Complicated Question

Reed_Richards

I booked a holiday with a small Tour Operator. My outbound flight was in two stages, from London to Istanbul then a connecting flight from Istanbul to Trabzon. The connecting flight, which was scheduled to leave at 21:00, was abolished and replaced by a flight that left at 23:55 but my Tour Operator did not inform me (or my fellow travellers) about this although they themselves were informed shortly before my departure date. Does this count as a flight originating in the EU, although the delay was to an internal flight in Turkey? Does that matter? Can I make a claim with the Tour Operator as the airline did their bit but I was never informed about the change. I was far too tired to note the arrival time to see if it was just before or just after the original schedule.

Alan_Bowen

The simple bits first. EU261 claims can only be made against an airline and not a tour operator. Secondly the arrival time has to be more than 3 hours after the original time, and with your departure time at 2hr55 after the original time, that may rule out any claim anyway. Thirdly if the flight was re scheduled, and you don't say how long before departure it was, there may be no actual delay at all and therefore no claim in any event.

You actually admit you do nor know what time it arrived, I assume you do know the name of the airline, if it was not the national carrier but one of the two smaller airlines that fly into the UK, I suspect you won't even get a reply let alone compensation even if it is due. You can complain to the tour operator but they are under no obligation to offer compensation, most have terms and conditions which allow changes of up to 12 hours without any problem, all you can say is that you would have appreciated being told of the change of time, they will say 'sorry' and you may feel better for having complained as 'a matter of principle' The only way of dealing with companies which you feel give poor service is not to deal with them again!