Have you approached the agent and asked the question? That is what I would do in the first instance.

You are correct in asking the question on HT as one of our members may be able to advise you. Most of what is posted are our own opinions but we do have some experts.

If your approach to the agent does not work then you will be able to act on any advice given. Whichever way hope you enjoy the holiday.

fwh

Hi Lou

Sorry to hear of your problem and particularly distressing when faced with your circumstances.Its very annoying when this happens but it does all the time.Buried deep in the small print is the caveat that `All flight times are advisory and subject to change`.What it means is that if a flight is not filling,the operator can and will,change the times and or consolidate two flights into one,which is what appears to have happened here.

They claim it is one of the conditions you accept when you book with them.The only way round it is,if possible,to fly with a scheduled airline rather than a charter.Not always possible I know.By all means try to seek some solution with the agent but legally i think you may not have a strong case.

Hope I`m wrong though.

Is there a way we can retreive this money back as we have effectively spent £300 on something we would have had anyway had we not changed flights because of its awkward time?

This looks more of a case that your friends have gained rather than you have lost I'm afraid. You booked a day flight and you still have one. I don't think you will have a case I'm afraid( unless of course you are flying on a different day!)

Don't know what deposit you've paid, and what cancellation fees might be and also don't know what the availability is like on the consolidated flight and hotels etc.........but...... have you considered cancelling and rebooking.

If your deposit paid at this time is, say, £75 per head you could perhaps cancel (paying £225) then rebook at the £300 lower fare thus saving £75.

Bit naff I know but it could save some money if your agent cannot/will not do anything for you. Oh, book the replacement trip before cancelling as you might just find there's no availability if you try the other way around and someone else books just after you've cancelled.

Mike

Doing what Mike suggests might be worth considering if the flight you are now on is actually available at a lower price than what you paid originally. But if I've understood the situation properly you and your parents decided it was worth the extra £100 pound per head for a more convenient daytime flight but the other 14 members of the group decided they didn't mind and would prefer to save money and put up with the hassle of a night flight. The change in scheduling means that you are now all travelling together on a decently timed daytime flight - one that is just as convenient to you and you are not wanting to cancel on the grounds that it is now longer a suitable time for you.

The likelihood is that this flight also commanded a premium for being a daytime flight - you've lost nothing, you're still getting what you paid for. What seems to be upsetting you is that your friends are getting something they haven't paid for but imagine their outrage if they'd received notice that only was the airline cancelling their original flight but was also going to charge them an extra £100 per head because they were now being put on a much more convenient 'better' datime flight.

It strikes me that the airline has behaved reasonably - they've consolidated their flights and ensured that those who paid extra are still getting what they paid for and that they'll absorb the cost of transferring the passengers from the clearly unpopular night flight onto a more expensive service. If they'd transferred you onto the night flight instead I think you might have had case but you acknowledge that you've been put on to what is flight with good flight times and really don't see that you have any sort of case. Feel glad for your friends that they've come out of this well rather than worrying that you've been done.

Enjoy your trip.

SM

An excellent post SM - I agree with you, the airline have acted reasonably in this matter.

Can't resist this next suggestion however..........how good are your friends ? Explain what's happened and ask each of them to pay £17.65 to you and the net result will be everyone pays the same for the privilege of a good daytime flight.

Mike

Mike you surely jest.......

Just had letter from Thomas Cook stating not only flight has been changed but now have to leave from another airport some 80 miles further away...with 14 hr. time difference of departure time....could have booked that holiday in the first place for £50 cheaper due to no flight supplements ...but opted to pay the extra to fly from my local airport ... am i entitled to a refund of the £50 flight supplement that i paid....???

this seems to be coming more and more common, ive booked 3 flights this year and all 3 have been changed, april flight to turkey by 5 days with thomas cook so had to cancel and re book with another flight co, my may flight to poland changed by 7 hours and july flight to turkey from nice day times to middle of the night and im not happy as i had just changed these myself due to having night flights and seeing this day time ones so i lost my deps and now i have the night time flights again what a waste of money and time grrr, what a nightmare

I am totally off. Rang Going Places this week (Airtours) and after paying off our balance i was then told, your flights been changed !!! We will lose one day in Icmeler, plus our flight back is not untill 00-50. No idea what we will do after we leave our hotel at 12 noon There is no way they will allow us to stay on for those many hours, what about my shower before we fly? I would change my holiday dates if i could and get my money back but it would mean 6 of us TRYING to get our holidays at work changed. It just is not fair. Bye Anna. xxxxxxx

Sorry, they have also changed our AIRPORT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why dont you just ask for all your money back..

Is uppose they can get away with changing your flights but to move your airport also then maybe you could cancel and then re-book yourself.

John

I would certainly do that John but, i cant see many places having enough rooms (3) for those weeks 12th May to the 26th May plus we wanted to stay at the Blue Rainbow.Saying that, how would we be garanteed an earlier flight? I have tried all tour ops and there are flights going out on Sat the 13th which would be ok but The Blue Rainbow is fully booked Also, i would have to wait for our monies back before i coiuld pay another company. I am totally off , sorry but WE WILL be in Icmeler i promise. Bye Anna xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whoever told you that the Blue Rainbow was fully booked is talking rubbish.

Lets put it this way, if it was fully booked which I know for fact it is not then if you cancel with YOUR tour operator then there are 3 rooms available aren't there.

John

So true John but, how much would i have to pay then and, what if that flight is changed? I am so angry. We got a really good deal and i was so looking forward to it, we still are but things have put a dampener on it now.It is not only TC by the looks of it that are changing flights because we are travelling with going places and im sure the air line was my travel. Take care Anna. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I have been reading this thread with my jaw at my feet. i am gobsmacked!
Ok, flights sometimes have to be changed - but surely not at the customers' expense? If a company for some reason or another has to change it, surely they cannot be allowed to charge you more for it? They would have to give you like for like, wouldn't they?
Amazed how these companies can do this - you can guarantee no other industry would get away with such awful treatment.
Another thing...if they cancel the flight, (and try to get you to pay for a different one) then surely the contract is effectively cancelled by them? and so a refund should be given?
Seriously disgusted they can treat people in that way.

Annabella,
If I understand your earlier post, you paid your full balance and it was AFTER this that you were informed of the flight time change - and a departure airport change.

It's my understanding that once the final balance has been paid major changes like this should not occur without agreement with the client - ie. you should have been offered full refund, or compensation etc.

If you are also loosing a day's holiday you should be compensated for that at the rate of 1/14th (or 1/7th if a week long holiday) of the TOTAL holiday cost paid to the Tour Operator - this would include flight costs, accomm. and pre-booked trips, car-hire etc. Not ideal I know, but if T.O's were financially penalised (as the law permits) they may think twice about making such changes that clearly result from their incompetance or desire to maximise profit/reduce costs.

Mike

Hi
We were due to fly from Liverpool but the flight (Pegasus) was dropped. We booked through Thomas Cook for an Airtours holiday and were given the option of cancellingand a full refund. We rebooked through the Airtours website at a lower price and then cancelled with Thomas Cook. The only thing is we're now on night flights from Manchester.

When this topic started I suggested speaking to the agent. Since then whilst others have posted comments and advice we have heard nothing form Lou P.

It would be of help to everyone if we could have an update.

fwh