Hi guys
I booked a package holiday with Thomas Cook Signature in the UK (although i live in Ireland). I've just paid off the balance and I'm due to leave in February to Thailand with TG. I wanted Thomas Cook Signature to send my tickets out early because I'm not a UK resident and I didn't want to not have my tickets before departure (this happened to me before when I booked with a UK travel agent). The person I spoke to told me that it wouldn't be a problem, but I would have to sign a waiver, saying that if the tickets needed to be re-issued before departure, I would be liable for the charges. I stayed on the phone whist he faxed the waiver over, I read it (briefly) and faxed it back. When I got back to the phone, I casually asked him how much this could come to, thinking that it would probably cost about 20 - 40 pounds. He said to me 'it can cost the price of the whole ticket, but nothing will probably change'
I was gobsmacked! How can a travel agent justify charging me for a full ticket to reissue the ticket after me paying over 2500 pounds for a holiday?! The agent said that an issued ticket has special terms and conditions and if it needs to be reissued again, they would pass on the charges that THAI pass on to them.
My questions are: what circumstances would warrant Thomas Cook having to issue a completely new ticket to me? And when would I have to pay the price of a new ticket? I've never heard of this before,although I rarely book with travel agents (I usually DIY). Any help from anyone in the industry would be greatly appreciated!
mrdisco wrote:And when would I have to pay the price of a new ticket?
Presumably if you lost the original and they had to be re-issued.
The key thing is DO NOT LOSE YOUR TICKETS!!
Darren
That's a relief! So if they change the times of the flights, which is unlikely cos they're already flying the winter schedule, but if they change the times, will the tickets need to be reissued?
The schedule won't change. Slots are pretty fixed at LHR so they're stuck with the times they have. If they did change then it wouldn't be a problem as your tickets will still be valid for the flight as they are. A change from the airline / tour operator side isn't as a results of your actions so wouldn't warrant a charge. A ticket these days is like a receipt; proof of purchase as everything is held electronicaly. Most airlines operate e-ticketing these days and just issue a booking reference number, no need for a ticket.
Darren
Does'nt all major sheduled airlines not now use Etickets?, it's years since I saw a paper one. We're flying to India with Emirates next week and with Jet internaly, both with Etickets, and have already had a slight change with Jets time, and they simply send you an Email. Then we're going to Oz in March with Aisiana, again Etickets, there's been a slight change, again it's just an email with the new Etickets. With Aisiana, I've already got my seat picked and I've checked in as well. Alan
gramps wrote:Does'nt all major sheduled airlines not now use Etickets?
As I mentioned above, most do these days but when you've booked through an agent, you'll generally get a paper ticket (IATA type ones).
Darren
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