Flight Time Inconsistancy

Hi,

I'm booked on the VS401 back from Dubai next April and am confused about the flight time, which is different between my eTicket and the VS website. My ticket states an 08.20 departure, but the VS website states a 14.35 departure.

As with flights to Cape Town last year, VS doesn't seem quite on the ball maintaining the flight times on the web site. I know that things might change and that 14.35 was a previous departure time, but are there any plans to change the 08.20 back to 14.35 departure?

I will phone VS nearer the time to confirm, as a change to departure time will affect transfer booking / time in bed!

Thanks,

David.

[HighFlyer]

Hi David

Are you referring to the 'Flight Times' section of the VS website? If so, that seems to be grossly inaccurate and has already been raised to VS.

The schedule for 2007 shows 0915 or 0820 times for return flights to LHR. When i went in April the flight home was at 1435pm (ideal really) so seems a great shame that they have been changed. I hoped they would get changed back seasonally as before the flight times made DXB an ideal weekend break, but i uspect the changes were made due to time sat on tarmac for the aircraft.

Thanks,
Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Yes, the accuracy of 'Flight Times' has caught me out a couple of times, and I always start a dummy booking whenever I book ( or phone, which is better ) to see if there's any discrepancy between the two.

I'd obviously much prefer the departure to be 14.35 rather than 08.20! I can forego Revivals for a few more hours by the pool . I wondered if the departure time was seasonal due to temperature in Dubai ( i.e. do they prefer not to depart in the middle of the day in the present blazing heat conditions ) but I didn't think that would be too much of a problem.

I'll leave it until February time and check then. Regardless of flight time, I'd prefer there not to be any last minute changes.

Thanks,

David.

[HighFlyer]

Just checked ExpertFlyer, Its definitely going to be 0820:

10/04/07 DXB 08:20AM Terminal: 1 LHR 12.40PM Terminal: 3 VS 401 346

Better get yourself a nice early wake up call on the day you go back home [:(]

Still, DXB is a lovely place, enjoy!

Thanks,
Sarah

You could always 'manage my flights' online on the VAA website... that should have the current departure time. If there has been a schedule change, the flight won't show, but a quick call to VS should sort that out in a jiffy!

Originally posted by Juliet
You could always 'manage my flights' online on the VAA website... that should have the current departure time. If there has been a schedule change, the flight won't show, but a quick call to VS should sort that out in a jiffy!

Thanks Juliet, under 'Manage My Flights' it's down as 08.20 which is what I thought it was. Will indeed be setting the alarm clock early that day!!

But if I was a casual punter looking this morning at the 'Flight Times' section on the VS website I would get....


From Dubai (DXB) Departs 14:35
To London (LHR) Arrives 19:10



Which is obviously wrong.

Thanks,

David.

Spooky!

I looked up my April Dubai flights today apropos of nothing really, just reminding myself of good times to come I suppose:D

They've never come up automatically linked to my FC number, but I've always been able to retrieve them with the booking ref. Today, not happening, so I checked for schedule change knowing this can be one of the reasons, and found the flight times David did. Great, thinks I, much more civilised time to be leaving. S**t, thinks I, as I realise the new arrival time means I miss my connecting flight back home by about three hours - booked separately on a non refundable/probably no changes permitted airmiles booking.

Thought it was odd as, although there was a daily flight out there was only a return every other day. Anyway, as you already know the schedule on the VA page is wrong, so no worries after speaking to premier team. But this is a bit shabby, along side all of the other website deficiencies.

Going slightly off topic, I know airlines generally will only be accountable for missed connections if the whole of your journey was booked on one PNR, but is there an issue about reasonableness? If the flight times had changed by almost 6 hours do you think VA would have been sympathetic/helped out with connecting flights?

Regards

Pat

Originally posted by patjohnson
S**t, thinks I, as I realise the new arrival time means I miss my connecting flight back home by about three hours - booked separately on a non refundable/probably no changes permitted airmiles booking.

Pat,

I'm confused - I thought the change to the flight times was that now all DXB-LHR flights are at 08.20 - has yours changed from 08.20 to 14.35?

Thanks,

David.

Hi David

No, my flight is 08:20 and apparently always has been and will be, it's just the website that is wrong as others have confirmed.

Regards

Pat

Originally posted by patjohnson
S**t, thinks I, as I realise the new arrival time means I miss my connecting flight back home by about three hours - booked separately on a non refundable/probably no changes permitted airmiles booking.

I had this happen to me a couple of months back. I arrived in EWR on a VS flight and had a connecting short hop CO flight on a commuter plane 90 minutes later booked on a separate bargain basement ticket. CO sent me an email a week or so before to tell me that they had moved the flight forward an hour, and with the best will in the world there ain't no way I was going to be able to make that flight in 30 mins.

I called up CO to explain the situation that it was separately ticketed I had quite a job getting them to accept that it was _their_ change so they should honour moving the ticket to a later flight. I couldn't believe how difficult they were making it. In the end I also had to stay overnight at a dive airport hotel (are there any non-dive airport hotels?), and try to make a change to an existing prepaid hotel reservation at the far end. But that's a whole other story.

Personally I believe that if an airline changes the time of a flight on you, it is only fair that you should automatically have the right to change it at no cost, or cancel and receive a full refund irrespective of any restrictions, whether or not you have a connecting flight. Now time to wake up.

Cheers, Howard