Hi fwh ... the first post in this topic may help with regard to the airline's obligations:

FLIGHT DELAY/OVERBOOKING - EU LEGISLATION IN FORCE

David

Thanks for that David.

I accept that they had to divert but as with many others being due back at 14.10 and being early anyway we had not booked a meal.

Everyone was stuck on the plane at Liverpool - we were not allowed to disembark - It was only when I complained after 3 hours that they brought the water out.

The pilot gave permission for us to use our mobiles to contact home.

By the time we got to Manchester collected luggage and then the car we arrived home at 21.00.

We left the hotel at 08.00 UK. Well no we did not and that is the subject of my first complaint to Thomson. No bus and after a lot of messing about we had to get a taxi. The rep told us to get a receipt and claim from their desk at the airport.

We refused and in the end they arranged taxis and gave us the fare to pay.

Of course being a member of HT I was able to argue our case with a bit of force.

I suspect they hope to avoid paying for meals etc on the basis we all wanted to get home and will not make a fuss. Now that might be OK but telling me there were no facilities at Liverpool to feed us - something I do not believe, is one thing, but on the information given out on the plane re times we finished up leaving earlier than expected. Based on the info we expected to be even later.

It's probably true that due to the building layout the position of passport control, security and the catering makes it difficult to get people off and feed them and then get them back on again, but I've no doubt they had no intention of feeding so this was just a convenient way out.

The big question is why they messed about for so long? Didn't anyone at Thomson realise how close the two airports are? They could have bussed the outbound passengers to Liverpool in less than an hour and got you all off and back to Manchester. Instead they've had a plane needlessly out of commercial use for several hours. This is a point you ought to make to someone senior at Thomson - we know they don't care about passengers but throwing money away, that ought to get their attention!

FWH.
I wish you all the luck in the world with pursuing this with Thomson, I hope you have better luck than me and in the end Thomson ceased all correspondence between us, leaving me the only option available to take my complaint to a County Court, but given the information that I had and the "get out clauses" that Thomson could have used, IE: unforeseen circumstances, then in my particular incident, I decided to report them to the AUC and move on in life.
Here is a copy of the letter I received from the AUC last month, for obvious reasons I have erased names and addresses.

I think after reading this letter I received, then you may well come to the same conclusion as me"¦.I draw your attention to the bit about refreshments that I have highlighted, especially the words "should an airline fail to provide anything" and this is why I have posted this letter.

In all fairness, having a plane make an emergency landing and bursting two tyres that sent debris on the runway, then I have to agree that was "unforeseen circumstances and out of their control".

They can't just pluck buses out of thin air and they may well have been given information that the runway would be cleared for landing within the next 1 to 2 hours, so getting all the passengers off the plane, organised, relocated with their luggage and then bussed to Manchester may have actually taken as long or even longer if there were any snarl ups on the route.

Having said all that, I would be pulling my hair out and furious at being held a prisoner for 3 hours in an aluminium tube, so I do sympathise with you.




Click on image to enlarge.
Good luck, you're gonna need it

Sanji x

Where is "Docaster Airport"? or have they made a typo? If so, not very professional, is it.

Its Doncaster, it says so in the beginning paragraph.

Sarah

what happened in manchester then

was it because of this?

http://www.uk-airport-news.info/manchester-airport-news-240208.htm

Yes.

We were told at 13.40 that we would have to divert to Liverpool for fuel having been in a holding pattern along with other flights.

Landed at Manchester at 18.00.

fwh

Sounds like a cop out on their side re the food. Probably because if you have a flight delay in the normal fashion they hand you a voucher to go and use as you wish. Too much trouble for them to actually physically get a load of sandwiches in and distribute them - all the way from the eateries in the terminal.

I don't like TO's at the best of times, but I think you're on a sticky wicket with this one.

Was it their fault that a plane made an emergency landing and closed down the runway/airport.? NO
Is it their fault if you chose not to purchase a meal or sandwiches on board during the return flight.? NO
Is it their fault if you chose not to have anything to eat before boarding the plane at the airport.? NO
Was it their fault if you hadn't purchased anything at the airport airside to eat on the plane .? NO

As my letter confirms, there are no rules which define the words refreshments or what the airlines obligations are regarding the words "refreshments".

Sanjiiiiiiiiii