Chambery delay 27 dec 2014

Caz3121

but the flight they held a ticket for and were booked on went off on time without them as they failed to get to the airport in time (not their fault) in theory they then had forfeited their ticket.
I expect that an emergency flight would have not been available for sale to the public so
Article 3 section 3
This Regulation shall not apply to passengers travelling free of charge or at a reduced fare not available directly or indirectly to the public

austin9658

Thanks Caz3121!!

chinastarr

sorry for posting in wrong place.
Thank you for all replies and info. Crystal ski say that info about compensation will be mailed later in the week.

jjl

Further to chinastarrs' post. We were caught the other way round on the same dates. We left Gatwick at 7.25am and arrived at Chambery at approx 3.30pm after a touch down in Lyons to refuel (kept on the plane for 4/5 hrs) Chambery was bursting at the seams. We were also with Crystal, it was a complete shambles, New flights arrived at 6 ish and the airport was infact a danger zone, there is no way people could have got out of there in an emergency. We were loaded onto coaches about 9.30pm( organised by the French authorities), and taken to a gymnasium. Freezing cold, no blankets etc etc. Jet 2 customers and Inghams clients were picked up at various times in the morning , we however were just left waiting, the poor young rep was basically left to cope on his own, his company weren't even answering his calls, it was totally irresponsible. Some people arrived at their resort midnight that night, and some not til the next day. To date i have received generic responses from crystal, one saying they will help with any insurance claims, and one that they did everything they could, but their main object was to provide shelter, laughable because the French authorities did that. My question is , do I claim from the airline, as the case is they knew the situation was becoming bad before we actually arrived, but i realise it doesn't fit in to the cancelled or delayed, just 'extra long" Or do crystal have a case to answer or do i try my insurance company? The added thing to this is being cramped in the plane for so long set my back off, then the night at the gym made it worse and thus i was unable to ski at all for the holiday, plus who is responsible for the wasted days skiing, equipment hire , instructors etc etc. I am not usually one to complain, but feel that crystal had no sense of responsibility to their clients, they haven't the courtesy to reply to my email in person, and i feel that they were contributory to my non holiday. Btw a lot of the people on this flight have kept in touch through emails, all have had no better luck than me , so we do have quite a weight behind the complaint, its not just me!! Anyone have any suggestions where I go from here? Many thanks

Caz3121

I guess the question is what do you think they should have done different?(and whether this was even an option)
The could have cancelled all the outbound flights and just sent people (you) home and told them to claim a refund (and from what you say re the airline knowing this was coming this should probably have been the best action although there would still be people over there that they need to get home)
If hotels are full and the weather hindered getting to other locations, what could be done?
Maybe worth reading the ash cloud thread, similar situation where something completely outside the airline/holiday/your contol
Have you spoken to your travel insurance

JPears

You are correct, none of this really is to do with the main objective of this forum section.
The bottom line is there was severe weather that weekend, this is one of the few genuine EC's for flight delays. Chambery is reknowned for being weather restricted, having spent 6 hours waiting for a return flight from there gives you ample oppurtunity to get an idea of its topography and geographical location. And it is a small provincial airport with limted facilities.
Convenient, but only if weather is good.
Your travel insurance should cover all the other aspects you mentioned. If it doesn't then you may need to reconsder your insurance choice next time.
Sorry if this sounds harsh.