Advice on Flights Please

Gorginoo

My wife and I have booked a package holiday over Easter with a morning RyanAir flight out from Stansted, two weeks in a hotel and then a BA flight back to Heathrow.  However, due to an unchangeable medical appointment, I now can’t get to Stansted for the outbound RyanAir flight.   The package holiday company can’t change the flight so I have booked new EasyJet flights out from Gatwick late in the day and accept that the RyanAir tickets are not refundable (we will have to write off that cost).

However, if we are "no-shows" for the original flight and we make my own way to our destination via our own flights, will that affect the rest of our package? 

We had different airlines and airports out and back in the original package, so not return tickets, I assume therefore return flight should stand. And I assume the hotel won’t worry how we have got there!   My (probably irrational) fear is that if we don’t turn up in the morning for our original booked flight,  that someone somewhere will immediately cancel the rest of our holiday.

I can’t get a straight answer on the package holiday chat, only that ATOL protection won’t cover me. (Assume that's not a a real issue as I have insurance and paid by credit card).

Any advice?   Thank you.

eskbanker

Gorginoo said:

The package holiday company can’t change the flight so I have booked new EasyJet flights out from Gatwick late in the day and accept that the RyanAir tickets are not refundable (we will have to write off that cost).

Do you mean that you have booked new flights completely independently?  Even though it's unlikely that the package company would have been able to switch outbound flights without additional cost, they should have been able and willing to rebook you onto the later one - are you saying they refused to do this?  Is it one of the likes of Last Minute, On The Beach or Love Holidays, or is it a reputable ABTA member?

Gorginoo

It is with LH!  When I asked to change, they said they were unable to do so without cancelling the original and rebooking. I also wanted to change departure airport to either Gatwick or Heathrow.  This along with the fees would have cost more than me independently buying the new tickets.   So I have let the original booked tickets stand but bought 2 more with different airline/airport.

I accept I've lost the cost of those original tickets but my biggest worry is because we won't show up for that original flight, that when we arrive later in the day under our own steam, the hotel and return flight (although both with different providers) will somehow be cancelled! 

Gorginoo

Also when I did manage to "chat" and told them I'd changed our flight, all I got back was "as you have booked your outbound flight with a different service provider than the original booking, your booking will not now be ATOL protected".    No mention of anything else.  I would assume that they would have said something if it affected the rest of the holiday?  There is nothing in the T&Cs to indicate this. 

Just us worrying needlessly I hope! 

bagand96

If it was a tour operator like TUI or Jet2Holidays who control the whole package under a single contract then you could potentially face an issue.

However as you've booked with an OTA who just combine separate elements to form a package then you'll have no issue.  As long as you've paid and have confirmations then you'll be fine. You have 3 separate arrangements just sold via the LH website and wrapped in their ATOL. Love Holidays won't know or care that you haven't boarded your Ryanair flight.  The hotel booking will stand as will your return BA flights.

Gorginoo

Thank you @bagand96 - relief is sighed

jackieblack

It wouldn’t hurt to contact the hotel and let them know your new eta - there have been occasional posts on here over the years about people who missed flights and the hotel assumed they were ‘no shows’, cancelled their booking and then booked the room out to another guest.

CKhalvashi

jackieblack said:

It wouldn’t hurt to contact the hotel and let them know your new eta - there have been occasional posts on here over the years about people who missed flights and the hotel assumed they were ‘no shows’, cancelled their booking and then booked the room out to another guest.

Is there an obligation though to arrive straight at the hotel on a package? I'd say no, especially if travelling on the same day.

I very rarely use package travel (once in the last 10 years for sure during Covid, only to access charter flights that weren't available otherwise for cost reasons, that wasn't ATOL-protected anyway) but we arrived at about 2am at the hotel so it was necessary, but even when accommodation has asked for flight details we generally go and get some lunch/meet someone/explore if only with backpacks before even thinking about accommodation and have never had a problem.