In flight extras

jeff_chandler

Just been on a Greek Island vacation to Rhodes. One of the main reasons I booked it was it offered a Dreamliner flight for those days we chose. Because we booked it just a week before we went we did really need to book the seats in order to sit together. The same was booked for the return journey at a total cost of £36.
The Dreamliner flight there was great and much quicker and comfortable than the usual airliners. On our return the plane which turned up was a Boeing 767 and Boarding tickets issued before boarding. Our seats were allocated there and my wife and I were not sat together. I would hop we are compensated for the return flight? My booking reference shows my receipt for the payment but no e mail to ask for Compensation so I may have to write a letter.
There must be many who have been in this position but not been bothered to ask for a refund. Airlines make a fortune as it is.
Kind regards Jeff.

Tyzap

I agree with you Jeff.

I believe you could claim 50% of the £36, for not being seated together on the return flight.

If the flight using the Dreamliner was more expensive than other none Dreamliner flights I also believe you could claim 50% of the difference.

I doubt anyone has ever bothered tho.

Good luck.

phatbear

Tyzap wrote: »

.

If the flight using the Dreamliner was more expensive than other none Dreamliner flights I also believe you could claim 50% of the difference.

Are you sure about that?

you dont book a ticket to sit on a specific plane you buy a ticket to and from a specific airport.

Tyzap

phatbear wrote: »

Are you sure about that?

you dont book a ticket to sit on a specific plane you buy a ticket to and from a specific airport.

Depends how it's sold.

2 years ago a relative booked long haul flights which were advertised extolling the virtues of the Dreamliner. It also cost extra for the privilege.

Ironically both his flights were changed to a B767 but he did not bother trying to claim.

This is what the regs say...

3.4.2. Rights associated with upgrading and downgrading

In the case of upgrading, an air carrier cannot request any supplementary payment. In the case of downgrading, compensation in the form of reimbursement of a percentage of the price of the ticket is provided for under Article 10(2)(a) to (c) of the Regulation.

The definition of downgrading (or upgrading) applies to the class of carriage for which the ticket was purchased and not to any advantages offered through a frequent flyer programme or other commercial programme provided by an air carrier or tour operator.

Caz3121

Tyzap wrote: »

The definition of downgrading (or upgrading) applies to the class of carriage for which the ticket was purchased

buying an economy ticket for a flight and flying economy on a different aircraft is not a downgrade, Buying a business class ticket and being seated in economy is a downgrade
when the original dreamliner orders were delayed Thomson refunded the £10 premium that had been added.
http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/02/thomson-customers-to-get-refunds-if-delays-hit-dreamliner-holidays-310344/ but I have not heard of this being offered since (I guess the £10 was for a return flight so would be £5 each way)

Tyzap

I believe the 'spirit' of the regs is that anything you pay extra for, but do not receive, is refundable.

Not all possible situations are, or can be, itemised in the regs.

For most passengers tho it's just not worth the effort given that the amount can be quite low.

leylandsunaddict

A change of aircraft is not a downgrade. They are always subject to change, as is the airline.

If you didn't get seated together in a broadly similar position as booked eg 2 x aisle, window, middle etc you are entitled to 50% of whatever you paid to prebook seats.

You should never book a flight because of the aircraft that's scheduled (and only scheduled) to operate it. Airlines change aircraft type regularly for operational reasons.

jeff_chandler

First of all thanks for the replies.

The actual package stated the flights were by Dreamliner which was an attraction. I do believe you pay a slight extra charge for the privilege of that Aircraft.
It's not the change of Aircraft that bothers me it's the actual fact that I paid for seats which I didn't need to.
I will write to the address provided in the small print which actually says nothing about the complaint. We can only see what materialises from the issue.

Kind regardsJeff

Caz3121

you should certainly get a refund of the seat reservation fee for the return flight

jeff_chandler

I have trawled the Thomson site without any hint of an address to write to.
They are crafty because there was a section where you could ask a question for which I explained all. Because the vacation was in the past the mail could not be sent.
If anyone on here could find an address I would be more than appreciative.

Kind regards Jeff.

leylandsunaddict

jeff_chandler wrote: »

I have trawled the Thomson site without any hint of an address to write to.
They are crafty because there was a section where you could ask a question for which I explained all. Because the vacation was in the past the mail could not be sent.
If anyone on here could find an address I would be more than appreciative.

Kind regards Jeff.

Nothing crafty. It's all on their website. From the Ask a Question section.


3. Why didn't I get the seats that I chose using Select Your Seat?

We're sorry you didn't get the seats you asked for. Occasionally, we may need to change the seats - usually due to operational, safety or security reasons. Our Select Your Seat service is provided using Civil Aviation Authority guidelines, so we need to meet various requirements before we can allocate seats near the exits. For details on the restrictions of theses seats, take a look at 'Can I book seats with extra space?'.

If we do need to change your seat, we try to give you another one that's as close as possible to what you originally booked. That said, some seats together may be across an aisle or behind each other.

Refunds
We can only offer a refund if we can't seat your group together and in a similar position to the seats you originally requested. If you didn't receive seats together or in a similar position then please contact us and we'll look into this for you.


The 'contact us' has a hyperlink to a form.

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/send-us-an-email-postTravel.html