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Flight cancelled, earlier flight offered, holiday ruined.

  • 14-03-2017 12:38pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20


    I was recently given notice by an airline that the first leg of a long haul flight was cancelled. The notice was given at 1230 the day before the original flight, which was due to go at 5pm the following day. They offered me an earlier flight at 11am, on the same day I was originally due to fly. It would have meant a 24 hour trip instead of an 18 hour one, with an 8 hour stopover. I couldn't face it (unfit and getting too old for long haul tbh) having been unwell during a long stopover on a previous longhaul, so I cancelled the whole trip. A full refund is supposedly on its way. I'm livid coz I feel the notice was ridiculously short and it would have been a pain to travel so much earlier, longer stopover etc. Question: would I be entitled to compensation under new EU regs, assuming cancellation was not an act of god?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭Eponymous


    My reading of this is that you are, on the basis that the alternative offered departs more than 1 hour before the original booked flight and with less than seven days notice provided.

    I'm unsure if you'd be entitled to compensation for the full outward journey or just for the leg you refused, but you can work that out here (based on distance and destination): http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/air_travel/compensation_for_overbooked_and_delayed_flights.html#Compensati


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 16,662 CMod ✭✭✭✭faceman


    Highly likely you won't be entitled to compensation in this case as the change won't be viewed as unreasonable and you were offered a refund if you weren't happy.

    Funnily enough situations like this were discussed on Newstalk yesterday.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 Finiardo


    Eponymous wrote: »
    My reading of this is that you are, on the basis that the alternative offered departs more than 1 hour before the original booked flight and with less than seven days notice provided.

    I'm unsure if you'd be entitled to compensation for the full outward journey or just for the leg you refused, but you can work that out here (based on distance and destination): http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/air_travel/compensation_for_overbooked_and_delayed_flights.html#Compensati

    Thanks for that. That is mostly my reading of it, I was wondering about the second leg and if the issue affected the whole trip (same airline) or just the first leg.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭Eponymous


    I would imagine the airline's view (if they do agree to compensate) would be that there were no issues with the second leg and return legs, you chose to take the refund. On that basis you're only looking at the first leg compensation only.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,357 ✭✭✭✭SteelyDanJalapeno


    Any subsequent legs are dependent on the 1st leg thou, them cancelling the initial leg directly affected the OPs ability of physically being able to get ot the other legs.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,013 ✭✭✭lynchie


    faceman wrote: »
    Highly likely you won't be entitled to compensation in this case as the change won't be viewed as unreasonable and you were offered a refund if you weren't happy.

    Funnily enough situations like this were discussed on Newstalk yesterday.

    EU261 would allow for full reimbursement AND compensation if you do not accept the re-routing. This assumes the reason for the cancellation is not extraordinary.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 Finiardo


    Turns out the airline had notified the online intermediary 5 weeks ago, a few days after I bought the flight, that the flight had been cancelled, but the intermediary notified me just over 24 hours before the flight. Buyer beware: check out trustpilot or other online reviews before you buy, even from a supposedly reputable online aggregator.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭Fogmatic


    I agree. I find the better online aggregators very useful - as a starting point. But I once tried booking directly from one of these websites (or so I thought), and found I'd booked through a 3rd party company. Though a legitimate booking company (with a modest fee), it sent its confirmations in such an 11th-hour manner that it made the lead-up to travelling quite stressful. It's best to use the aggregator as a pointer, take some notes, leave the site, go direct to the airline(s) concerned and get prompt confirmations. (And the airline sites can also have offers etc that the aggregators don't pick up).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,178 ✭✭✭killbillvol2


    Finiardo wrote: »
    Turns out the airline had notified the online intermediary 5 weeks ago, a few days after I bought the flight, that the flight had been cancelled, but the intermediary notified me just over 24 hours before the flight. Buyer beware: check out trustpilot or other online reviews before you buy, even from a supposedly reputable online aggregator.

    Which one did you use?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 Finiardo


    Which one did you use?

    Happy to give the names but is it ok to name these on here?


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  • Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭J.pilkington


    Finiardo wrote: »
    Happy to give the names but is it ok to name these on here?

    Should be as you have proof.

    Should definitely name them, disgraceful behaviour as you would likely have been able to cancel / reschedule the flight, I'm sure they were protecting their own interests at great cost to you


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 Finiardo


    Should be as you have proof.

    Should definitely name them, disgraceful behaviour as you would likely have been able to cancel / reschedule the flight, I'm sure they were protecting their own interests at great cost to you

    I found the flight via Skyscanner, however the final intermediate was Tripsta who took payment for the ticket. I emailed Tripsta a few days ago about the delay in notifying my, and have heard nothing back. I've complained to Skyscanner and am awaiting a response from Tripsta, if they ever do reply. Skyscanner have said that Tripsta fall within their acceptable ratio of complaints! Steer clear of Tripsta.

    Use these sites to find a flight but buy direct as advised above. There are quite a number of worrying reviews about Tripsta on Trustpilot which mirror my experience. Never again.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 136 ✭✭macsauce


    I have also had issues with Tripsta.

    Three years ago I booked an internal flight in Peru through them for a holiday. I booked about seven weeks in advance. Two weeks before I left Ireland i double checked my flights and discovered that Tripsta booked me on a fare that was only available to Peruvian nationals. Had I turned up at the check in desk I would have been turned away. Their call center in Greece was EXTREMELY difficult to deal with, very poor communication (for example, not coming back with updates when they agreed and passing me to a new person each time I rang). Thankfully I got it sorted in the end but it taught me a lesson and now I would pay the premium for booking with the airline directly.


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