First choice flight change by 10 hours

Salsajunkie

2 months ago, I booked an all inclusive oct 2013 half term holiday to canaries on basis that flight departure time home was "child friendly" at 12.10hrs, 6 days later first choice wrote to me to say flight time had changed to 22.10hrs (which would mean landing in uk time around 02.30 hrs) barring delays, that, twinned with journey from airport to home would put us getting home at around 04.00hrs...hardly child friendly.
My protests about this to first choice were met with "flight times are for guidance only, changes of up to 12 hours are deemed reasonable in our terms and conditions which you agreed to when you booked , therefore no compensation or waiver of loss of deposit if the holiday is cancelled applies!"
I was dumb struck!
I feel I have been sucker punched!
I'm stuck with the flight from hell at the end of this holiday and I'm already dreading it 6 months beforehand, Some treat!

budgetflyer

flight times 6 month in advance are only provisional and it is quite common for these to change. They may change again.

Flight from hell is a bit OTT. It will be what you make it.
Children are pretty adaptable to occasional disruptions to routine.
If you don't make a big deal of it, I doubt they will.

Gloomendoom

budgetflyer wrote: »

flight times 6 month in advance are only provisional and it is quite common for these to change. They may change again.

Flight from hell is a bit OTT. It will be what you make it.
Children are pretty adaptable to occasional disruptions to routine.
If you don't make a big deal of it, I doubt they will.

I've got to agree with this. The flight will be as miserable as you want to make it.

Doshwaster

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I've got to agree with this. The flight will be as miserable as you want to make it.

Yep. And if you are miserable the kids will be doubly miserable which won't help you or your fellow passengers.

If you make it a bit of an adventure then it will work out better for everyone.

balletshoes

it might work out better than the original flight times, as your kids might sleep for the majority of the flight at night.

peachyprice

lewroll wrote: »

Hope someone comes along and helps.

There is no 'help', it is what it is.

When you book a package that uses charter flights it's a chance you take, and what OP agreed to at the time of booking.

Salsajunkie

lewroll wrote: »

Don't worry salsajunkie - some people on this forum are helpful and can refrain from being facetious.

Hope someone comes along and helps.

Thanks lewroll.

I realise I have to put up and shut up, some people may find night flights an "adventure"... Personally I do not, nor do my kids as I found to my bitter experience in the past. (Tired and hungry, :(hanging about an airport whose facilities have closed down I find to be a bad combination...I can't be alone in that)

I guess my point in posting this is to enable others to realise that a flight time change of up to 12 hours is deemed "reasonable" and to be mindful of that when booking, I shall be sure to read all small print in future, and avoid both First Choice and charter flights.

If I could afford to take the £700 loss of deposit I would cancel, as it is I shall make the best I can of it and learn.

I can't help but think that the holiday was miss sold, why publish flight times if they are nothing but a notional guess to lure in bookings?

balletshoes

you'll be at the airport for 8pm, and boarded by around 9.45pm at the latest - do you really think the airport facilities at your airport in the Canaries will be closed at that time? Thats not been my experience with later night flights (not from the Canaries though). Your kids will have had their dinner by then too, won't they? Yes, they might be tired, I get that, so you just cosy them down wherever you are until you get on the plane, then encourage them to close their eyes and go to sleep once you've taken off.

Are there any scheduled flights between the Canaries and your UK airport that you can use, if you choose to do holiday DIY in the future? (mind you scheduled airlines can change their flight times too).

peachyprice

Salsajunkie wrote: »

I can't help but think that the holiday was miss sold, why publish flight times if they are nothing but a notional guess to lure in bookings?

They're not a guess to lure in bookings, flight times are based on the previous years flights bookings but as charter flights have to take slots left after the schedule flights have chosen theirs, there's no guarantee that slot will be available this year. Also if not enough seats are sold on a particular flight it will get cancelled or combined with another charter flight on the same route.

Bob_the_Saver

lewroll wrote: »

Don't worry salsajunkie - some people on this forum are helpful and can refrain from being facetious.

Hope someone comes along and helps.

What did the OP want them to do?

A. Put on a special flight just for his/her tribe.
B. Change the flight back to it's original time.
C. Upgrade them to first/premier or whatever the extra olive and inch is called on that airline.

It happens, it's allowed, it's happened to me many times when I've booked very early to get a really cheap flight even on proper airlines. Not everything in life goes according to plan, no need claim compensation or to sue, it's not the end of the world, book later and maybe pay more then there is less chance of it happening, that's the choice. It's a good chance to show the sprogs who's the boss
or put them in kennels and go without them.
C'est la vie!

claire16c

Can you ask for them to give you a goodwill gesture of giving you 1 extra night in your hotel or late checkout 6pm or something, as otherwise if you have to vacate your room by 10 or 11am, that's a very long time to be hanging about! Plus I would not want to be driving home at 2am etc unless of course you had a taxi planned.

You could try asking they can only say no.