Advice regarding amending Tui holiday - Price hike :(

TomandBarbara

We were due to go to Greece for my brothers wedding in August, however his wedding planner in Greece has advised he postpone to next year as although we may be able to go, there would be social distancing measures in place throughout the summer which would mean he couldn't have a buffet, guests wouldn't be able to sit together etc.  So I got a message all of a sudden to change it, thankfully Tui were not adding on any amendment prices but I couldn't commit to a change on the day as I needed to discuss with partner where to fly from, as my Dad changed his flight departure to another airport which was cheaper.  He paid about around £40ish per person extra, however when I tried amending the following day the holiday would have cost us an additional £400 or more.  I was surprised how much they had gone up, and keep looking to see if the prices are going down but to no avail.  I don't know whether to hold out until Tui advise that we can't travel in the hope I can get the 20% incentive for rebooking , or just accept the additional cost.  The holiday was expensive enough (we normally holiday in the UK and France so a lot cheaper) so very reluctant to pay out even more money, even if it is a special occasion.

Pollycat

I guess only you can decide whether to pay the increase now or wait for your 'up to 20% incentive' if/when your holiday is cancelled by TUI.

Nobody knows.

I'm in a similar situation. My mid June holiday hasn't been cancelled yet - it's paid for in full.

When it is, I'm hoping to accept the voucher and up to 20% and defer the holiday by a full year. But we go to Greece every year so would be booking for next year anyway even without Covid-19.

And you have a special occasion to consider.

I've checked and the up to 20% will just about cover the increase in prices.from what we've paid this year.

Fly100

Slightly off topic, but there is alot of discussion about 10th August as the day Oversea Travel restrictions are lifted ( subject to infection / R nmber). That obviously depends on where you are going and the policy of that Country.

Pollycat

This doesn't look too promising for any of the countries not named in this article:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/252430/article/…

(The 7 countries that the Greek PM is having talks with are Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, Norway and Singapore)

Nobody knows when it will be possible to travel.

Ibizafan

Our annual holiday to Ibiza for June 10th has been cancelled by Tui and we have crunched the numbers today and with the 20% discount, it will bring next year’s holiday to around the same price as this year. We are therefore considering rebooking, although it would normally annoy me to let Tui keep my money for that length of time, but hey ho, desperate times and all that.

TomandBarbara

Thank you all for your replies, very interesting about the restrictions possibly being lifted on the 10th August.  Wedding is on the 3rd.  Looking today I can change my hotel and there are a few options which work out cheaper.  means won't be in the same hotel as my family but we'll still be able to see them so no biggie.

martindow

Ibizafan said:

Our annual holiday to Ibiza for June 10th has been cancelled by Tui and we have crunched the numbers today and with the 20% discount, it will bring next year’s holiday to around the same price as this year. We are therefore considering rebooking, although it would normally annoy me to let Tui keep my money for that length of time, but hey ho, desperate times and all that.

The money has already been paid and the interest lost by it sitting in a travel company's bank rather than mine is trivial, but my worry would be whether the company will still be operating in a year's time and whether the money could be difficult or impossible to retrieve.  This is an issue for any travel company not just Tui.

NoodleDoodleMan

TomandBarbara said:

Thank you all for your replies, very interesting about the restrictions possibly being lifted on the 10th August.  Wedding is on the 3rd.  Looking today I can change my hotel and there are a few options which work out cheaper.  means won't be in the same hotel as my family but we'll still be able to see them so no biggie.

I hope it all works out for you.

The question is will the FO have lifted their no travel advice in respect of Greece by then ?

If not, obviously no flights and travel insurance invalid.

Simon Calder also pointed out that it would take airlines at least a week (best case scenario) to get aircraft seviceable again after being grounded for such a long while, more like a fortnight he reckoned.

Pollycat

This might be worth a read:

Flights

In order for a passenger to board a flight from abroad to Greece, he must have received a health certificate within the last 72 hours that he is not a carrier of COVID-19.  Without this certificate, he will not be allowed to board.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2020/05/09/greece-health-protocols-flights-hotels-tourism-2020/

I think they are proposals at this stage.