Help with flight change

lisaloo1234

Hello 
we have booked a dream holiday to Mauritius flights and hotel with lastminute.com however after carefully choosing our flights for quickest flight times with a 2 hour layover  our flight has been cancelled and the alternative offered by Turkish airlines is a 26 hour stopover in Istanbul.
last minute are saying this is a minor change even though we are loosing the first day in our hotel.But have not offered a refund for this.They are also saying because it’s a minor change we have to pay to change flight to one not offered 
I am happy to pay as flights are showing the day before our intended flight.so I don’t understand why last minute haven’t offered this 
I asked if we could cancel and we would book else where but again they are saying it will incur financial penalties but fail to say what the actual cost will be.
Does anyone know what rights you have in this instance ??

eskbanker

lisaloo1234 said:

last minute are saying this is a minor change even though we are loosing the first day in our hotel.

Under the Package Travel Regulations, this is regarded as a significant change, not a minor one, as it alters at least two of the characteristics listed in Schedule 1, which insists on these being preserved:

2.  The travel destination, the itinerary and periods of stay, with dates and, where accommodation is included, the number of nights included.

3.  The means, characteristics and categories of transport, the points, dates and time of departure and return, the duration and places of intermediate stops and transport connections.

and therefore this grants you rights to cancellation with a full refund, under regulation 11.