Connecting airline has pulled out 3 months before departure!!

Jellybelly25

Hi there

I'm wanting some advice as I am due to go on a 2 week (wedding) holiday to America in May.

My flight to London has been cancelled as the airline will be stopping flying directly to gatwick in March and I have been transferred onto a flight to Heathrow instead.

Problem being that my Heathrow flight lands at 8.25am and my connecting flight departs Gatwick at 9.30am the same day.

The travel agent is aware that I will miss my connecting flight as there isn't time to get from one airport to another never mind board a plane/security etc.

What am I entitled to. Baring in mind I have to be in America 5 days before getting married and missing the connecting flight will therefore mean no wedding.

I have been advised by travel agent to fly out the night before, stay over at gatwick (all at my expense) however this will be through a low cost airline therefore losing my through ticket, free baggage allowance, will have to pay for wedding dress to be taken on board flight... And should anything happen with the American flight (technical issues, bad weather or cancellation) it will not be there responsibility to get me to America on time.

Panicking.

Advice please

tomtontom

Where are you connecting from (home and airport)?

Jellybelly25

Belfast with aer lingus

dsab

I would try for them to change the connecting flight from Belfast to Dublin. There are still 5 (I believe) daily flights with EI from Dublin to Gatwick. The Airline should be able/willing to do that, as it saves them quite a bit of money (no ADP from Dublin).

bagand96

If you have booked a Belfast - LON - USA flight on one connecting ticket then I would not accept this change. In fact I'm amazed the airline would offer it as it clearly will not work. See if you can talk to the airline directly and get them to find you a re-route you will make, or get you to London the night before?

The travel agent's advice is very poor. If it is all one ticket Belfast-LON-USA, then if you miss the Belfast-LON flight, the airline may cancel your whole itinerary.

richardw

Your ticket is Belfast-LON-USA, which airline is the LON-USA sector?

Voyager2002

Did you buy one ticket for the entire journey, or separate tickets for the flight to London and for the international journey?

agrinnall

dsab wrote: »

I would try for them to change the connecting flight from Belfast to Dublin.

I think you need to get a grasp of geography, Dublin is unlikely to be a sensible alternative to Belfast for an early morning flight.

Alan_Bowen

I assume that you are flying BA to New York since only BA and Norwegian fly to the US from Gatwick. If it is all on one ticket, the simple solution is to ask to fly on one of the many BA flights from Heathrow. My concern is that you may have two separate tickets in which case BA will not be concerned at all.

richardw

Alan_Bowen wrote: »

I assume that you are flying BA to New York since only BA and Norwegian fly to the US from Gatwick...

I don't think it's JFK.

jackieblack

Alan_Bowen wrote: »

I assume that you are flying BA to New York since only BA and Norwegian fly to the US from Gatwick.

Virgin Atlantic?
I've flown VS to Orlando and Las Vegas from Gatwick