Martin PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE campaign on this topic!

jnm21

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

Not sure about you dmg, but I do tend to sleep & don't tend to roam around the streets 24/7 - I estimate that I get 10 usable hours each day & therefore I estimate to have around 30 usable hours over 3 days. I am paying money to enjoy those hours, not the hours I will sleep in a strange bed, etc.

I have not even factored in lost earnings/wasted leave (I am taking the day that I will now not even travel until the afternoon of off work, which is now wasted). I am simply saying that where they would charge me for making the choice to choose a different flight to the one I booked, if they wish to move me to another flight, they should compensate me to at least the level they would have charged me to make the same choice. They make no reference to actual cost incurred.

Where I am travelling from has no bearing, how much the flight cost has no bearing & I am well aware of the European legislation (which I have said above I do not agree with in the airlines' favour - I think the ash cloud situation is outside the airline's control & I neither thought that the legislation would apply, nor think it should in genuine circumstances, such as ash clouds, September 11, hurricanes, etc.).

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.

For a start, the right to compensation is not governed by 'European Law' - we do not live in the US of E yet! Any European legislation (to my knowledge) is only law when the member states introduce laws into their own legislatures.

This thread is about saying the law (or perhaps just the application of it) needs changed to stop the airlines (they all do it, some more than others) riding rough-shot over consumers - I don't think you grasp that. Perhaps some day you will have a connecting flight booked & 15 days before you are due to fly, the first flight airline will devastate your plans, wring their hands of any responsibility & then you will think back & wish you had backed my cause here (don't forget, any change will not benefit me, at least not in this instance anyhow).

My point on the application of the law is that the airlines say that the flight times/dates/numbers do not form part of the contract, yet go on to state that should you wish to change any of the above, they will charge around £30 per person per leg - surely not a fair contract (we can change these as often as we wish without consequence up to 2 weeks before you fly, but will charge you to do the same each time, at any time)?

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?

Do I dmg? Thank you for confirming that option - the airline do not specify that I have that option. I think it is very kind - just cancel, losing at least £62 for transfers & activities already booked (infuriatingly only in the last 2 weeks). A very kind offer!

Anyhow dmg, I get your point loud & clear - you think I am a money grabber & have no case - thank you for your time (even if you were a little rude at times). I am not a money grabber - I genuinely feel that I have lost a significant value of what is a short break & think that asking for a) £60 (£30 per person), i.e. what they deem fair to charge me if I did exactly what they have done OR b) the chance to move my break so that I can still have 3 full days OR c) to have them transfer me to a flight with another airline that is closer to what I paid them for, is more than fair.

Caz3121

I am guessing that this is a flight from Belfast to Stansted 29th July.

bmibaby sell one way fares so if it is important to you to travel earlier (you mention the Easyjet flight as an option) you can ask for a refund of your flight - keeping the return portion as it is and book an alternative outbound with Easyjet for £26.99...not sure what you originally paid or how many people but I cannot see that being a huge additional cost.

bmibaby will not book you on easyjet and most airlines will argue their contract is to get you from A to B.. time is a rough guide

jnm21

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

Caz3121 wrote: »

most airlines will argue their contract is to get you from A to B.. time is a rough guide

Quite correct, however, if I wanted to change my flight by 45 minutes, 8 hours or 2 days, they would penalise me - why can they have one rule for them, another for me? Personally for reasons beyond their reasonable control, I accept that time cannot be guaranteed, but for schedule/commercial/profit reasons, that is not on!

As for the flight you detail, easyjet now depart from the international airport (which is a major reason I changed to BMIbaby) - a taxi to the city airport is <£10, the international would be about £30 - that is £20 extra (and at least 30 extra minutes travel time at an already unearthly hour). The flight (assuming you are correct in saying £26.99 - the flight correct, the date is not) is £14 for two people dearer. The easybus booking is likely to be £12 to £18 for two. So, total expense to me is around £50 plus at least 1/2 hour.

EDIT: Thanks for the info, just checked easyjet & it appears that their prices are a lot lower that I thought (skyscanner seems to be reporting them about £10 higher per person each way at the minute).

richardw

Article 8.1(b) of EC261/2004 has no two week rule and says the earliest opportunity, not sure if it is any airline or must be the airline with the current booking.

jnm21

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

richardw wrote: »

Article 8.1(b) of EC261/2004 has no two week rule and says the earliest opportunity, not sure if it is any airline or must be the airline with the current booking.

I was in the process of detailing the above post when you sent that - it is a fun document to read, isn't it? I find myself reading through, jumping to article 8, finishing that & wondering which article has sent me there!

Thanks again - most helpful!

Would you agree that the regulation does not limit the 'earliest opportunity' to the same carrier & therefore means with any carrier (I can't decide if that is a given or a leap too far)?

EDIT: Any ideas on how to contact them? A google pulled up an old (very old) thread on a travel forum saying try twitter - I'm not a tweeter, but a quick look (which is what delayed my previous post), suggests that they got too much public heat & have effectively hidden their profile (only followers can view & only 1 follower, would suggest that it is a dead end).

EDIT2: For anyone finding this thread in a similar position, it seems that twitter is a good way to contact BMIbaby (if they happen to call you when it suits - they called me when I was driving on the motorway, etc. - not their fault, but the number they ring from is outgoing only, hence no point posting it here/on sayno).

bagand96

Your biggest mistake was booking bmibaby and expecting them to actually operate the flight you paid for.

They are the biggest joke around. Thankfully for the fare paying passenger their future is probably not one that extends too far.