Take a package holiday without the flights?

budgetflyer

silvercar wrote: »

30 July to 6 Aug

grand hotel tremezzo, Lake Como

HB for 2 adults with a lakeside view.

flights to milan ideally from Luton or Stansted but will accept Heathrow or Gatwick.

Thomson quoting £3416 for hotel only

or £29xx for flights gatwick to Verona.

Its coming up no availability those dates + I checked hotel direct too.
Plenty of sites normally sell the hotel- ie - dhr, otel, skoosh, ebookers, hotels.com, expedia, bookings, hrs, octopus, splendia and hotel club

So if Thomsons are the only one with availability then they must have bought up all remaining rooms, those dates

silvercar

apt wrote: »

It's a three hour coach journey instead of two hours from Milan, but the times of the Gatwick flight are very good - take off 1.35pm return 7pm, so you would not have to stay overnight at Gatwick which was your previous complaint.

According to Thomson, we should expect the coach journey from Verona to take upto 4 hours, whereas they quote 1.5 hrs from Milan.

If they did the hotel for less without the flight, we would take easyjet into Milan malpensa and hire a car and complete the airport-hotel run in about an hour - its only 33 miles.

I object to paying an extra £500 not to take a flight.

budgetflyer

stephb34 wrote: »

As a general rule if you don't use the outbound flight then the package is cancelled, but we do have customers that miss their flight out and catch the next available flight there is to get them out there but the tour operator does have to be informed immediately to be able to hold the hotel and the return flight. So if your brave and dare risk it you could miss the outbound flight, inform thomsons you've missed it so they hold the accommodation and then when your settled in a few days before you come home let the rep know you dont want the flight home so they're not waiting for you at the airport. Sounds good in theory but don't know if i'd dare, but is something for you to consider.

I reckon you can blag it and do what stephb34 says.
At the last minute tell them somethings cropped up and you will miss the flight. you will get there by your own means.
Why should they really care ?

apt

You are obviously not that keen on this holiday otherwise you would have booked it by now and would use the well-timed flights provided. The cost of easyJet flights from Luton are £475 for two people plus luggage costs. The idea that you will get from the airport to the hotel in an hour with a hire-car is also far fetched. It will take time to do the paperwork and pick-up the car, plus the time consuming part of the journey is driving along the banks of Lake Como. This is only two lanes and is very busy.

silvercar

apt wrote: »

You are obviously not that keen on this holiday otherwise you would have booked it by now and would use the well-timed flights provided. The cost of easyJet flights from Luton are £475 for two people plus luggage costs. The idea that you will get from the airport to the hotel in an hour with a hire-car is also far fetched. It will take time to do the paperwork and pick-up the car, plus the time consuming part of the journey is driving along the banks of Lake Como. This is only two lanes and is very busy.

No. I just in a MSA way refusing to pay £972 extra to do our own flights. OH is refusing to fly to Verona full stop.

Now looking at Lake Maggiore to get the Milan flights.

bagand96

I reckon you can blag it and do what stephb34 says.
At the last minute tell them somethings cropped up and you will miss the flight. you will get there by your own means.
Why should they really care ?

I tend to agree.

I assume you haven't asked Thomson about booking the package and not using the flights? Would the holiday be cancelled with a no-show at Gatwick?

Thomson operate a 24 hour emergency holiday helpline. Book the package, call that line the night before/morning of the day you go, and say something has happened and you cannot make the flight; but you have found your own and you still intend to have the holiday. That way a message should get through.

silvercar

bagand96 wrote: »

I tend to agree.

I assume you haven't asked Thomson about booking the package and not using the flights? Would the holiday be cancelled with a no-show at Gatwick?

I asked that question and was told a no-show would cancel the hotel booking. Apparently Thomson staff at the airport immediately notify HQ and the hotel booking is cancelled.

silvercar

Just booked Lake maggiore instead.

Flights are Gatwick to Milan Malpensa.

This is definitely a package holiday from their Lakes and Mountains brochure, though the flights are now with easyjet!