That's clearer - I assume you must have prebooked your seats and paid the extra for that as I am only left wondering how you would have been told which seats you had been given as you went straight to security. I was wondering if you do not prebook the seats how do you know which seat you have if you go straight to the security / departure lounge as you did ! Many thanks !

on a different note, still waiting for them to pay out on volcanic ash compensation, they say payments will be made from 45 working days from date of claim, well past that date now !!! anyone else still waiting ?.

No, didn't prebook seats - they were allocated when checking in online.

nosivad wrote:

on a different note, still waiting for them to pay out on volcanic ash compensation, they say payments will be made from 45 working days from date of claim, well past that date now !!! anyone else still waiting ?.

Hi nosivad ... latest information on the BMI Baby website suggests that refunds are being made within 45 days, credited back to the passenger's original source of payment. I think it was initially 30 days, but that appears to have been extended due to the volume of claims. Passengers are advised to check bank statements regularly and get in touch with the airline if the card which was used as original source of payment has expired.

However, looking back through previous posts in a couple of topics, I'm wondering if your circumstances are different. If I am reading things correctly, you haven't actually paid any money to BMI Baby, as your original booking was with Easyjet for a flight which they then cancelled and gave you a free transfer to BMI Baby. But even with that Easyjet booking, is it not the case that a non-refundable credit note from a previous booking was used, so you didn't actually pay them by card for that booking either ?

If that was the case, I am wondering if BMI Baby may have refunded Easyjet for any payments made between them, but Easyjet are just holding another non-refundable credit for you against future bookings. Or did you come to a specific arrangement about a card refund following the volcanic ash situation ? I'm just not sure how BMI Baby can refund you directly if you did not pay them directly, or whether Easyjet will now refund on a non-refundable credit note, unless a special arrangement has been made.

Apologies if I have misread the situation and am confusing completely different trips and bookings.

David

Thanks - I did not realise ( if this is the case ) that they told you which precise seats you would be sitting in at the time when you check in on line.

Hi David, yes Easyjet did pay but i checked with them and BMI, they have acknowleged receipt of my claim and said I would be getting a refund payment by cheque, as would all the people who had been transferred over from Easyjet. So I guess I will just have to be patient.

That's good nosivad. I can appreciate that transferred passengers would be entitled to a refund, I was just slightly concerned that your use of a non-refundable credit note may have made a difference to your entitlement. The difference in your circumstances has perhaps resulted in a delay beyond the 45 day processing time, but hopefully you won't have to wait too much longer.

David

Hi We are flying with BMI Baby to Menorca and want to take 2 car booster seats for the children for the hire car when we are there. Does anyone know if these can be taken on as the children's hand luggage allowance as the airline charge £10 per seat per journey. I think the one should be ok as it's just within the hand luggage dimensions allowed but the other is slightly over (around 21cm deep and the limit is 20cm).Last year when we travelled with Thomas Cook I just bundled the 2 together in bubble wrap and tape and checked them in with my hold luggage free of charge, if I did this again do you think they would charge for the 2 seats still even though it's really only one package? My other option is to try to fit them in the cases somehow within my luggage allowance. I know it seems a lot of hassle but the car hire company charge 3.50 eu each per day for them (so 70 euros for 10 days :yikes) and they only cost around a tenner each to buy.

nicJW,

If you can fit them within your luggage allowance, that would be easiest. If they are within hand luggage dimensions, then I can't see there being a problem taking them as hand luggage allowance. However if one is over, there's a chance they'll ask you to measure it and may then charge you for checking it in as hold luggage. The dimensions are strictly adhered to due to limited room in the overhead lockers on the Boeing 737-300. If you bundled the two of them together, it'll only be counted as one item, not two.

Darren

Thanks Darren, that's what I thought. We had planned on taking 3 cases and pooling our 4 allowances of 18kg. Do you think if I packed them up together like before they would allow them in with our checked in allowance. I have booked 1 bag each for the 4 of us so as long as I don't go over the 72kg total weight do you think they would accept my 'package' as a 'bag' or would they need to be packed in a proper case or bag? Or would it be classed as an oversized item that I'd need to pay seperately for? I did try phoning the call centre but I don't think they understood what I was asking and at 65p a minute I don't think there's much point in trying them again.

Just an idea and I am sure someone better informed will tell you the right answer but could they not be strapped on each to the side of a suitcase if not enough room inside ? ( subject to total weight )

Not sure if this link helps any??

http://www.travellingwithchildren.co.uk/acatalog/ontheroad_carhire.html

http://www.bubblebum.co.uk/

nicJW,

You can pool your allowance up to the maximum you're purchased so you're fine on that score. As long as they are packaged up securely, I can't see why you can't check them in as you would a suitcase. They may be easier to carry if you had them inside a bag, and that may offer them some protection though.

Darren

Thanks for the replies - great help. I have just ordered a 'Bubblebum' inflatable booster seat for my oldest child to use - £26 but I think it will be worth it as I'll be able to use it for future holidays. I don't think this will be suitable for my youngest as she needs a seat belt adjuster which her booster (Britax) has, so I will try to squeeze this one into one of the cases.

Thanks again

see my post on volcanic ash disruption------ BMI Baby refusing to pay out on additional costs incurred while they sent another plane out for our return one week later, can they do this is it legal ???.

You were in a really odd position as BMI were basically bailing out Easyjet, we have no idea what your booking status was. I once got home from Zurich when Emirates found space for passengers off a cancelled Swissair flight but when we checked in we were given boarding cards marked Standby not OK. If BMI agreed to take Easyjet passengers subject to availablity of seats at departure time then you have no claim against them - at departure time there were no seats (there was no plane!!).

Hi Steve, no our legal carrier was BMI, easy jet had stopped flying from east midlands airport and long before the volcano situation had transferred all my flights over to BMI (ALONG WITH LOTS OF OTHER PASSENGERS) so to all intent and purpose we were flying out and back with BMI, AND AS I UNDERSTAND THEY SIGNED UP TO THE EUROPEAN FLIGHT DISRUPTION regulations. So i am sure they should pay any reasonable costs incurred for the extra week we were waiting for them to fly us back, we complied with all their instructios about re- booking the flight back.

If that's how you came to be transferred then BMI are liable, I read it as easyjet cancelled a flight on the day. I thought when easyjet abandoned the routes they just refunded those who had already booked.

EC261/2004 isn't a voluntary scheme they sign up to - it's the law and they are stuck with it whether they like it or not! What excuse have they given for not paying reasonable accomadation and food costs?

PS - apologies to Swissair (not that it matters since they went bust) but it was the other way around to what I wrote, Emirates cancelled my flight and Swissair got me home!

I'm very disappointed with the selection of BMI flights from Cardiff. There are only 11 destinations and only a couple of them will allow you to book flights for Easter. I don't know whether that means that they won't be flying to those destinations at that time of year, or they will be added at a late date.