Loveholidays Package - Wife and disabled daughter stuck in Sri Lanka

joeythepoey

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some urgent help or advice on how to deal with LoveHolidays. My wife and 14-year-old daughter are currently stranded in Sri Lanka and I am at my wits' end trying to get them home safely.

My daughter has cerebral palsy and this was meant to be a 10-day trip (26th Feb to 6th March). Things started badly when we realized the hotel was 6 hours from the airport. LoveHolidays were rude and refused to help, even with my daughter’s disability, so we had to pay extra and fix it ourselves through a local agent.

Now they are stuck. Their return flight yesterday was cancelled because of the war and the closure of Gulf airspace. Since then, LoveHolidays has been an absolute nightmare to deal with.

The main issues we’re facing right now:

• Safety: LoveHolidays is trying to force them onto a flight via Doha next Tuesday. This is a conflict zone that was under drone attack only 3 hours ago. The FCDO guidance is clear about the risks, yet LoveHolidays is ignoring this and trying to send a vulnerable child into a dangerous area.
• Legal Failures: They are trying to push us to "refund and rebook." This is a breach of the Package Travel Regulations (PTR) because they have a legal duty to repatriate them. They are trying to shift the financial risk onto us.
• BA Policy: We spoke to British Airways directly. They confirmed that under their LIME policy, LoveHolidays can self-manage a rebooking via their own system (GDS) without needing a waiver code. LoveHolidays flatly refuses to do this.
• Bad Advice: One agent even told us to just claim a new flight on travel insurance. We know insurers won’t cover this as it is the travel agent's legal responsibility.

Communication has been non-existent. Emails are ignored and their social media team just tells us to "send details" and then goes silent for days. We even nearly got caught by scammers on X because we were so desperate for a response.

We can’t afford to pay for direct flights ourselves as the prices are through the roof. Does anyone have a direct contact for a manager or a legal escalation team at LoveHolidays? We need to get them home on a safe route that doesn't involve flying through a conflict zone.

Thanks,
Joe

Neil49

I suggest you read this thread which is already up and running to give you some thoughts on what to do next.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6657896/mse-news-stranded-abroad-or-travel-disrupted-due-to-the-middle-east-conflict-your-rights-explained

Grumpy_chap

The package holiday company should be arranging alternative / continuing hotel while the delay is ongoing. There is a limit to how long the package holiday company have to pay for that accommodation (3 days I believe). Beyond that, it will be down to you to pay or may be covered by your travel insurance, depending on the restrictions in the policy about "acts of war" and how those restrictions apply in this scenario.

As for the re-route, your child's age and disability or vulnerability is probably not a consideration that merits any treatment different to any other traveller. From the perspective of the travel operator, the Government / authorities for the hub airports in the Middle East and the airlines are carrying out their risk assessments and, if the flights are flying, the travel operator would deem those flights suitable for re-route purposes. (I am not aware that the flights are flying on a "exit only" basis for passengers and the flights are carrying passengers wishing to reach the Middle East as well as passenger who will be transiting.)

Other than "disinclination", what is your basis that the flights that are flying are not suitable for re-route?

I understand "disinclination" but understanding something does not necessarily create a basis for formal challenge / rejection of a solution.

elsien

Loveholidays are a nightmare to deal with when things go wrong - they were one of the worst ones for helping customers stranded during Covid.

Westin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81913443#Comment_81913443

Yep. Yet people still book ‘cheap’.

silvercar

All you can do is be persistent and don’t accept a refund. Once you are within 24 hours of your original booked flight I though that the airline takes control, which may make dealing with BA easier than Love Holidays.

Another option would be to book flights on a credit card and then go to court (MCOL) or the airline arbitration service CEDR to get your money back. I realise this is a risk if you don’t win.

Personally I’d be inclined to accept the flights via Doho, if it’s at all risky that flight will too be cancelled and then you could liaise with the airline direct.

user1977

The FCDO guidance about Qatar is kind of academic at the moment given their airspace has been closed for several days. It's possible by Tuesday there will be flights and different guidance.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81913690#Comment_81913690

It might well be assumed that some kind of process will be put in place that allows at least some civilian (including cargo) air flights into and out of the Middle East.

It is totally different to Ukraine where airspace was closed and remains closed. There are overland routes of entry and exit.

The Middle Eastern states (as a collective) comprise a huge peninsula without overland routes of entry and exit (other than via the countries even more directly involved - Israel, Iraq, Jordan - in the current war).

Brie

I agree that legally there is likely little difference between your family's situation and that of many others but frankly this seems a perfect scenario to involve your MP and the newspapers. Heart tugging story of "mean travel operator abandoning helpless disabled child in warzone".

I'm not being rude about your child or your worry but if you have concerns sometimes drastic action is called for.

eskbanker

Heart tugging story of "mean travel operator abandoning helpless disabled child in warzone".

That would indeed be typical of the accuracy of UK tabloids, given that the travel operator isn't abandoning a helpless disabled child in a warzone…

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81913760#Comment_81913760

Indeed, and the OP's child being "young, disabled and vulnerable" (which seem to be the tags the OP has applied) would appear to make no difference to the suitability of a return flight routed via the Middle East than for any other individual.