Dear Sunaddict

I didn't think I was criticising Thomas Cook without good reason. I was also probably simply venting my frustration with an airline arrogantly announcing to me on the phone that unlike other airlines such as Thomson's who are cancelling Luxor flights with a decent timescale to allow their customers to make other plans, or Easyjet who have allowed credit notes for flights to be rearranged up to a year, or Jet 2 who have even cancelled flights to Sharm, a destination that has no FCO advisory against it, they insisted that my flight on 23rd Feb would be going as planned.

Their customer services person was not even willing to tell me when they would take a decision about the flight if the FCO advice against travel to Luxor remained in place. You must admit that the lack of any scrap of info from an airline is likely to lead to poor feedback from customers. Why is Thomas Cook not capable of making decisions other airlines have done? Why can they not simply redirect the £600 of my money to another of their flights? Where's the harm in them doing that? It's not like I wanted a refund...I just want a holiday. Is that too much to ask?

I'm sorry if the tone of my posts against Thomas Cook offends you and others on here. I am just very frustrated with TC, Travel Republic and Med Hotels. But most of all with myself for assuming all would be well with these companies if there was a problem. I will learn from this expensive mistake/experience and from all the helpful advice on here about 'dynamic packages' and a decent insurance policy if I book one of these type of holidays again. Even at 47 years old I'm clearly still learning!!

clairepat
I'm not offended. I would not fly with Thos Cook, but for different reasons.
Thomsons and Monarch have only cancelled flights for the same dates as Thos Cook so I thought it was unfair to single them out.

Yes, Jet2 have cancelled all flights, and after Tunisia I wouldn't be surprised if they pull all Egypt flights for this season.

Thos Cook will cancel your flight if the FCO doesn't lift the advisory, just as Thomsons and Monarch will. They will not go against the FCO. The customer service person was perhaps a bit 'heavy handed' in the way she dealt with your enquiry, but it does look like they are making their decisions on a weekly basis. I can understand your frustration but they won't let you travel if they have advice to the contrary.

The FCO has lifted the Tunisia advisory, but Thos Cook and Thomsons have cancelled flights up to the end of the month. There will be people unhappy that they now can't go.

Unfortunately the airlines can't please everyone.

Hi Claire

I wasnt offended by the tone of your post about Thomas Cook either, so I hope you didn't think so.

From what I have been reading, it's all a bit of a mess to be honest as all the tour operators, companys, airlines etc seem to be taking a different view and different companys using different deadlines and criteria for change overs/re-bookings.

Sometimes within the same company depending on who you talk to at a call center, different customers seem to get different outcomes. I fully understand why people are frustrated.

I think there is a lack of clarity on many web-sites etc to exactly what customers are booking, so sometimes people think they have got a package holiday and really they have one of these dynamic packages which seem less secure when things go a bit wrong.

I hope you get a successful outcome. Please let us know what happens as sometimes it is helpful for others.

Doe

Hi All, I'm a newbie on the forum

I "was" planning to go to Luxor for my birthday from 16t - 30th of March however I feel it's not safe
I'm absolutely gutted, visiting Egypt has been my childhood dream

@Claire - just a little note on your info about Easyjet

clairepat63 wrote:

or Easyjet who have allowed credit notes for flights to be rearranged up to a year

I called them last Sunday 30th and they said they could offer the credit or transfer free of charge due to the danger but asked me to wait and see if the situation improved. I thought I would see if things calmed down. I regret not having taken the offer at the time...I called this past Monday and have been informed they've changed the conditions and this offer only now applies to anyone flying to the FCO warned areas in the next 15 days. If I want to change I will be charged as standard as the situation is "improving"!
Looking at the events last night I really don't think there will be any "improvements" for quite a while and based on news reports at this point there might be riots in or near the presidential palace.

I've yet to book accommodation in Luxor because of all these disturbances, but I personally feel sitting and waiting is wasting time and even if Mubarak stepped down tomorrow the situation will still be quite heated...think I'm going to look into transferring anyway, I'd like to have a trouble free birthday ...the canaries are nice and warm in March...

If you guys have a different opinion or you think I'm being too cautious let me know

Cheers!

Easyjet web info was updated 8th Feb. At that point they were only allowing for people travelling within the next 14 days to choose between:

An alternative date/destination, or cancel and receive a travel voucher for the value of the booking, which would be valid against future travel with for up to six months.

So Mubarak has resigned at last, and if rumours are to be believed, he and his family have fled to Sharm el Sheik. What effect will this have on those holidaying in Sharm over the next few weeks, or even months?

BBC are saying he is in Sharm, so that is at least one reliable source. Also coming from The White House.

I do not think he will stay in Sharm long. Sharm gives him an easy escape route via air or sea should the need arise.

I did hear that the Red Sea resorts were starting to suffer due to the down turn in tourism...many dive centres are just shutting up shop and there are supposedly stacks of empty restaurants/bars etc. How true this is I do not know..but I should imagine it will take a while for normal service to resume and even longer for confidence to come back to the tourist market.

We did hear that there were some cheap diving holidays to be had...but no such luck

I don't think he's fled to Sharm, I'm of the understanding he has a house there and visits fairly regularly.

He's probably in the best place after these last couple of weeks.

Yes he seems to spend much of the year there anyway . Other than extra security at the airport and around his place I can't see it causing much disturbance .

I dont think he will be allowed to leave as there is now talk that he may be arrested.
I could hardly believe the news when I switched on at 5.30pm and watched the celebrations in Cairo.
I must admit I shed a tear or two at the joy expressed by these lovely people.
How ironic that Mubarak means Congratulations which is now echoing around Egypt.

Helen T wrote:

So Mubarak has resigned at last, and if rumours are to be believed, he and his family have fled to Sharm el Sheik. quote]

Helenllama wrote:

BBC are saying he is in Sharm, so that is at least one reliable source. Also coming from The White House.

cyprus100 wrote:

I don't think he's fled to Sharm,

after all the news last night with rumours of his resignation which turned out with him hanging on and then finally resigning today i'm not too sure of the rumours that he's in Sharm , someone said to me today that he's in da nile

Good luck to all the egyptians , i hope everything works out better for them.

Its odd, I'm sure he has been in Sharm before when I have visited, but I have never given it a second thought before. You dont really think about these things and there significance when youn live in a democracy (or that might just be me). I dont think tourisim will pick up for a while. Confidence has gone from the market and there are hundreds of alternative holiday destinations so its a buyers market in away. Repeat visitors and divers are more likely to go back sooner, but I think for many potential first timers it will no go I am afraid,.

We have 10 days to decide whether to go, before we have to make our final payment

Helen I would be inclined to leave it until the last minute to decide whether y0u go ahead or not- don't make any rash decisions. A lot can happen during the next 10 days- hopefully for the better

If I was due to go tomorrow I would still be going

I would go diving there tomorrow...it would be right cheap!!

If I could find a good deal I would go but the Tour Operators prices are still too high.
Still Tunisia prices are excellent at the moment.

I suppose it's easier for us that have been many times to make that decision based on knowing that once you are in the red sea the rest of Egypt feels like another country that is hundreds of miles away.