Airline-Section 75

Dashi20

I am after some advice. I currently live abroad and booked return flights back to the UK to visit family for the summer with Finnair. I have since been made redundant so returning to the UK for good. The complication is I have a dog and 3 cats. To get them back to the UK I need to fly from a different airport then originally booked to Paris and then transfer them across by car. Spoke to Finnair advised non-refundable but changeable. They suggest a new departure airport to Paris. Said I would get back to them after discussing with my husband. Spoke to them today they are now saying I can't change them even though it was them that said to do this in the first place and my tickets say changeable. I gave them a 20 day window to re-book and flights still available for this route. The flight time is July. Struggling to find any terms and conditions with my original booking or on their website. Any advice? Can I raise a section 75? Any other advice?

400ixl

What do the tickets T&C's actually say. Are they actually changeable for date and departure airport?

If they are non-refundable and non-changeable then your only option I can see is to cancel and get any taxes back. If they are changeable for both date and departure then you should request this but may have to pay additional costs.

Can't see where you have a S75 claim as this is change of mind, as the change of circumstances is not something S75 covers as far as I am aware. Not sure travel insurance would cover this either.

Ayr_Rage

You cannot make a Section 75 claim as the supplier has not failed to provide the service.

You'll have to argue the toss with Finnair regarding their terms for amending the ticket.

DullGreyGuy

You would need to show that they have breached the terms of your contract, if you cannot find your terms that is likely to be a roadblock under S75 as being the claimant you have to prove your case. It wouldnt have to be the full terms just enough evidence to show that the tickets can be changed and any costs associated with such a change. 

With cards however you typically arent given the option to raise a S75 but instead "raise a dispute" and the bank will decide if it's better to process as a Chargeback or S75. In most cases if you are within the time limits a chargeback is attempted first. 

@born_again would be better placed to opine on if this would fall into "not as described" and how that works in the case of a service rather than a physical product. 

Dashi20

It states on my tickets they are changeable but now they will not let me change them. Can I just clarify that if I cancel the flights I will at least get the tax back?

la531983

Dashi20 said:

It states on my tickets they are changeable but now they will not let me change them. Can I just clarify that if I cancel the flights I will at least get the tax back?

You probably will but you will find this will be a miniscule amount as they will take an admin fee more than likely.

400ixl

Dashi20 said:

It states on my tickets they are changeable but now they will not let me change them. Can I just clarify that if I cancel the flights I will at least get the tax back?

Changeable for what? Dates and airports or just dates?

visidigi

Dashi20 said:

I am after some advice. I currently live abroad and booked return flights back to the UK to visit family for the summer with Finnair. I have since been made redundant so returning to the UK for good. The complication is I have a dog and 3 cats. To get them back to the UK I need to fly from a different airport then originally booked to Paris and then transfer them across by car. Spoke to Finnair advised non-refundable but changeable. They suggest a new departure airport to Paris. Said I would get back to them after discussing with my husband. Spoke to them today they are now saying I can't change them even though it was them that said to do this in the first place and my tickets say changeable. I gave them a 20 day window to re-book and flights still available for this route. The flight time is July. Struggling to find any terms and conditions with my original booking or on their website. Any advice? Can I raise a section 75? Any other advice?

Just to clarify is the need to change to Paris for example to avoid the pets entering the UK as international and requiring quarantine? Does the car route really negate the need for a pet passport etc? - just checking you arent trying to resolve one problem but creating another...

As others have said, taxes back will be small, you really need to check your T&C's (and paste them here, they should be viewable in the finnair website manage my booking section).

TELLIT01

Cheapest tickets often do still allow change of date, but not change of airport.  I suspect there may have been some confusion during the conversation.

Voyager2002

Dashi20 said:

I am after some advice. I currently live abroad and booked return flights back to the UK to visit family for the summer with Finnair. I have since been made redundant so returning to the UK for good. The complication is I have a dog and 3 cats. To get them back to the UK I need to fly from a different airport then originally booked to Paris and then transfer them across by car. Spoke to Finnair advised non-refundable but changeable. They suggest a new departure airport to Paris. Said I would get back to them after discussing with my husband. Spoke to them today they are now saying I can't change them even though it was them that said to do this in the first place and my tickets say changeable. I gave them a 20 day window to re-book and flights still available for this route. The flight time is July. Struggling to find any terms and conditions with my original booking or on their website. Any advice? Can I raise a section 75? Any other advice?

Two separate issues:
first, the process of getting pets back into the UK, the reason why you want to change your journey. That might be appropriate for a second thread but is irrelevant to the issue around Section 75;
second, the airline refusing to make a change that is apparently allowed by the T and Cs of your ticket. Please find the "fare rules" that govern your specific ticket, and if possible post them. We can then see whether they actually allow you to do what you want, or perhaps allow something similar that would achieve the same result for you.

It is only if the airline is refusing to do something that the "fare rules" permit, or if you can document that at the time of sale you were told that you could do something that the airline is now not allowing, that Section 75 might then be relevant.

eskbanker

Dashi20 said:

I currently live abroad and booked return flights back to the UK

[...]

Can I raise a section 75?

First things first, is it a UK credit card that you used?