Tui - changed flights with no warning!

dannibaba

Has anyone else had this? I had an unexpected email today out of the blue saying they’d changed our flight times from great ones (which I paid a fortune for as we’re travelling with young kids) to really early morning flights. They said I could go to manage my bookings and select new ones but they’d only cover 10% of any additional charges! I’m absolutely livid, surely they can’t do this and expect the customer to cover the extra charge. Our holiday price has almost doubled anyway since I originally booked it (rebooked due to covid). Help! Thanks, D

Alan_Bowen

Booking conditions normally allow operators to change flights by up to 12 hours. Were there alternative flights being offered on the same day, if so I suspect bookings simply didn't justify operating two flights from the same airport, something that has been a feature of 2021 holidays. If is the same flight number, then they have simply changed the time and if it is within 12 hours and not a change from day to night, The supplement you paid was probably to fly from a specific airport rather than a specific time

Sandtree

When are you flying? "No warning" would suggest its today/tomorrow but guessing its actually some way off still? Rules are different depending on how much notice they've given, how much the move is and if its still the same flight number.

dannibaba

Thanks both. We’re off in June. There were several flights being offered when we booked and they have offered flights within 12 hours of our originally selected time. I’m so cross that I’m going to have two shattered kids for the first day (at least) when I planned it so that wouldn’t happen. No doubt the small print allows it - I’m just so cross that I’d have to pay even more money to select decent flights yet again. I will never ever holiday with them again. Their service is a disgrace. I had no end of trouble rebooking last year - on hold for literally hours to be cut off twice, put through to wrong departments (all to call centres abroad where the call taker and I could barely understand one another)  and cut off, given contradictory advice -all because a glitch on their website wouldn’t let me rebook online. Nobody wanted to help! 

Next stop ABTA for me - I’m so mad! 

Alan_Bowen

I totally understand your frustration but I don't think ABTA will be able to help. With 6 months notice, they haven't broken any rules but if they have transferred you to a flight that was previously on offer, at a lower fare, I would certainly ask for a refund of the difference. I am afraid consolidating two flights into one will continue, for many operators, not just TUI, whilst this pandemic reduces demand

TELLIT01

If you never travel with a tour operator who changes flights, it's likely you will never travel again.  Some are worse than others, but all of them are likely to have to change flight times on occasion.  They have given you 7 months warning, not no warning.  I understand your annoyance having selected the flight for specific reasons but TUI has acted within its T&Cs.

mattyprice4004

No warning? It's 7 months away! No warning would be the night before. 
Unfortunately we've been hit by the same thing for March, it's just an annoying fact of life that operators and airlines change flights. 

photome

dannibaba said:

Thanks both. We’re off in June. There were several flights being offered when we booked and they have offered flights within 12 hours of our originally selected time. I’m so cross that I’m going to have two shattered kids for the first day (at least) when I planned it so that wouldn’t happen. No doubt the small print allows it - I’m just so cross that I’d have to pay even more money to select decent flights yet again. I will never ever holiday with them again. Their service is a disgrace. I had no end of trouble rebooking last year - on hold for literally hours to be cut off twice, put through to wrong departments (all to call centres abroad where the call taker and I could barely understand one another)  and cut off, given contradictory advice -all because a glitch on their website wouldn’t let me rebook online. Nobody wanted to help! 

Next stop ABTA for me - I’m so mad! 

That’s way over the top. ABTA won’t help, they have given you 6 months warning , they may even change again before then…I doubt there is any airline or tour operator who hasn’t changed flight times , many multiple times, in the last 18 months or so, they have been facing some challenges.  

Cabincrewcasey

I’m cabin crew, what you’re describing is perfectly normal even in non Covid times. You are buying a ticket to travel, not a ticket to be there at a specific time, with any airline, in any bookings at any time.

sorry to sound unsympathetic but this is normal and won’t get anyone at the airline, industry etc excited on your behalf, it happens all the time and is routine for us.

NoodleDoodleMan

The shattered kids bit puzzled me - if they go to bed early enough then that should OK.

Not ideal  - however, on the plus side, they'll  get more time at the destination resort on day 1.

I'd be more focused on the return flight timings which might be more unattractive.

CKhalvashi

Cabincrewcasey said:

I’m cabin crew, what you’re describing is perfectly normal even in non Covid times. You are buying a ticket to travel, not a ticket to be there at a specific time, with any airline, in any bookings at any time.

sorry to sound unsympathetic but this is normal and won’t get anyone at the airline, industry etc excited on your behalf, it happens all the time and is routine for us.

Sorry, I disagree with this (as someone who is married to one of your flight deck colleagues).

If I buy a flight, I expect to be in a destination roughly at the time I've booked, especially when there are multiple sectors in a day.

OH's employer has cancelled various flights for us in the last years and changed various others, but that's not excusable and annoys us as much as everyone else.

Unfortunately for OP, there is only a 2 week window for there being significant legal rights in this case, so the airline legally has done nothing wrong. Morally, however, is a different story IMO.