Flight Cancelled, no email, options?

MariborKev

Right folks.

We're off to Moscow next month(3/9) for the Ireland v Russia qualifier. Booked way back last year, paid £180 for DUB-RIG-MOW-LED-RIG-LON on Air Baltic, out 3/9, back 10/9

Found out from a fellow Irish fan tonight that there has been no email, but the DUB-RIG leg is cancelled.

We booked via Orbitz, rang them and they checked and confirmed that it was.

DUB-RIGA leg being cancelled, this means we can't get the RIG-MOW leg.

What are my options
- Because it is a qualifier the availability is very small and the flights are more expensive DUB-MOW. Plus we can't get there until Sunday at the earliest, meaning that we lose out on at least one night's accommodation.

Orbitz.com are claiming no reasonability, the best they will do is a $50 voucher for each passenger. We paid $1700 for 4 or us, you would be talking $2800 for similiar route via Orbitz website now.....

I can get us the same route via Lufthansa for £368, is it reasonable to get Air Baltic to pay this?

Or can I claim the difference via travel insurance?

Any options/thoughts welcome.

MariborKev

On another note, would I be better just going on with the innocence of not contacting Air Baltic until the 14 day limit passes?

richardw

MariborKev wrote: »

would I be better just going on with the innocence of not contacting Air Baltic until the 14 day limit passes?

Which 14 day limit are you referring to?


BTW Ryanair do DUB-RIGA.

MariborKev

Yeah, checked Ryanair immediately, no flights in the day in question.

Plus the Air Baltic flight was 1.15am so we will have to spring for a night in the airport whichever way this works out.

Is there not different legislation if you are not notified/notified less than 14 days before?

richardw

EU Regulation EC261/2004 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32004R0261:EN:HTML

may be what you are referring to.

It is likely Air Baltic will give you more than 14 days notice and they won't be liable to pay compensation.

You may have a right to re-routing

Article 5
Cancellation
1. In case of cancellation of a flight, the passengers concerned shall:
(a) be offered assistance by the operating air carrier in accordance with Article 8;

Article 8
Right to reimbursement or re-routing
1. Where reference is made to this Article, passengers shall be offered the choice between:
(a) - reimbursement within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan, together with, when relevant,
- a return flight to the first point of departure, at the earliest opportunity;
(b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity; or
(c) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at a later date at the passenger's convenience, subject to availability of seats.


They are good with all of this over on http://flightmole.com/forum/

best to post on there for advice.

richardw

MariborKev wrote: »

Yeah, checked Ryanair immediately, no flights in the day in question.

Any the day before?

Alan_Bowen

For some reason you have booked with a US based website, they will have no concept of EU Regulations but irrespective of that, Air Baltic, who are cancelling flights left right and centre(make what you like of that) will have told Orbitz outside the 14 days, in fact you know they have because the website has confirmed it and since the airline will not have your direct email address, they can't contact you except through the website you booked. You can of course get a full refund for your flights and Orbitz are offering a voucher should you be crazy enough to want to book with them again but the reality is Air Baltic are not going to pay for any other flights, irrespective of what the law says and you need to book something else ASAP. If you have travel insurance, it is unlikely but not impossible, to cover the additional costs but I would strongly advise trying to get an alternative flight to Riga in the hope of getting the Air Baltic flight from there as that might also be cancelled before you travel!

richardw

Alan_Bowen wrote: »

I would strongly advise trying to get an alternative flight to Riga in the hope of getting the Air Baltic flight from there as that might also be cancelled before you travel!

Good point.