Just has a quick look at their timetables and they actually stop flying from Manchester on 2nd October. You are entitled to a refund as per the enclosed in their Terms and conditions which I have copied from the website site, go on and read more. Also I would contact Ross the solicitor that gives free advice to find out more. Also had a quick check and Thomson flights. co.uk fly from Manchester to Ibiza and have seats for 6th October. Haven't checked any other airlines. Hope this helps Karen

9.2 CANCELLATION, REROUTING, DELAYS, ETC.

9.2.1 We will take all necessary measures to avoid delay in carrying you and your baggage. In the exercise of these measures and in order to prevent a flight cancellation, in exceptional circumstances we may arrange for a flight to be operated on our behalf by an alternative carrier and/or aircraft.

9.2.2 Except as otherwise provided by the Convention, if we cancel a flight, fail to operate a flight reasonably according to the schedule or, fail to stop at your destination, we shall, at your option, either:

9.2.2.1 carry you at the earliest opportunity on another of our scheduled services on which space is available without additional charge and, where necessary, extend the validity of your Ticket; or

9.2.2.2 within a reasonable period of time re-route you to the destination shown on your Ticket or an alternative destination acceptable to you by our own services without additional charge.; or

9.2.2.3 make a refund in accordance with the provisions of Article 10.2.

9.2.3 Upon the occurrence of any of the events set out in Article 9.2.2, except as otherwise provided by the Convention, the options outlined in Article 9.2.2.1 through 9.2.2.3 are the sole and exclusive remedies available to you and we shall have no further liability to you.

9.2.4 If we are unable to provide previously confirmed space, we shall provide compensation to those Passengers denied boarding in accordance with applicable law and our denied boarding compensation policy.

I have spoken to BMI who referred me to Customer Sevices. The Call Centre Staff would not authorise reimbursement of additional costs to get to Nottingham nor the extra £200 to fly from Manchester.

I have e-mailed Customer Services asking for a response by tomorrow lunch.

I urge you to give Ros Fernihough a call on Monday on 019222 621114 before doing anymore.She is only open office hours and gives free legal advice comes highly recommended on Holiday truths. Look at the top of Complaints forum (Free legal advice) and you will see. I wouldn't do anything else until you speak to her. Karen

Thanks,

Will speak to her on Monday.

I need to have it all sorted for Wednesday though.

G

I have just been looking at their terms and conditions again and found this:

9.2.2.2 within a reasonable period of time re-route you to the destination shown on your Ticket or an alternative destination acceptable to you by our own services without additional charge.; or

If my reading of this is correct, they should pay for you to get to Nottingham. Karen

Edit - Please do not use coloured fonts in the main forums. Thanks, luci - HT Mod

At the risk of saying something outside the rules of the site BMIB haven't been very helpful.

I checked their website on Sunday and the Manchester flight wasn't on the timetable. I am assuming that this timetable has been out for sometime and at least since Sunday. I assumed it wasn't listed because it was full but obviously they had moved it to Nottingham.

They didn't try to inform me until late Thursday when I was out of the country.

When I rang the number they gave me (Saturday) they said I can go from Nottingham, getting five of us there at my cost, or have a refund. They were economical with the truth telling me that the flight was changed on Thursday and they also said I couldn't speak to a supervisor.

When I quoted the Sale of Goods and Services Act and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations a supervisor appeared but was no more helpful referring me to Customer services.

You cannot 'phone BMI baby Customer Services, all correspondance has to be in writing I obviously don't have time for that.

If you try to contact them through the web site each option leads you to a disclaimer and the final icing on the cake is a statement that BMI Baby Customer Services are extremely busy, presumably working hard to make a complete Pigs Ear of my holiday, and that the turn round time is 4-6 weeks.

I will speak to Ross on Monday but it looks like I will have to sort myself out and speak to them later.

A salutory leson for me.

Anybody else had a similar experience?

G

I am sure you are not the only one on this flight that has been bumped on to Nottingham or elsewhere, but as no-one else is replying they either don't access this website or maybe you are posting in the wrong discussion forum. The problem is most of Ibiza is closing down for the season so I believe they have just cancelled flying from certain airports from this weekend. I know you haven't much time . If BMI do contact you before you speak to Ross and they don't come up with anything that suits you, let them know you are contacting a solicitor as this sometimes works a treat in solving things. Karen

Spoke to Ros informed that this airport alteration constitutes a significant change and hence BMI Baby are liable to fund my travel to Nottingham.

Rather suspect that from their attitude already that getting my money back will be hard work but I am prepared to go to the small claims court and sooner rather than later if they mess me about.

Have spoken to BMIB and they again were less than truthful I feel, but they did say that some people had been informed by BMIB that their flights were changed with less than 2 days notice. Absolutely disgraceful.

G

Glad you got to speak to Ross and at least you know that they should paid for you to travel to Nottingham, although they won't before you leave. I would suggest if you can at the airport get speaking to any of the passengers on the flight to see if the same has happened to them and what they were told and if they are doing anything about it. Get their names and addresses as it will make it easier for all those who need to claim. I did a quick check and the only way to get to Ibiza on that day is from Nottingham and not from any other UK airport with BMIB so you may find that this has also happened to people from other airports as well. Enjoy your holiday and don't let them put a dampener on it. Karen

Will definitely enjoy - thanks for your help.

G

Glad Ros was able to help and give you something to back up your fight.

luci

Hi

I'm posting this from Ibiza.

There were only 17 of us on the flight here and only 8 bumped from Manchester, we were 5 of them.

Would not have been particularly happy to have gone from Nottingham but if BMIB had told us that there were only three other people booked from Manchester at least we would have understood a little more.

G

Yes but that means there were only 9 booked originally from Nottingham so why couldn't have they come to your Manchester flight instead of the other way around. Karen

Hello ... I've posted a separate item on this same problem ...see bmibaby WARNING ......the problem with these no frills arilines is that they really don't care about passengars, we are numbers .... I had no alternative but to book with bmibaby as they have the only direct route from Bordeaux to Manchester (I live in France) .....I have today written/faxed/emailed to bmibaby at Castle Donnington, having found the address on the flybmi .comwebsite, the Air Transport Users Council, and to Trading Standards Complaints as a non resident buying from the UK. I would have been quite happy to pay more than the far too cheap fares charged, that obviously cannot sustain flights, and been able to travel - I have family in the UK who are distressed and disappointed as I am myself.. I really think there isn't a hope of getting anything out of bmibaby reading all the "small print". The way to stop these people doing this is not to use them - certainly shall not in the future - I shall fly Air France via Paris - pay more but at least get there ...... no frills in these cases literally means no flights !! regards, kd

We had Palma flights booked for December with BMI. Then they cancelled the Monday return flight. They offered Sunday and Tuesday. No use really, so we cancelled.
They said the refund would take 7 working days. Nearly 3 weeks later I phoned the refunds department and , surprise surprise, it was due to go through the day before or that day. Which, in fairness, it did.
If I hadn't of phoned?????

Just a thought and possibly off topic but are all the low cost airlines guilty of this kind of thing?

In my case I built my holiday around the flights I got with BMIB. If they had cancelled the flight and I couldn't arrange another one that would have been my holiday plus the grand or so that I had already spent up the swanny.

Really had no choice but to fly from Nottingham and I wonder if that is the tactic with the short notice they gave us.

They said the they had cancelled all flights from Manchester and they couldn't contact everybody immediately. This is presumably nonsense since they can send out a number of e-mails with little or no admin effort. A three-four week notice period would have been handy and allowed us to consider our options in more detail.

G

I'be never had a problem like this with EasyJet, and I've flown with them loads of times.

One of my friends got caught out by RyanAir when they bought out Buzz(?) and cancelled the flights. He won't ever fly with them now.

For our Palma flight we were told that BMI wouldn't be flying there on Mondays and Thursdays in the winter season.

What I find intersting is that we hear about all the new routes opening, but little of these type of cancellations. Maybe the low cost market is now saturated, and flights come and go as people try out new destinations?

Can only add my agreement to other contributors, and sum up Bmi baby as cheap flights, terrible customer service. They seem to have small print to cover them for all there mistakes and wont reply to any complaints. Avoid.

Despite all thier small print, I e-mailed them before I went on holiday. If I have received no reply by Monday 1/11/04 I will send a letter recorded delivery. If there is no reply to this letter, within say a month, I will go to the small claims court.

I will post the result, win, lose or draw in this topic.

G