Transit thru wrong airport, can't do section 75

loobysue

My twin grand daughters are due to go to Australia in September to work. They booked flights with TRAVANGO, Flights are London Heathrow to singapore, Singapore to Christchurch, Christchurch to sydney. 

I have just discovered any transit has only been via Aukland since 2020 , and that all transit to Australia was stopped in july. The tickets were only booked on 9th August , do we have enough grounds for a section 75 charge back. I am so mad, they could have been left stranded in Singapore if I had not delved into the flights and transit times. The company have said the flights are non refundable, but they have sold us something that could not happen. Any thought s or help please.

A worried nan

Thrugelmir

Why was the NZ leg added?  People are still able to travel despite the restrictions. Not the airlines responsibility to check the bookers eligibility to enter any country. Has been a moving situation for the past 18 months. That's the risk one takes. 

superbigal

Presumably you have tickets that prove it can happen ?

onashoestring

Do they have exemption from Australia’s current  travel restrictions ? 

Australia’s borders are currently closed and entry to Australia remains strictly controlled to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Travel to Australia is only available if you are exempt or you have been granted an individual exemption.

Caz3121

They should really have done the research on whether they would be able to enter Australia and, if so, which routings would be allowed before looking to book flights. https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-restrictions
S75 will not help if they have been provided with the tickets they asked the agent to book for them
Best they can hope for is that either the airline cancels one of their flights allowing them to get a refund or they offer some flexibility waiver that may allow rerouting or voucher for future use (will need to work through the agent and likely pay fees) but will be key to get the authorisation to enter from the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force before booking anything.
had they already booked their quarantine hotel?

k3lvc

loobysue said:

They booked flights with TRAVANGO

Hopefully that's Travango a market leading, high reputation travel agent rather than Travango the shoddy travel agent operating from a serviced office in Wembley

I suspect your Granddaughters are in for a tough life lesson but good luck

Pollycat

The 'About us' page of TRAVANGO reads somewhat pigeon English.

Thrugelmir

k3lvc said:

loobysue said:

They booked flights with TRAVANGO

I suspect your Granddaughters are in for a tough life lesson but good luck

Given that entry back into Australia is extremely limited on a weekly basis and many nationals are still queueing to return. The route sounds an attempt to circumnavigate the rules. 

loobysue

The agent at TRAVANGO was the one who put the package together for them. They have Visa's and exemption. They trusted the agent to be aware that a) transit was not available via Christchurch . They did not tell the agent the route they wanted to fly she told them. The MIA Managed Isolation & Quarantine is linked to there exemption as they are both taking up nursing jobs. 

CKhalvashi

Thrugelmir said:

Why was the NZ leg added?  People are still able to travel despite the restrictions. Not the airlines responsibility to check the bookers eligibility to enter any country. Has been a moving situation for the past 18 months. That's the risk one takes. 

I assume it's a Star Alliance ticket, taking into account SIN and CHC are both Star Alliance hubs. This may help the OP somewhat.

k3lvc said:

loobysue said:

They booked flights with TRAVANGO

Hopefully that's Travango a market leading, high reputation travel agent rather than Travango the shoddy travel agent operating from a serviced office in Wembley

I suspect your Granddaughters are in for a tough life lesson but good luck

In fairness here, a lot of the smaller agencies have done a far better job than the larger ones at this time. I have an interest in one, and we haven't failed to hit a refund within the 14 day legal maximum, with a lot of flexibility on rebooking. Unlike a lot of agencies I hold interests in parts of the supply chain, but just pointing out it's not always the case that bigger is better.

Back to the original issue for the OP;

Refunds may not be possible, but would changes be allowed? If they're going for work (and this is on the basis of a long term work visa, not short term business), they should be exempt from the travel ban in itself.

I am also of the opinion that removing NZ completely from the equasion is likely the easiest option.

Which airlines and booking classes are present here? This will explain the rules with the airline. This will be a single letter fare code somewhere on the reservation. There may be additional restrictions and change fees in relation to the agent, but hopefully by going for a change, it at least will be possible to mitigate the losses somewhat.

It is always easier to book flight only with an airline rather than an agent.

loobysue

Legs 1 and 2 with Sigapore Airlines, 3 leg Quantas