer to Easyjey/BMI/etc. for me if they could negotiate never paying the money between them)

Reread the above - it makes no sense.

The delay might have cost you some time whilst you were away, but I can't see how you equate it to £75 and it does not equate to any of the compensation options that you have suggested.

BMIBaby have acted within the law. The right to compensation is governed by European Law, and as they have given you sufficient notice they are not bound to do anything for you.

You do of course have one other option, which is to cancel. If you are such contempt for the airline, I don't understand why you would still want to fly with them anyway?

dmg24

I think it is fine for airlines to treat consumers like this.

jnm21 wrote: »

They have cost me over 25% of my time on the trip, one that is costing over £200 - so how can you say it hasn't cost me - of three full usable days, they have taken most of one.

If it is taking 25% of your time, are you saying that you are only going for 32 hours?

Where are you travelling from, and how much did the flight cost?