MSE News: Holidays 4 U collapses - your travel rights

bagand96

I have had to rebook flights for September (have now been well-robbed by Thomas Cook) who incidentally took their website down the very evening of the demise of Hols4U/Aegean for 'essential maintenance'. This came back on line a few hours later with the duly amended prices and duly amended luggage charges!

With all due respect, its supply and demand; there are now a lot more people after less Turkey flights. While people will slate Thomson/Thomas Cook/easyJet/Jet2/Monarch etc, these companies are not charities.

Also worth noting that those companies are still trading. Selling holidays and flights at cheap unsustainable prices will come to head (XL, Kiss Flights/Viking, Goldtrail and now H4U). Last year it was Goldtrail, a lot of over capacity in the market and Goldtrail selling flights significantly cheaper than anyone else. When they went under, H4U rapidly expanded its offering for Summer 2011. de ja vu?

Whilst searching I went on to the website for a company called Airflights.co.uk (I can't post the web addy as I am a newbie) - they had lots of availability but when checking a lot of the flights were coming up 'Carrier TBA'. The timings of some of these flights were identical to the times that the ONUR flights would have been operating by Aegean.

If anyone is still struggling to find flights, it may be worthwhile taking a look at this website and paying with your credit card. It says the company is fully bonded, etc. This company has been operating for years (but obviously that doesn't really count in the current climate).

Had a quick look now, and can't seem to find any such flights. I'd suggest Airflights were selling flights through H4U, and they were a little slow in taking the H4U flights out of their system after the failiure. Airflights are just an agent booking other peoples flights, they don't charter aircraft themselves.

Our_Felix

bagand96 wrote: »

With all due respect, its supply and demand; there are now a lot more people after less Turkey flights. While people will slate Thomson/Thomas Cook/easyJet/Jet2/Monarch etc, these companies are not charities.

So there are now a lot more people after flights, so Thomas Cook empty seats are going to be filled, is it justified then to put the price up? Did fuel rise that day, did luggage costs rise? No, normally T.Cook charge and extra £30 to take 20 kg of luggage. Wednesday night they were charging £28 per person (today they are charging £24 per person) not £30 per booking.

No-one expects flights to operate as charities, but other than Easy Jet the flights are over-inflated.

bagand96

So there are now a lot more people after flights, so Thomas Cook empty seats are going to be filled, is it justified then to put the price up? Did fuel rise that day, did luggage costs rise? No, normally T.Cook charge and extra £30 to take 20 kg of luggage. Wednesday night they were charging £28 per person (today they are charging £24 per person) not £30 per booking.

No-one expects flights to operate as charities, but other than Easy Jet the flights are over-inflated.

Like I said its supply and demand. A company will charge what it can - and Thomas Cook, easyJet, Thomson etc now no longer have to compete with (the clearly unsustainable) prices that H4U offered. If you have two petrol stations opposite each other on a main road then the prices will usually be pretty competitive. If one closes down, you will find the remaining station less competitive than other areas in town where there are concentrations of petrol stations.

To my knowledge flythomascook.com have always charged oer person per way for baggage (like low cost airlines do). Also, its not a case of just filling seats, Thomas Cook flights also take their holiday customers, so they will still be looking to sell the package holidays.

Looking on skyscanner, it seems all airlines are similar prices for Turkey in Aug/Sept, easyJet included (on many dates Thomas Cook are cheaper!)

Our_Felix

bagand96 wrote: »

To my knowledge flythomascook.com have always charged oer person per way for baggage (like low cost airlines do). Also, its not a case of just filling seats, Thomas Cook flights also take their holiday customers, so they will still be looking to sell the package holidays.

Looking on skyscanner, it seems all airlines are similar prices for Turkey in Aug/Sept, easyJet included (on many dates Thomas Cook are cheaper!)

Thomas Cook have always charged for baggage, we have another flight to Gambia booked for next March and for the 20kg of luggage we paid £30 extra for the booking (not per person).

Looking at the flights today they are all similar, however what Aegean did (which Easyjet still do) is that if you book on the day the flights are released, you get them at rock bottom price, then they go up quickly. Easyjet were even cheaper than Aegean, two friends have booked Easyjet next June to DLM for the grand sum of £32.00 each outbound (plus baggage) and £99 inbound plus luggage. Thomas Cook wanted £340 for the same journey. At the end of the day Easyjet are still making a handsome profit.

bagand96

At the end if the day Thomas Cook and essyJet are still viable businesses. Yes, they have very different pricing models, however both manage to run their businesses on a basis that is financially viable.

Unlike a certain operator who sold flights and holidays at a level where the maths simply don't add up. Goldtrail last year and H4U this year.

Thomas Cook have offered you a price for a service. You chose to accept. TC will deliver that service. Unlike your original supplier.

asamson

Hi to all the fellow Holidays 4 U/Aegean Flights customers.

Just to let you all know that i have of today received a full refund from the CAA,I had sent my Claim form on the 4th of August so they have taken just about 21 days to sort it, which is a lot quicker than i expected,i hope everyone elses goes as smoothly as mine .