Flight cancellation query

MrChips

Hello!

A friend who has been staying with me a for a short visit to the UK was due to fly back to Russia today, via Ankara.  She booked with Turkish Airlines, but the flight from Stansted to Ankara was outsourced to AJet.

I dropped them at Stansted and left after saying my goodbyes.  However, she has got in touch to say the flight was subsequently cancelled due to an issue with the aircraft and she's stuck in the airport.  I've explained her rights to her but it sounds like AJet are being not totally helpful and initially suggested she rebook on another flight herself.  This wouldn't be possible in any case as her Russian bank cards don't work in the UK, and she left what little British cash remained unspent with me as it would be no use to her after her return.  She has further problems that she can't easily make phone calls to the airlines without incurring a lot of expense in international calls on her Russian sim so is having to communicate with me through whatsapp and I'm trying to make calls on her behalf.

Questions:
1) The CAA website says she can expense any reasonable costs incurred, e.g. phone calls.  My understanding is most countries can't send money to Russian bank accounts so how would she go about reclaiming these in practice?

2) I understand due to being delayed more than three hours she can make a claim for compensation.  This is based on the flight distance.  Would this be the distance to Ankara or to her ultimate destination in Russia?  Even then, as per Q1 how would this be sent to her?

3) Any advice on what he best options might be?  AJet staff seem rather thin on the ground at Stansted.  She's been handed a piece of paper which apologises for the inconvenience and invites her to contact AJet to get advice on available options (but finishes by saying there is no AJet reservation desk at Stansted).  I called AJet on her behalf but they said that as she booked with Turkish Airlines she should contact them instead as they don't have her details on their system?  I called TA, and they had no record of the flight being cancelled, and suggested she go to a TA sales desk.  But my friend says there isn't one in Stansted (which sounds likely as TA don't fly out of Stansted).

All in all, it sounds like a bit of a mess!

Hoenir

MrChips said:

She booked with Turkish Airlines, but the flight from Stansted to Ankara was outsourced to AJet.

AJet is the low cost subsidiary of Turkish Airlines. There's no outsourcing. 

MrChips

Thanks - but there doesn't seem to be much coordination between them...

Westin

Ajet , Turkish Airlines (and Pegasus) have flights to Istanbul (IST & SAW). Could she route via there as direct services to Ankara are limited from the U.K.

MrChips

AJet have put her on a 2300 flight to Istanbul SAW.  But as far as I can tell, there are no flights to Moscow from that airport.  She'd have to transit across to the main Istanbul airport.

It's really confusing and stressful for her as she doesn't have much way of contacting Turkish Airlines to understand what will happen to her in Istanbul.  AJet don't seem to be answering any questions in Stansted...

Even when she gets to SAW, from what I can tell there's no TA presence there either, so not sure who she can talk to on arrival?

Hoenir

MrChips said:

AJet have put her on a 2300 flight to Istanbul SAW.  But as far as I can tell, there are no flights to Moscow from that airport.  She'd have to transit across to the main Istanbul airport.

It's really confusing and stressful for her as she doesn't have much way of contacting Turkish Airlines to understand what will happen to her in Istanbul.  AJet don't seem to be answering any questions in Stansted...

The airline will provide transport in Turkey.  Ground staff in Stanstead won't know anything.

When travelling internationally you need to be prepared for the unexpected. As sometimes things don't go to plan. That's the nature of life. 

MrChips

Thanks - don't expect it to be perfect every time. But according to her (and a few others on twitter!) the customer service has been appalling!  Very little info provided, and no adherence to CAA rules. When things go wrong, this is their opportunity to impress with great customer service  

https://x.com/Rotorfocus/status/1810039806338163194

https://x.com/YildirimCharlie/status/1810008437230600242

https://x.com/DrOnurai/status/1809997634587009161

 

Westin

Ajet and Turkish Airlines have staff at SAW.

Ajet will presumably look at routing her to ESB as that was her original destination with them.  Unless she had a through ticket from the UK to Moscow she may have to now look at buying a new onward ticket.  Ajet will not be responsible for another carrier’s onward missed flight.

Pegasus Airlines flies SAW to Moscow VKO. 

Multiple flights to Moscow from IST which has a bus connection from SAW.
 

bagand96

If it was a through ticket booked with Turkish Airlines then it's Turkish Airlines who should be arranging an alternative itinerary to the destination.

If your friend has no way of contacting them from the UK then they'll have to do it once in Istanbul. Can she dowoad the Turkish Airlines app, or look at the reservation online, that might have more info. 

Compensation etc may be payable, would have to be claimed from Ajet. A Turkish airline shouldn't have issues sending money to Russia, they are not taking part in sanctions. 

Voyager2002

Just to confirm: in Istanbul, the airport bus service includes a direct link between the two airports. And her Russian bank cards and so forth should work there.

Since this was a departure from the UK, the usual rules about 'care' during the delay; the right to re-routing and to compensation still apply. Furthermore, very similar rights are written into Turkish law although a good deal of argument might be necessary to obtain them. (There is a post on Reddit about someone's long-drawn out experience of obtaining compensation under Turkish law.)

MrChips

Thanks both.  Just to clarify, it is a through ticket from London to Moscow (via Ankara).  Purchased via Turkish Airlines but fulfilled by AJet (at least the first leg).  When I called AJet they said the booking reference was with TA so I'd need to contact them.  When I called TA, they said it was originally booked through an agency so the agency should be contacted at first.  I called a second time later on and was told the original flight is not showing as cancelled on the system so there's nothing they can do in any case and she'll need to take it up with the crew at the airport (but neither AJet nor Turkish Airlines have a manned sales desk at Stansted).

My friend remains at Stansted some 24 hours later.  In spite of originally having her ticket changed to take her to Istanbul, there wasn't space on the flight for her so it left without her and she was put in a hotel.  She was only given a voucher for some food at midnight after waiting for almost 12 hours! She's still not been given much of an update on when she will leave.  I've suggested she ask to be put on one of the multiple Pegasus flights leaving today which fly to Moscow via Turkey, but so far that's not been arranged.

I used SAW myself a few months ago, but my recollection (perhaps false) is there wasn't any wifi available there.  It was a job to even get water (had to ask multiple restaurants to refill my bottle until one agreed - no water fountains anywhere)!