Flights changed to day BEFORE scheduled flight!

SGAdamson

Hi, does anyone know the procedure for complaints/ compensation for when an airline reschedules the flight for the day BEFORE we were due to fly with only 4 days notice?
We had booked 2 weeks in switzerland (wed 23rd - wed 7th) but on the Friday before we were due to fly, SwissAir sent an email with a new flight itinerary (Tues 22nd - Tues 6th)! 😲 we were not given any options to reschedule/rebook. The outbound flight number was the same as the original booking but the return flight was under a different flight number.
As the flight was not 'delayed' I'm assuming that we will not be able to apply for the flight delay compensation! ... Any feedback on how we could make a claim would be gratefully recieved.

tripled

What were the actual time differences of the changes? For example, it make a difference if it was, say, 00:05 on 23rd changed to 23:55 on 22nd (10 minutes), compared to 23.55 on 23rd changed to 00:05 on 22nd (over 47 hours).

There's a guide at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays/

Westin

Did Swissair not give a reason for the change?   Was it strike action for example which meant they could not operate on the planned day?

Caz3121

SGAdamson said:

we were not given any options to reschedule/rebook. 

did they refuse to reschedule/rebook when you contacted them? were their alternative flights on your original dates?
You should have been given the options under EU261 to cancel for refund or be rebooked

SGAdamson

Hi Caz3121
Thank you for your reply .. 
No, the new itinerary email we recieved on the Friday simply said they looked forward to seeing us on the flight. TBH we thought at first it was a scam email, but when I contacted them, they confirmed the reschedule dates were correct. They did not offer us any alternative flights.

SGAdamson

Hi Westin,
When I quizzed SwissAir about the change, they said the flight dates had been amended back in July due to engine failure!!! 🤷‍♀️ when I asked why we had not been informed they said it was the agents responsible to contact us regarding any changes .. & vise versa, the agent said it was the airlines responsibility!

Westin

SGAdamson said:

Hi Westin,
When I quizzed SwissAir about the change, they said the flight dates had been amended back in July due to engine failure!!! 🤷‍♀️ when I asked why we had not been informed they said it was the agents responsible to contact us regarding any changes .. & vise versa, the agent said it was the airlines responsibility!

You did not mention an agent before.  Who was that?  Presumably Swissair however had your contact email as you mention being sent an itinerary five days before original departure day.

Not sure what the Swissair agent meant by engine failure. Clearly not something predictable so far in advance.

If they made the change back in July it would seem that somewhere the notification was not sent, not passed on or missed somewhere along the line.  Seems like they assumed the date change to your booking was accepted by you. Perhaps the agent did this or it is automatic if they don't hear back from you. I have not had a Swissair flight change so not sure how they word their change notifications.

If the change in schedule was indeed made in July I can't see Swissair paying you compensation or even to cover any costs for that day earlier departure.  

Perhaps drill down with SwissAir exactly how, when and to whom the flight rescheduling change was sent.  I would have thought records would indicate a date/time and email address of where notification was sent.  If it went to your agent then perhaps you can raise a complaint with them.

It doesn't help this time around but for the future it is always wise to ensure the airline has your contact information (record the airline PNR into a frequent flyer account) and to regularly check your booking on the airline website for any changes.

SGAdamson

Hi tripled
We were due to fly 8:45 on 23rd Nov.. instead we flew 8:45 on 22nd (24hrs earlier but under the same flight number)
We were due to return at 17:15 on 7th Dec.... instead they put us on a 07:05 flight on the 6th Dec (34hrs 10min earlier than planned, under a different flight number!)

Westin

@SGAdamson
Assume this was Manchester - Zurich (MAN ZRH MAN)
There seems to be two flights a day ex MAN. At 08:45 and 18:45.  The return ex ZRH at 07:05 and 17:10.
Shame for the return that you couldn't get on the 17:10 service.

SGAdamson

Thanks Westin, I appreciate your responses .. we flew Birmingham - Zurich return

SGAdamson

The agent was Skyscanner... booked June 2022 
We didnt recieve our full booking confirmation from SwissAir until 11:49am on the 21st Nov (less than 24hrs prior to rescheduled flight)