Booking direct with the hotel

patag

I’m after some advice, I am thinking of booking direct with the hotel in Tenerife in December and flying from our local airport with TUI can anyone tell me if I am covered with my flight only if anything goes wrong. A few years ago East Midlands airport was closed by snow so we were put in another hotel for the night FOC would this happen if I was just flying with them. Have never booked direct before but it is working out a lot cheaper doing it this way

cubegame

If you're on a scheduled flight and it's cancelled it's not going to be a given that you'll get on one the very next day. It could be that you're having to wait for the next free seats. If an airline can accomodate you on a flight the next day they would probably put you up in an airport hotel.

patag

Thanks, bit worried after seeing what the budget airlines did, people had to try and book another flight costing more money. Just thought TUI or Jet2 would be different. 

TELLIT01

This will explain your rights if a flight is cancelled.  https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/l/flights 

The airline will have no responsibility for paying for the hotel you are supposed to be staying in abroad if you book that direct.

Alan_Bowen

I think rather than a weather delay I would be much more concerned at flights being cancelled due to a lack of demand, a survey yesterday suggested only 20% of usual travellers from the UK plan to go abroad this year. So long as TUI give you notice they could just cancel and refund the flight but you would be stuck with the hotel. That has always been a risk but I think the risk is far greater in the next 12 months. You will have to assess your willingness to accept the risk that you might have to find other flights at the last moment or lose the cost of the hotel.

patag

Thanks that was what I was worried about might be better to pay that bit extra and go with TUI or Jet2 at least then we will be covered

NoodleDoodleMan

TUI and Jet2 are just like all other airlines if flight only is booked - and, as said above accommodation is your own responsibility where a flight is cancelled or delayed on a DIY trip.

I was in Malta April 2010 when the Icelandic volcano grounded flights everywhere - we were on a package with Thomas Cook who kept us in the same hotel, same room, same board basis until they were able to charter a plane back to the UK four days later FOC.

A large party who were DIY flying Ryanair were left to make their own additional accommodation arrangements and homeward journey at significant expense.

patag

That’s what happened in Tenerife 2 years ago when East Midlands was closedwith snow, we got put in an all inclusive hotel and flown home the next day. People who had booked with Easy Jet were having to ring up and try to get another flight at a dearer price. My mind is made up we will go with TUI at least you have some sort of security. Thanks for your help everyone

bagand96

There's a few nuances of this that are worth noting.  EU261 regulations state that if your flight is delayed the airline has a duty of care to you.  If your flight is cancelled the airline also has a duty of care to you.  Those rights are explained in the link to Which? above.

In the example above, if there is a huge weather delay and flights are cancelled/rescheduled, the airline's responsibilities to you do not change whether you are on a package or flight only.  If they delay or reschedule they have to provide you with refreshments depending on the length of the delay, and accommodation if necessary.  If the flight is cancelled they have to provide you with an alternative flight home, or reimbursement of the costs of alternative flights home.  Again, it doesn't matter if you are a package holiday or flight only customer.

How it's handled in practice is where things can be different.  The package companies usually have reps in resort and the airport and will have hotel contracts, coach contracts etc.  So they can usually react far quicker and get things in place for passengers.  Also package companies very rarely just cancel a flight.  They'll operate delayed, even if significantly like a day or 2.  The low cost airlines/scheduled airlines may not instantly provide meals and hotels.  However it doesn't mean you're not entitled to them, but you may have to take some responsibility for yourself and get the credit card out.  Just means you'll have to reclaim the money from them when you get home and that might take time and effort.  The low cost airlines are also more likely to cancel the flight rather than delay it for 24-48 hours.  Again, they still have to get you home, but you might have to arrange that yourself and reclaim it.

In short, your rights don't change.  It's just the way i's dealt with might.  And I'd argue that if you were flight only on a TUI flight, given they'd have to be making the arrangements for the package customers, they'd likely make the same arrangements for you as well. 

patag

Thank you it seems that as long as we fly with either TUI or Jet2 we should be ok but as someone remarked we would still have to pay for the hotel so I am now waiting for a reply from the hotel to see what there policy is

cubegame

patag said:

That’s what happened in Tenerife 2 years ago when East Midlands was closedwith snow, we got put in an all inclusive hotel and flown home the next day. People who had booked with Easy Jet were having to ring up and try to get another flight at a dearer price. My mind is made up we will go with TUI at least you have some sort of security. Thanks for your help everyone

The people who booked with EasyJet who paid more would have been entitled to change their cancelled Easyjet flight to a new one at no extra cost.