Compensation for delayed flights Discussion Area

Coops1711

Hi everyone,
I've just sent a letter to Thomas Cook ( as per instructions on this website & using sample letter) after a 6 hour delay from Tunisia - Gatwick in Aug 2012.
I had already sent a letter of complaint to TC & got their standard reply of blah blah ie trying to fob me off.
I have now sent the templated letter from here & am hoping that this letter is taken more seriously?!
I was wondering if anyone has had any success with TC & if so was it easy or did you have to fight & complain to the CAA etc?

I work for an airline as cabin crew ( not TC) so I know the flight wasn't delayed due to exceptional circumstances as I spoke to the crew onbaord my flight & they confirmed that the plane had gone ' tech' in Gatwick.

Hope you can help me

bus_driver

ScoobyZ wrote: »

Can anyone advise?

Just wanted to shed some light on a couple of points you mention. Won't be discussing anything compensation related.

I had a bad experience with a flight Heathrow to Miami, we were diverted to Nassau (Bahamas) due to bad weather, Once landed we were fuelled quickly but held up due to paperwork and we went over the 12 hour legal flight time. We ended up spending 6 hours on the ground at Nassau. Eventually getting to Miami at 11pm (original ETA 3pm) some 8 hours late.

1 It's not unusual for a long haul flight to see the weather at destination deteriorate after the flight departs. Only rarely does it go below minima requiring a diversion. The difficulty with any such diversion is that if it is not a routine stop for that airline, they may not have any dedicated support at that airport. Once the airline knows of the diversion, a handling company will have to be chosen (if more than one available), calls made, credit/payment arrangements agreed etc etc. The size and technical standard of the diversion airport will greatly affect the speed of the turn round and the subsequent getaway.

As you allude to, paperwork can be an issue. Specifically the Aircraft Loadsheet. That's the legal bit of paper that contains the load and balance calculations resulting in the Take-Off Weight and Trim being known to the crew for their own take-off performance calculations (runway, weather, speeds, power etc). 30 years ago airline pilots calculated their own. These days it's done by computer. BUT, it has to be signed in hard copy by the Captain. This usually means a fax or email to the diversion airfield from the home base or the crew doing their own calculations if they have the skills, either way it takes time because they need the passenger, baggage, cargo, catering and fuel load to complete it. Most of these will be the same as the original departure, but catering and fuel will be different. AND if passengers want off at this point, then the baggage weight changes. So it all takes time.

Which brings me to point 2. There is no legal 12 hour flight time as you suggest. You may be confused with 12 hours minimum pre-flight rest. The length of time the crew can work after this rest is called the Flight Duty Period (FDP). It is a variable feast and varies company to company depending on that company's Flight Time Limitations Scheme, agreed with the CAA.
This could vary from 9h15m to 14h. It is based on the time the crew report for work and the number of sectors they will fly in that duty (displayed as a table). e.g One short haul sector only reporting at 0700, then 14 hour FDP available to the crew. 5 short haul sectors reporting at 0430, then 9h45 and so on. A balance of unsociable start time versus the sectors (number of take-offs and landings).

Now when you divert, the onward sector from the diversion airport to original destination counts as a new sector, the available FDP reduce according to the table and results in less overall time available to the crew to get you there, further compounding the time pressure on them and the airline to get done, all that I have mentioned above.

This information is provided to give you some idea of what the pilots will be doing while at the diversion airport. Hope it helps.

marks7389

Does anyone know if a claim for a group of friends booked and travelling together should be submitted as one claim or individually?

I've done a search but can't find a definitive answer.

Thanks in advance.

richardw

Look at representation in the small claims procedure.

Eme

thalia22 wrote: »

Hi their Eme,
Iberia are one of the worst airlines to deal with, I have an ongoing case since 12/2010, so see my posts depicted below:-
#2016 page 101, #2187 page 110, #3285 page 165, #3345 page 168, #3917 page 196, #4512 page 208.

Thanks thalia22, will read up on your case updates.

Here's hoping for success for everyone in 2013!

Best wishes and thanks again
Eme

russellbrame

First timer here.......
Would i be eligible for some kind of compensation? At the end of october 2012 me, my wife and nine year old daughter were to fly out to Romania using whizz air for a monday early morning flight and it was moved forward a whole day to leave on the sunday, hence then had to ask family to change day to run us down to airport and then also travel from airport to accomodation in Romania a day earlier and then book an extra nights stay?
thanks

lazytomato

Hey guys,

My friend and I went to Kos in 2010 where we were delayed for 11 hours and 50 mins. I asked Monarch at the time for a delay letter so I could claim against my travel insurance (turned out it cannot be compensated anyway because it was <12 hours :mad:). I have now lost that letter and I cannot find the email confirmation I had from Thomson from the time of booking, so I literally have no evidence except my name, flight number (from flightstat) and my memory. Do you think it's worth to write to them anyway without sending in any evidence? Has anyone else been in such situation before?

Thanks a lot!

Gorbar

I provided evidence that our flight was not exceptional circumstances but Thomas Cook still won't pay. Looking at Facebook lots of people are going to Watchdog

richardw

They've already been on daytime watchdog !

and if they end up on the evening one they'll just get a grilling off Anne, but watchdog won't get your compensation for you.

JPears

Slightly off topic - is there a website for frequent airplane type problems/faults ie those on 20yr old 737/300s? Bit like an Honest John for planes?