Connecting flights cancelled!!!

Can anyone help me with this query? I am booked with Virgin to go to Florida in January 2007. As I live in N.Ireland I have a connecting early morning flight through Virgin with Flybe - this was all booked through Virgin Holidays. My sister has also booked a similar package just going 27 December. Her TA phoned her to say that Virgin contacted them to advise that they can not give her the early morning flight, as Flybe had withdrawn it!! She also said they may have lost the contract? Her pary of 8 people must now go the previous day 26 December. This will mean staying overnight at Gatwick and having the expense and hassle of trying to get a hotel on Boxing Day!! She telephoned Virgin who said they did not have any information on why the flight was not available and they said it was not guaranteed.

Does anyone know whether this is a permanent cancellation, or whether it is just on this particular day? As of today I have had no contact from Virgin regarding my booking but I am considerably worried. I may have to go on New Years Day and have to find a hotel also - at extra cost I had not bargained for.


[:(!]

What i would do is contact Flybe and find out if this flight has indeed been cancelled.

If it hasn't, it sounds like your sisters TA has mucked up and is trying to cover their backs by saying it's Virgin's fault.

If they have cancelled it, i'd call VH and find out how you can go about getting rebooked. You might find that if this is the case as your flights are a few months away they do plan to contact you in the future.

VS wont be able to give you info about another airlines flight. VH might be able to being a tour operator and all but i'd just call flybe up. I wouldn't go into great detail when ringing them, just say a flight you've been booked on has supposedly been cancelled is this true?

Most airlines, if not all, do not fly domestic routes on 25th December - I don't know if there is also a restricted service on 26th.

Looking at Flybe's webside I see that their current timetable only runs until September/October. Perhaps contacting them directly might be of some use in clarifying the situation.

I see that Easyjet have a flight BFS/LGW 0850/1015, but again their timetable is not so far valid beyond September and anyway the connection time would be rather too tight.

If I was in the same situation I would not want to be depending on a 0700 flight in mid winter to get me to the starting point of my holiday. By doing a search here several LGW hotel options will become apparent and if I remember correctly Virgin Holidays have discounted rates for hotels at LGW in their brochure.

I realise it is an additional expense you could well do without, but for peace of mind it is your best and perhaps only option.

shoreside

I phoned Flybe - the person I spoke to said they do not know of the flight not going - their timetable is not out that far ahead - check about 3 months before!!
I also rang Virgin Holidays, who spoke to their domestic flights department and also said they have no note of it - wait until 3 months before. Guess that's what I will have to do[:(]

Hello Buffer

We have had a similar problem to you in the past. We were flying flybe Belfast City to London Gatwick and had booked the connecting flight with VH the same day as the VS flight. However in this instance the VS flight times changed and VH never noticed that we wouldn't make the VS flight in gatwick. We happened to notice the flight change just out of pure damn luck.

So if they didn't notice that changing their own flight would mess up a customer, chances are they'll not have a clue about flybe.

We had to be *very* persistent with VH to get things sorted and I recommend you do the same. In the end it was sorted, we flew out the night before and we got complimentary accommodation at gatwick.

Robert

Originally posted by robandgill
Hello Buffer

We have had a similar problem to you in the past. We were flying flybe Belfast City to London Gatwick and had booked the connecting flight with VH the same day as the VS flight. However in this instance the VS flight times changed and VH never noticed that we wouldn't make the VS flight in gatwick. We happened to notice the flight change just out of pure damn luck.

So if they didn't notice that changing their own flight would mess up a customer, chances are they'll not have a clue about flybe.

We had to be *very* persistent with VH to get things sorted and I recommend you do the same. In the end it was sorted, we flew out the night before and we got complimentary accommodation at gatwick.

Robert

Hi Robert, my sister was speaking to her travel agent today and has been told by her that there is nothing they can do about this, as there is no contracual agreement to say that your connecting flight must be on the same day!! They also say that she will have to pay for the hotel accommodation herself - there are 2 families going, so that means 8 people - extra cost that could be done without - apparently around £80 - £100 per room + breakfast + transfers from hotel to airport!! Bit of a rip off, if you ask me![V]

Yeah probably "nothing contractual" is true. We weren't offered the complimentary accommodation straight away.

We pointed out VH's failure to consider our circumstances when they became aware of the flight time change and they offered the accommodation as compensation.

Worth a try I guess speaking to somone in VH customer services and firmly point out how you feel about it.

Robert

Originally posted by robandgill

So if they didn't notice that changing their own flight would mess up a customer, chances are they'll not have a clue about flybe.

Their own flight?

VH do not operate an airline!! VS do. They are two seperate companies!!

Originally posted by Lipstick

Originally posted by robandgill

So if they didn't notice that changing their own flight would mess up a customer, chances are they'll not have a clue about flybe.

Their own flight?

VH do not operate an airline!! VS do. They are two seperate companies!!

I apologise if that was technically incorrect

I meant only to illustrate the point that VH being a major
customer for VS on certain routes and sister company would more likely be kept informed of significant schedule changes than from an airline contracted to operate connecting flights. Given the number of VH customers that this would then affect you think they
would take action were required.

If they failed to act on major schedule changes made by VS, chances are they won't act on ones made by whatever airline is operating the connecting flights in question.

Robert