Flight delay and cancellation compensation, Thomas Cook ONLY

Daveymac

Hi everyone ,A couple of months ago I booked a flight through Thomas cook to Crete in June 18,,they have now changed the outbound and return flight times and now this flight is not suitable firstly because the flight now lands after the cutoff time to enter our holiday accommodation,so I would have to wait from &8 pm until 12 pm the next day to enter the accommodation ,the return flight now lands at midnight instead if 2 o'clock in the afternoon and seeing as we are at work the next day it makes the flight totally unsuitable .
I have cancelled it with Thomas cook but they will only give me the tax back which amounts to me losing over £700 .
Any body been in this situation and has anybody got any money back ?

legal_magpie

You may have jumped the gun by cancelling rather than complaining bitterly and asking for them to stick to the original times or to suggest an alternative or to offer a refund

Daveymac

Hi ,I did ask if they had a an alternative flight but they said there wasn’t ,one available ,I also asked if I could transfer my flight to a different airport ,they also said it couldn’t be done .i explained my reasoning behind this but they just weren’t interested .i just think this goes against the basics of our consumer rights .they can’t provide what I paid for so I should be refunded my monies .
i think it’s apalling they are allowed to do this .

JPears

I would suggest you check the terms and conditons very carefuly.
It has been mentioned previously that the contract is very one sided with airlines in the context of non- refundable tickets.

There could be an argument for small claims action under the unfair contracts laws?
Did you get a package from TC - flights and accommadation?

JPears

From TC's T&Cs:
5.
CHANGES BY US, CHANGES BY
YOU
5.1
Schedule
Changes
We will inform you of any significant changes to your flight as soon as
we become aware of them. If flight times change significantly, we will send a revised confirmation itinerary to the email address or postal address that you gave at the time of booking.
. If a travel agent has made the booking on your
behalf, all confirmations will be sent to that travel agent. However, it is your responsibility to reconfirm all flight details at least 48 hours prior to departure by viewing your booking itinerary
online using our
‘Manage Booking’ facility on this website.
Departure and flight times shown may change between the date of booking and the date you
actually travel.
We do not guarantee them to you and they do not form part of your contract with us.
Before we accept your booking, we will notify you of the scheduled flight time in effect at that time, and it will be shown on your Ticket.
It is possible that we may need to change the scheduled flight time subsequent to issue of your ticket.
If you provide us with contact information, we will endeavour to
notify you of any such changes. If there is a flight change on your booking, a significant change is: a change of time over 12 hours or more, a change of destination, or a change of the UK
departure airport.

Any other change is not a significant change. Any change which is not deemed to be significant will be classed as a minor change.
If, after you purchase your Ticket, we make a significant change to the scheduled flight time, which is not acceptable to you, and we are unable to book you on an alternate flight which is acceptable to you, you may be entitled to a refund.


How much later is the outbound flight?

Daveymac

The actual flight change is 8 hours ,so well within the ‘allowed’ time for it not to be a ‘significant change’.but because of this I would be 24 hours late into my accommodation as well as having no were to stay between 8pm (landing at Heraklion) and 12 pm the next day which is the time I can collect the keys to our accommodation (12til 6 pm).the flight was booked specifically to get us there in time and now it doesn’t .
Say I went and bought a black sofa ,paid for it and was told it would be. Delivered in 10 weeks ,then after 5 weeks they emailed me and said they are going to deliver a red one instead.i would be able to get a full refund without any problems .
What’s the difference .

Daveymac

Just the flight.may I also add that I have flown Thomas cook almost every year for the last 30 years.
so much for being a loyal customer .

JPears

None.
And this is where there is a problem because you can't make unilateral changes without charge or penalty, yet the airline can. And re-sell your seats, possible at higher price too!
The T&Cs are far too one sided. And may not be necessarily lawful.
You may need to sue via the small claims court -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfair_terms_in_English_contract_law

hoolicool

Paulcox741 wrote: »

Hi,

Been struggling with Thomas Cook since August and wondered if anyone could offer any advice before I take it to CEDR?

Flight details are: Orlando to Stansted 5/8/17 - MT2929

Basically the history is as follows.

Checked at breakfast (11am). Flight delayed by 3hrs 25 mins due to incoming flight technical issue. Revised to 3 hrs 10.

Got to airport. Due to take off at 20:15 (originally 17:05). Gate moved. Different plane to be used. Waited until gone 21:00. Further delay caused by aircraft in Orlando not being able to be used and thus having to wait for another incoming flight to be cleared (confirmed by the captain at the time).

There was a storm earlier but around the same time other planes were still taking off and landing so no weather issues.

Eventually landed at 11:20. Doors opened at 11:30. Originally scheduled to land at 8:20 so 3 hours 10 minutes late.

All I've got from TC is that it was due to airport congestion despite them originally tweeting it was due to a technical fault.



Since September I've chased them 3 or 4 times to supply more detail on why they think they don't have to pay compensation and why their current information contradicts their tweet on the day but all I'm getting is 'refer it to CEDR, etc).

We also had other issues such as the food vouchers not being printed quick enough for us to use, no drinks provided and when we eventually dud get on the plane our party had no blankets. All fairly minor in comparison to the delay but all add up to make if a rubbish experience.

Overall something doesn't add up with their explanation but I can't seem to get them to provide any more details.

Paul

Bbunter82 wrote: »

Hi there, Looks like I was on the same flight as you. An like you I’m not getting very far with Thomas Cook. I have now reported it to CEDR. I’m so annoyed as the staff on the aircraft told us over the microphone that we can claim compensation...seems like they only said this to keep every happy (quiet) on the plane Home! I will keep u updated if I get any replies.

We were on the same flight number the following day and had the same issues! I'm about to start the process with Thomas Cook, it looks like it'll be a long and not particularly straightforward one

hoolicool

New user here. Hopefully someone can help!

According to the defined flight time rules (doors needing to opened) this outbound flight was delayed by 2hr 57m. Everyone on the flight was then told to remain in our seats as there were too many people in the customs area. We then sat on the plane for another 20 mins before we were allowed to even get up to disembark.

The issue for us is that it was clear that the crew had done this to avoid the 3hr delay. Our question is is do we have any means of pursuing a claim given that TC clearly gamed the rules?