basically ill cut too it as the full letter is 3 pages.
flight xla 771V tenerife south-bristol on the 11/4/06 @ 12:25pm
Original plane delayed for 2 1/2 hrs (till 3:15pm) because the first plane and backup place were both busted so had to fly a plane down to bristol fron GATWICK the night before, then the pilot had to have a rest so caused the delay on the outbound flight which rolled onto us when it landed in tenerife to pick us up!!
Once in the air everything fine untill 6:15pmwhen the pilot tells us that their is no visability at bristol nor cardiff nor exeter so had to divert to GATWICK. he told us that loads of planes had tried to land but then been diverted when in fact no other planes diverted from these airport on that day (we had people wiating at bristol speaking to non xl reps and xl reps) and the weather was claer at all 3 after around 2pm that day(we have a member of the family who gets airport visability reports) plus had people at bristol ariport waiting who was whatching planes land and takes of including a plane that landed from tenerifre 10 mins before ours was due.
To make matter worst the landing a Gatwick was over 45mins in descent and the pilot nose dived till the end.
we then found out that that plane was needed at gatwick the next morning leading us all to beliveve that maybe it was diverted on purpose because it was fine to land at the other airports and was needed at Gatwick.
The coach that bought us from gatwick to bristol were crap, the xl reps didnt know what was going on (we were telling her).
any suggestion or advice would be gracefully acepted.
Thank you
**edit to remove potentially libellous comments - Kath HT Admin**
You've got to hand it to Excel - they are inventive in their information.
Of course the plane landed at Gatwick - it was always going to land at Gatwick.
Contact the CAA and ask for information about your flight - get them to confirm it logged a flight plan for Tenerife to Gatwick. Explain that you need the information in order to lodge a court action against Excel and under the freedom of information act they will be hard-pressed to refuse your request as to do so would hinder you court action.
But, this won't help you much as Excel complied with their obligations by transferring you from Gatwick to Bristol by coach.
The Warsaw agreement (some years ago - cannot remember when) set up the agreement that airlines are required to get you from the start point to the end point - but by surface transport if necessary.
You have little hope therefore of any redress.
Excel should have provided drinks and meals if the length of your delay merits such. Again, you're talking buttons in cost terms.
I used this company for the last time last summer on a Manchester/Sanford/Manchester route. Never again. I PURPOSELY avoide them when travelling to Egypt in Feb this year.
My advice to everyone reading this post (and there's loads more comment about Excel in this forum) - avoid them like the plague; you have a high probability of being delayed and it's almost guaranteed that you will be given false information should things go pear-shaped.
Chalk it down to experience.
Mike
Of course the plane landed at Gatwick - it was always going to land at Gatwick.
Contact the CAA and ask for information about your flight - get them to confirm it logged a flight plan for Tenerife to Gatwick. Explain that you need the information in order to lodge a court action against Excel and under the freedom of information act they will be hard-pressed to refuse your request as to do so would hinder you court action.
But, this won't help you much as Excel complied with their obligations by transferring you from Gatwick to Bristol by coach.
The Warsaw agreement (some years ago - cannot remember when) set up the agreement that airlines are required to get you from the start point to the end point - but by surface transport if necessary.
You have little hope therefore of any redress.
Excel should have provided drinks and meals if the length of your delay merits such. Again, you're talking buttons in cost terms.
I used this company for the last time last summer on a Manchester/Sanford/Manchester route. Never again. I PURPOSELY avoide them when travelling to Egypt in Feb this year.
My advice to everyone reading this post (and there's loads more comment about Excel in this forum) - avoid them like the plague; you have a high probability of being delayed and it's almost guaranteed that you will be given false information should things go pear-shaped.
Chalk it down to experience.
Mike
Hi,
fianlly managed to get the info you sugegsted getting an get this, the pilot was not qulaified to land at bristol and the plane was logged as always destined for gatwick!!!
that means they knew in advance of the flight i.e. the day before when they change planes, that it would be landing at gatwick.
unfortunatly i still seems they are gonna get away with this as their is no legislation of being lied to by the pilot, so as ive been told.
trying to call the invesitgation officer at the CAA now as he might be able to help look into it as basically it was a chnage of flight within 24hrs so maybe theirs summin to follow their.
funny thing is the lady I was speaking to at the air travel users council knew which flight I was on about before i even told her!
fianlly managed to get the info you sugegsted getting an get this, the pilot was not qulaified to land at bristol and the plane was logged as always destined for gatwick!!!
that means they knew in advance of the flight i.e. the day before when they change planes, that it would be landing at gatwick.
unfortunatly i still seems they are gonna get away with this as their is no legislation of being lied to by the pilot, so as ive been told.
trying to call the invesitgation officer at the CAA now as he might be able to help look into it as basically it was a chnage of flight within 24hrs so maybe theirs summin to follow their.
funny thing is the lady I was speaking to at the air travel users council knew which flight I was on about before i even told her!
Satmos,
glad you're getting somewhere.
The lady at the Air Travel Users Council probably already had similar calls to yours from other passengers.
I also wonder (I'm very very cynical) is this isn't just a one-off.
I don't see why Excel couldn't have sent a pair of flight deck crews from Bristol of overcome the need for one to rest. And, if the original planes in Tenerife were busted presumably the flight crew who were scheduled to fly you back to Bristol were there as well, in Tenerife. So why couldn't they have flown you back. I guess the original crew were not cleared for the replacement aircraft type and if the replacement crew had not previously landed at Bristol within the qualifying period that's not unreasonable.
This is my main complaint with Excel - they do not tell a straight story. We can all accept things will go wrong. Providing the company does its utmost to fix the problem and keeps the clients informed, truthfully throughout we cannot expect any more.
As soon as they start to avoid the truth they should expect serious repurcusions from their customers.
Thanks for the update, let us know more as the story unfolds.
glad you're getting somewhere.
The lady at the Air Travel Users Council probably already had similar calls to yours from other passengers.
I also wonder (I'm very very cynical) is this isn't just a one-off.
I don't see why Excel couldn't have sent a pair of flight deck crews from Bristol of overcome the need for one to rest. And, if the original planes in Tenerife were busted presumably the flight crew who were scheduled to fly you back to Bristol were there as well, in Tenerife. So why couldn't they have flown you back. I guess the original crew were not cleared for the replacement aircraft type and if the replacement crew had not previously landed at Bristol within the qualifying period that's not unreasonable.
This is my main complaint with Excel - they do not tell a straight story. We can all accept things will go wrong. Providing the company does its utmost to fix the problem and keeps the clients informed, truthfully throughout we cannot expect any more.
As soon as they start to avoid the truth they should expect serious repurcusions from their customers.
Thanks for the update, let us know more as the story unfolds.
I have flown with Excel so many times I can't even think to add it all up.
Courteus, professional, best seat I have ever had on charter flight.
Whats the problem/nowt with me. Why are we talking about the Warsaw agreement.
People pop in here for a bt of advice so please don't make it like perry mason.
John
Courteus, professional, best seat I have ever had on charter flight.
Whats the problem/nowt with me. Why are we talking about the Warsaw agreement.
People pop in here for a bt of advice so please don't make it like perry mason.
John
I'm not sure what the point of the above post was. Are you saying that because it hasn't happened to you it can't have possibly happened to somebody else? All companies have satisfied customers. If they didn't, they wouldn't be in business anymore. But the true mark of a good company is how they treat their DISSATISFIED customers. That's how you know a person or a company's worth: how they act when the going gets tough. It's easy to be courteous when people aren't complaining.
I have flown with excel and think they are the worst I have flown with. The crew were unhelpful, and very unprofessional.
We had a flight time change on the way back of 10 hours later and they informed us five days before we flew so we went from a day flight to a night flight home and with three babies this was not good. When we arrived at Dalaman for our flight home they had changed the flight again to two hours later and no one on the flight knew, I had confirmed with them 24 hours before as well. The airport told us the flight was not delayed it was scheduled for that time, and did not open the check in for two hours so there was about 200 of us all waiting before check in at Dalaman for two hours with no seats, and very fed up children and babies at midnight. I have written and complained to excel who keep saying they have passed on my complaint but I never get anywhere so just give up now. The following week I checked and the flights were that time again so was a regular change.
We had a flight time change on the way back of 10 hours later and they informed us five days before we flew so we went from a day flight to a night flight home and with three babies this was not good. When we arrived at Dalaman for our flight home they had changed the flight again to two hours later and no one on the flight knew, I had confirmed with them 24 hours before as well. The airport told us the flight was not delayed it was scheduled for that time, and did not open the check in for two hours so there was about 200 of us all waiting before check in at Dalaman for two hours with no seats, and very fed up children and babies at midnight. I have written and complained to excel who keep saying they have passed on my complaint but I never get anywhere so just give up now. The following week I checked and the flights were that time again so was a regular change.
Just to add this was from Bristol as well last October, so perhaps they have problems from Bristol.
Whats the problem/nowt with me. Why are we talking about the Warsaw agreement.
People pop in here for a bt of advice so please don't make it like perry mason.
Nice one John
Important, the Warsaw pact. The point I was trying to make, John, was Excel's success in complying with their legal obligations. That may not sit well with Satmos but the advice will avoid her challenging Excel over a point that cannot be won. She can perhaps then better focus on aspects that Excel perhaps did not comply with - at the risk of being "Perry Masonic" - EC261/2004. This lays down the rules with regard to meals/refreshments/phone call allowances and, where appropriate, accommodation.
I am glad that your experiences of Excel are pleasant ones and I thank you for sharing that thought with us.
Mike
hi,
thanks for all your comments, ive sent of all my info the excel now so just have the wait and see.
btw im male not female.
thanks for all your comments, ive sent of all my info the excel now so just have the wait and see.
btw im male not female.
XLA 708v 24th March departing Manchester 8.00pm
My parents were booked on this flight to come over to Tenerife for my 40th birthday party. But this flight was delayed, by over 12 hours. it was awful for my parents as they were only coming for my birthday party on that night.
But they and 4 other friends only arrived at 3.00am the following morning, which made them delayed by over 14 hours.
The previous week we were on the same flight but a week earlier. And we were delayed by 4 hours. Xl put 2 flights together and they sent us on a jumbo jet.
I would be very hesistant to book with xl again.
My parents were booked on this flight to come over to Tenerife for my 40th birthday party. But this flight was delayed, by over 12 hours. it was awful for my parents as they were only coming for my birthday party on that night.
But they and 4 other friends only arrived at 3.00am the following morning, which made them delayed by over 14 hours.
The previous week we were on the same flight but a week earlier. And we were delayed by 4 hours. Xl put 2 flights together and they sent us on a jumbo jet.
I would be very hesistant to book with xl again.
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