TUI cancelled for no apparent reason - alternatives are all far more expensive

UnprecedentedTime

Hi,

We've just had an email to say that Tui have cancelled our holiday departing 4 December. It doesn't say why, but I can see flights from different UK cities are still going to that same destination on the same date, and also flights from our original airport the following date. Even with the 20% incentive it will still be significantly more expensive to rebook (whether from a different city or the next day). Is there anything we can do?

It feels unfair that we booked in advance at a cheaper price, so now the prices have gone up, and they've cancelled due to circumstances presumably in their control (the destination is open even with covid, flights are running, the hotel is open). Can we get them to just rebook us onto the following day or from a different city without paying extra? It feels like its just an easy way for them to cancel flights they don't fancy running, and make a load more money off of people in the process as they know people will have made plans around those dates so will feel they have to rebook.

Thanks

bagand96

The only way to find this out is to ask TUI, just get in touch and say "I've had notice that you're cancelling my holiday but I've noticed flights are still running the next day from my airport, or there are flights from other airports, would you be able to transfer me to those please?"

I don't think there's anything (either in the TUI T&Cs or the Package Travel Regulations) that forces them to offer you an alternative but there's no harm in asking, and its something they sometimes do anyway. 

Westin

+1

“ Is there anything we can do? ”

Call them. Ask if you can move to one of the other departure points or to the alternative date if that is what suits you.

emmajones1976

Nothing to add to the above, except the flight wont have been cancelled for "no reason" - they just dont have to tell you the reason.

UnprecedentedTime

Thanks for your replies everyone. The prices have been creeping up all evening so we bit the bullet and booked a cheaper hotel departing the next day, but still at a cost of £246 extra…! Anyone have experience of tui refunding this difference/moving back to the nicer hotel?

bagand96

UnprecedentedTime said:

Thanks for your replies everyone. The prices have been creeping up all evening so we bit the bullet and booked a cheaper hotel departing the next day, but still at a cost of £246 extra…! Anyone have experience of tui refunding this difference/moving back to the nicer hotel?

I think you'd have had far more chance of working something out if you hadn't chosen to make a new booking unfortunately. 

emmajones1976

Aye I echo the above. I really would have spoken to the airline first.

Westin

yep, echo the above. You have approached this wrong. You should have called TUI not made a new booking.

TELLIT01

Tour operators don't just sit down one morning and say "Let's cancel this flight.  It'll be fun watching all the passengers getting annoyed".  The reason will probably be in part financial and possibly logistical.  Flight slots may have been lost, passenger numbers simply not enough to make the flight viable.

CKhalvashi

I can only second all above advice for the future. Changing the booking means it won't be changed again for free, so you have scuppered any chance of attempting to come to a deal with the agent.