Flight delay and cancellation compensation, Thomas Cook ONLY

DIYBaldyman

JPears wrote: »

Do we really think that these highly sophisticated aircraft which rely massively on complex electronics are not thoroughly protected from such events, given the variety of countries and enviroments they visit?

Very valid point JP - although aren't the relays / breakers just that - thorough protection for the more sophisticated & complex components?

Which really brings endaf's previous comment into play - T.C. should always have an immediate supply of these parts to allow immediate replacement.

JPears

They are, and they are designed to trip - that's their function! In my case, the indicator that shows up when the relay/breaker trips was faulty so it didn't show it had tripped, hence they didn't know what the problem was!
Unfortunately the judge didn't see my argument that a 22 year old 737 might be expected to have these problems and so were inherent in the operation of the airline. Even more bizarre was the that jet2 didn't replace the relay for that flight or mine! My case, alas, was pre Huzar and Van der Laans so I lost.
Unfortunately UK "justice" doesn't allow me to go back to the judge and say "you were wrong"

111KAB

http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?c=setreg&region=3&m_id=Y!Y!_r_rm_rs~&w_id=31932&news_id=2022049

mickd1963

Update on Thomas Cook flight to Goa on 17/12/10 from Gatwick just had an apologetic letter from Thomas Cook stating compensation on this occasion is payable, and have offered me £960 for 2 people but in vouchers, this is going to be refused and cash demanded, is there a template to help. Big thanks for all the help from you people very much appreciated

. :j:money:

Vauban

mickd1963 wrote: »

Update on Thomas Cook flight to Goa on 17/12/10 from Gatwick just had an apologetic letter from Thomas Cook stating compensation on this occasion is payable, and have offered me £960 for 2 people but in vouchers, this is going to be refused and cash demanded, is there a template to help. Big thanks for all the help from you people very much appreciated

. :j:money:

"Dear TC,

I would like my compensation paid in cash, not vouchers. Thanks.

Yours ever,

Mickd1973"

Or better still give them a call and they'll probably arrange payment over the phone.

JPQXX

Hi, first post and want a view on a situation.
Booked Manchester to Heraklion back in January, outbound flight was shown as 0700.
We arrived at the airport the 2 hrs before and after queueing for an hour we were told that the flight was at 1400 (same flight number)
We had checked the flight details 24 hours before going to the airport, all paperwork showed 0700.
On contacting TC on our return we were told that they didn't have to tell us of the change in times and as it was under 12 hours it was not a significant change and was not due compensation (as per their T&C's)
What are your views?
Also our return flight had been altered by the same 7 hours.
(I have found out that were were two of 109 passengers with this situation on that flight)

JPears

Depending on the reason for the delay, you are probably due compensation.
Why were the flights delayed?
Read Vauban's guide, submit 2 seperate claims. Then come back if any further advice needed.

DIYBaldyman

JPQXX wrote: »

On contacting TC on our return we were told that they didn't have to tell us of the change in times and as it was under 12 hours it was not a significant change and was not due compensation (as per their T&C's)

Don't pay any attention to Thomas Cook stating their T&C's, EU 261/2004 is a statutory law & supersedes any airline's terms & conditions. T.C. told me that under their T&C's only delays of 12 hours or more are classed as major & eligible for compensation - after taking the advice of many on this forum & using Vauban's fantastic guide, 2 months later I received a payment of £1200 for a 5 hour delay.

As JP said below, knowing why the flight was delayed may help.

How long before your return flight were you told of the delay? If again you only found out at the airport, you may well have 2 valid claims.

JPQXX

Thanks for the replies.
What we were told was that the flights had been re-scheduled, but TC had not told us (and 100+ others)
Our tickets still had the original time, even after we had checked the flight details the evening before the flight.
Same with our return flights. All paperwork showed the earlier time, but the flight had been scheduled for 7 hours later.

DIYBaldyman

JPQXX wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.
What we were told was that the flights had been re-scheduled, but TC had not told us (and 100+ others)
Our tickets still had the original time, even after we had checked the flight details the evening before the flight.
Same with our return flights. All paperwork showed the earlier time, but the flight had been scheduled for 7 hours later.

This is a classic case of Thomas Cook's ignorance at their customer-facing end. They think that by stating their Terms & Conditions, passengers will look them up, see that they state the 12 hours & walk away. As I mentioned below - EU261/2004 is a law & takes precedence over any company's T&C's.

Download & thoroughly read Vauban's guide (link below);


https://dl.orangedox.com/GdfSa4xUZdZI5GJadr/Vauban%27s%20Guide%20to%20Claiming%20Flight%20Dela%20%20y%20Compensation.pdf

Then write a Letter Before Action (details in the guide) directly to their legal department.

Thomas Cook UK Ltd Legal Department
Hangar 1,
Western Maintenance Area
Runger Lane
Manchester Airport
Manchester
M90 5FL

They will either ignore you completely, contact you with an offer to settle, or reply rejecting your claim giving a reason. If they reject your claim & provide a reason, don't take their word for it - post details back on here or do some more research into the reason behind the re-scheduling. Airlines have perfected the art of being as economical with the truth as possible until they find themselves faced with a court summons, at which point they have to tell the whole truth.

If you are ignored or rejected, you still have the option of going down the 'Botts or others' route (My own experience with Botts was nothing less than farcical, though I know they have been successful for others on numerous occasions).

It may help if you post your flight details (dates & numbers) on here - regular members may be able to look into the cause of the delay.

Did you keep your tickets / boarding passes?