Puzzlebrains

There seems to be a lack of info on what to do and the choices to be made,(not surprising really given the circumstances) so for anyone else who may have been/may be caught in the tangle this is what I know so far.

If you are travelling on a no frills budget airline - and your flight is cancelled- be careful about printing boarding cards. If you have printed your boarding card you cannot change your airport. If you haven't printed it you will have the option of transferring to a different airport.

If you have travel insurance, yesterdays update was that only those who had checked in (online or otherwise) would be able to claim back car hire/ accomodation costs and even that wasn't certain because of the Act of God clause.

You will be given 2 options if a flight is cancelled. You can apply for a refund on the entire boking if its a return booking, or you can rebook your outward journey for a later day (subject to availabilty),but the return element stays in place until such time it too is cancelled. For example, my flight out was Friday, no flights Sat or Sunday, Mon & Tuesday fully booked so the earliest I could leave UK would have been Wednesday- and I'd have got there after my return journey had departed.

If you book 2 single journeys, and the outward part is cancelled, you cannot claim for your return flight until such time as that is cancelled too.



Gill

Apparently some airlines/insurers were trying to back off from their responsibilities by pleading the "Act of God" clause - but apparently it does NOT apply to this (surprisingly! - I have some sympathy I must admit for the airlines, for whom all of this was totally out of their control!) . They will be liable to offer compensation and/or replacement flights. As Gill says. they will no doubt try to wriggle out of things on those technicalities of whether you had checked in or not - but it looks as if claims will legally have to be recognised.

Katy(my daughters friend) had a several times rebooked flight for 00.30 today,Wednesday. She should have been able to ge home as the airspace opened at 10pm Tuesday................except easyjet had no stranded planes in Malage to take her.
First available flight for her is Saturday night.

first flight back tonight has just left - no news on our return yet = they are prob prioritising medical conditions etc - hopefully will return on Friday ish.

you mean the British navy hasn't come to rescue you yet? lol

Hey, now there's a thought, Biscuit. Some nice navy men in uniforms...

Have you run out of clean clothes and money yet? Hope you get back soon!!

its now getting pretty tense here - virgin rep told us that all flights for the next three days are already full - that virgin holidays would be faxing a list of passengers and the new flight schedules at 12 noon today (approximately 37 minutes ago) - all affected people have been to collect the fax - which has not been sent so someone phoned virgin holidays barbados and the manager said there was no such list - they then phoned the rep who said she had said no such thing - unfortunately she made it very clear that there was a list and that it would show individual surnames - original flight date and new scheduled flight date. The rep left approximately 5 minutes before the scheduled time that the fax would arrive and Virgin in England shuts at 4.30 British time so it is too late to phone.

I understand that in perspective no one is in danger such as the cuban earthquake but feel that they could at least be honest with us. I also do not understand how every flight can be full with people already booked because every flight i have been on has had spaces and i don't mind if they want to upgrade me to first class if that helps.... Also we have been told that the BA flights are going out half full but we cannot change to them because Virgin will only pay £100 back, and the flights cost a lot more.

Sorry about this rant - I just wish i had an idea of roughly when we will be leaving - even if it isnt for weeks.....

Biscuit

well just try to enjoy the free extension to your holiday
at least unlike the budget airlines they are paying for things and not trying to squeeze out of it


hope you find out soon

thinking of you - hope you get home soon

Tricia

gill216 wrote:Katy(my daughters friend) had a several times rebooked flight for 00.30 today,Wednesday. She should have been able to ge home as the airspace opened at 10pm Tuesday................except easyjet had no stranded planes in Malage to take her.
First available flight for her is Saturday night.

You are joking - I have a Easyjet flight return from Gibraltar tomorrow afternoon - that despite all my best attempts to contact Easyjet I cannot get through to them to say there is no way I can use it - as I wasnt able to use the flight out to Gib in first place. Its not letting me amend, transfer, cancel or even ask for money back on it at moment.... gave up trying on the phone. Pity we can just pass it on....

Biscuit - hope it gets sorted out for you soon.

Chazzie could Katy change the name?????

gill216 wrote:Chazzie could Katy change the name?????

Would love to say yes - but unfortunately on the website it isnt allowing me to do anything with tomorrows flight apart from view it, cant amend, cancel, etc. Have sent emails since last Thursday but have no response......

this is really affecting everyone - i am over my rant now - it was just getting a bit intense here with all the Brits forming a lynching party for the virgin rep after the lying.- but think i will now go to the beach - have managed to log into work and send a few emails but have a important meeting with the bank manager tomorrow and even if i called i wouldnt have all the information i need to hand - well i am off the the beach bar now - bit early for me but it has to be done.

Had a lovely trip into Bridgetown yesterday morning on the local buses which play reggie music and seem to be in competition with each other over which bus is at the front and threfore collects more passengers. Yesterday they stopped to drop someone off and the bus drivers mate in the bus on the other side of the road stopped and blocked the road so the bus behind couldnt overtake and on the way back the driver pulled down a couple of back roads at break neck speed( a poor resident actually ran back indoors in fright) all to cut ahead of the other driver and then he got pulled over by the police - whilst we waited on the bus.!!!!

Hope everyone is well.

Still havent done all the puzzles - my suduko is a real problem and continually blows away in the wind.

Biscuit

Cant believe it - went on EasyJet site today - and they have opened up my flight from last week, the flight back from Gib today (that I obviously couldnt use) and also recognised I had another flight out there next week that may be affected. It allowed me to amend all 3 flights - a bit of juggling around as there is the 30 day limit on transferring to alternative flight - but think (weather/volcanos) etc. now sorted.

Just hope that now the skies are open they stay open, and everyone that needs to get back can very quickly. There were some unusually late flights going over my house last night - so looks like airlines are doing their best...

I know it's dreadful for those who are stuck / can't get where they need to, but I must admit it makes a lovely change to have a break from the aircraft noise. We get planes stacking for Luton here, and what with that and the train noise that echoes up the valley it's rarely quiet!!

Bunnylump wrote: We get planes stacking for Luton here, and what with that and the train noise that echoes up the valley it's rarely quiet!!

i think the loud Oryctolagus Cuniculas in your area might make it into that too

clvrlad wrote:i think the loud Oryctolagus Cuniculas in your area might make it into that too

The what?

Hope you get to know what's happening Biscuit and get back soon.

He's just showing off - he means 'rabbits'.

By the way, my brother is currently in Hong Kong on business with a colleague. They're due to fly back to Britain tomorrow (it's a night flight, landing on Saturday). I just hope there's a plane in the right place to bring them.

We've got 2 maths teachers stuck abroad! How I WISH I'd thought to ring in on Tuesday and say I was unable to get a plane back home from where I was. I wouldn't have been lying - they don't do planes in my back garden...

And I keep telling you, Clvrlad, I'm really QUIET. Really!