Schedule change on booked flights

akira181

I booked a flight with Aegean Airlines 2 months ago from Corfu to Barcelona and I just received an email telling me my flight has a schedule change, so I would be arriving in Barcelona 55 minutes later.

Considering that change makes me arrive at 00:50, I'd miss the last public transport getting me into the city, so I'll have to pay for a taxi and also probably suffer a late check in fee at my booked accommodation, assuming they'll still let me check in that late.

I checked their website and found an earlier flight leaving Corfu for 155 euros. I paid 120, so I asked if I could change my flight and pay the difference.

They told me that in order to change my flight, I would have to pay 160 euros due to a penalty charge for changing my flights and if I cancelled, I would only get the tax minus a 25 euro cancellation fee, giving me 18.30 euros.

If this was the advertised arrival time when I was buying the ticket, I wouldn't have purchased it.

Is there anything I can do here as they've changed my flight time resulting in me having further costs?

Caz3121

unfortunately 55 mins is unlikely to be counted as a change that allows you to get a refund or free change, scheduled airlines often use 2 hours as a guide and package holidays 12 hours
you are also not going to hit the 3 hour delay point to qualify for EU261 compensation (assuming you have been given less than 2 weeks notice)
Although you booked a specific time, it forms no part of the contract as per the T&Cs (common with most airlines)
8 Carrier undertakes to use its best efforts to carry the Passenger and Baggage with reasonable dispatch. Times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract.
Contract with the airline ends at the airport so onward travel is a consequential loss, could you maybe see if there are transfers available that are cheaper than a taxi fare....not sure if it is even worth speaking to travel insurance about this

agrinnall

I've never heard of a late check in fee, and given that you're only arriving 55 minutes later I'd be surprised if there is any issue getting into your accommodation - after all, this is Barcelona, and 1 in the morning is still early by their standards. A taxi probably won't cost you more than about 50 Euros so it's not much more that the difference between the fares you mention.

photome

I have never heard of a late check in fee for accomodation either, is it in the terms that they can do that?

peachyprice

akira181 wrote: »

and also probably suffer a late check in fee at my booked accommodation, assuming they'll still let me check in that late.

I think you're being a bit dramatic there. Hotels don't charge late check in fees. And why wouldn't they let you check in 55 mins later than planned? I'm assuming you've already told them you'll be arriving late, 55 mins isn't going to make a bit of difference to them.

There is a night bus from the airport that runs from 21.55 to 04.45, N16 0r N17 depending on which terminal you land at, so no need for a taxi

Indout96

peachyprice wrote: »

Hotels don't charge late check in fees.

Some do but I doubt that applies in Barcelona, the hotel I used in Leverkusen for my last job charged a fee if you check in after 10.00pm I always arrived around 11.00 due to flight times + 50 min taxi ride but it was paid by my company so was fine by me.

akira181

peachyprice wrote: »

I think you're being a bit dramatic there. Hotels don't charge late check in fees. And why wouldn't they let you check in 55 mins later than planned? I'm assuming you've already told them you'll be arriving late, 55 mins isn't going to make a bit of difference to them.

There is a night bus from the airport that runs from 21.55 to 04.45, N16 0r N17 depending on which terminal you land at, so no need for a taxi

I never said I'm staying in a hotel but I've seen (and stayed at) many hotels with late check in fees, especially if they're small or private hotels and not a big global chain.

In this case, I'm staying in a place I found on AirBnB and the owner said we arrive late but agreed to wait for us. Now we won't get there till 1.45am at the very earliest, so we have a late check in fee as she has to hang around to give us the keys.

I never knew there was a night bus, I thought all transport stopped at 1am. I'll have to look into that but it'll probably mean arriving even later.

agrinnall wrote: »

I've never heard of a late check in fee, and given that you're only arriving 55 minutes later I'd be surprised if there is any issue getting into your accommodation - after all, this is Barcelona, and 1 in the morning is still early by their standards. A taxi probably won't cost you more than about 50 Euros so it's not much more that the difference between the fares you mention.

It's more the gripe that if I knew this was going to be the arrival time, I'd have never purchased the ticket. Add to that the additional hassle of getting into town and extra costs incurred, I feel I should at least be able to swap my ticket (and pay the difference, not get charged a 160 euro fee for a 155 euro ticket) or get a full refund, not a 12% refund.