Norwegian changing flight to another operator last minute

Arwel24

Hello,

Has anyone had an experience like this?

Booked with Norwegian to fly to New York on the 16th and back to Gatwick on 21st. I had a text today saying that the flight would now be operated by Wamos Air and that there will be limited entertainment (via an app on your mobile apparently).

I booked with Norwegian on the basis that they offered the new Dreamliner 787 which looked amazing. We are now obviously not going to be going on the Dreamliner, will not have the same entertainment, probably different food and probably no reserved seating. I think this is really frustrating and poor. I understand that sometimes planes will become faulty but I would expect a replacement to be of equivalent quality and have the same services. They have offered a full refund but this is of no use as we cannot get another flight for the same ballpark figure. I would expect at least some sort of compensation.

The most frustrating thing is that they are still advertising the flight for sale as a Norwegian Airline flight (no mention of Wamos)! It seems from Facebook/Reddit that a number of flights have been affected. Makes me think if they even have any Dreamliners!

Does anyone know if I've got any rights here? Has anyone managed to get any compensation for this type of event?

Cheers.

Alan_Bowen

The type of plane is never a term of the contract, when Norwegian began the planes were grounded for safety reasons and few if any flights were on the Dreamliner. At least they tell you in advance but at the prices they charge in the first place, I doubt they will be offering any compensation, it appears Wamos fly 747's and frankly I would much rather fly on of those than a 787, but do bring something to read!

bagand96

Did you really book Norwegian based on the 787? Or did you book Norwegian based on the fact that the price and schedule suited you?

As Alan has quite correctly said, the aircraft type and service levels are never guaranteed. Your contract with Norwegian is for transportation from A to B and not much more than that.

Norwegian have plenty of 787s (just to allay that particular concern). As you say aircraft can become faulty and it happens. They've obviously had some issue that has meant they don't have an aircraft. If they could have substituted it for one of their own aircraft they would have done... it would be far cheaper for them!

Norwegian have notified you and offered you a free refund... which is more than you're entitled to. In terms of compensation I very much doubt it. You could ask but I doubt they will. Even full service airlines would only give a token gesture (frequent flyer miles) for such an event.

At the end of the day what would you have preferred. They just cancelled it altogether? If you're really worried about entertainment put some films or iPlayer stuff on your phone or a tablet.

The main thing is.... look forward to New York! The flight is only the method of transport!

richardw

I saw a Wamos Air aircraft at Gatwick yesterday and it wasn't a Jumbo Jet.
https://m.planespotters.net/airline/Wamos-Air
Looked like an A330.

IAmWales

richardw wrote: »

I saw a Wamos Air aircraft at Gatwick yesterday and it wasn't a Jumbo Jet.
https://m.planespotters.net/airline/Wamos-Air
Looked like an A330.

Your own link points to them having 4 (pretty new) 747s.

bagand96

Wamos have 2 Airbus A330 (both from Monarch Airlines).

Their own website doesn't seem to mention them but they definitely exist, and they are the aircraft being used for Norwegian.

Arwel24

I completely understand that some planes will become unavailable at certain times but from reading online it sounds like they are doing it on purpose. If the A330 holds more people than the 787 and its full then thats a clear sign that something dodgy is going on. Surely its false advertisement to continue to sell these seats on the basis that they are norwegian/dreamliner.

And yes I was attracted by the dreamliner and the price associated with it. Should have known it was too good to be true!

bagand96

I completely understand that some planes will become unavailable at certain times but from reading online it sounds like they are doing it on purpose.

Reading online where? Facebook posts from people who are disgruntled they're not getting their "Dream"liner.

It could be for a number of reasons. Late delivery of new aircraft, shortage of crew, technical issues, maintenance and many more.

You booked with an airline that are relatively new to long haul and are expanding fast. Unsurprising they're having growing pains. What it comes down to is your contract is for a flight from A to B and that's what you'll get. They will cover themselves in the T&Cs for eventualities like this.

If it makes you feel any better google Thomson. They've had a fair share of problems lately meaning flights scheduled on the 787 have had to be replaced with older 767s.

Surely its false advertisement to continue to sell these seats on the basis that they are norwegian/dreamliner.

If you look on their website for your dates, and many others, it actually says "Operated by Pullmantur Air". Which is the former name of Wamos. So they aren't selling the flights as Norwegian 787s any longer.

dj1471

Personally I hate the Dreamliner and always avoid them, at least in economy. Every one I've been on (several different airlines) has been really cheaply fitted-out and the seats are very uncomfortable and not suitable for long or medium haul (IMO).

jpsartre

Arwel24 wrote: »

I completely understand that some planes will become unavailable at certain times but from reading online it sounds like they are doing it on purpose.

Of course it's on purpose, they didn't change the aircraft by accident!

graeme001

Hi

I have just returned from NYC from Gatwick and had exactly the same experience. We were horrified when we saw the plane we had to travel on (and return).

The service levels were awful, staff were rude, No pay for inflight service. No entertainment, only by an app that requires you to own your device (with of course 100% battery) as there are no charging ports.

I have attempted to claim compensation, I'll let you know how it goes.

Why pay for a service when they don't deliver. Surely this is not right. It's only the same as ordering a Limo but getting a an old ford escort. But saying, 'oh well, at least I got there' I want my money back as we drove all the way from Birmingham to specifically use this service.

Just to add to this, they didn't even inform me of the change. i didn't recieve a text message or an email of the aircraft change. They even admitted on the phone they had a technical issue with this!