I thought airlines were obliged to provide overnight accommodation in the event of a cancellation where an overnight stay is required and the cancellation was not previously notified? That's what I've had from sleazyjet and BA, anyway (more times than I care to remember).
I think he can put up his prices as much as he likes. I prefer to pay a little more and be treated (almost) like a human being.
The bare minimum is a refreshment voucher and possibly arrange alternative flights at minimal cost. Most airlines go well above and beyond this as they would prefer to retain you as there customer
A scenario that actually happened...
A Travel City Direct flight from Gatwick to Orlando operated by Excel Airways, STD 11.00. Delayed an hour or so due to the late arrival of the aircraft, an elderly 747-300.
On arrival at Gatwick, 09.40 ish, the aicraft goes tech due to various significant problems.
Spare 747-300 called from Manchester at 10.30. Take off aborted due to smoke in the flight deck. Aircraft returns to stand so the engineers can fix it. Eventually leaves Manchester at about 14.00...
only to land at Gatwick with reports of smoke in the flight deck.
Manchester aircraft is prepared for the Orlando flight whilst the engineers try to fix it. Confident that the plane is fixed, crew are called and the passengers are sent down to the gate. They eventually begin boarding at about 19.00. A further delay follows, due to the loaders.
At 20.30, the cabin doors are closed, the airbridge backed off, and lastly, having been cleared to push back when ready, the loaders go to close the rear hold door... which jams.
Captain suggests, that the engineers have twenty minutes to sort it, as the aircraft needs to be airbourne within thirty minutes, else the relief crew go out of hours. At 20.55, the Captain decides that the flight will have to depart in the morning with a fresh crew.
At 21.00 the Airline rep announces over the tannoy, that the passengers would not be departing for Orlando because the crew were, and I quote, "Tired"
At about 22.30 the passengers are forcibly removed from the aircraft by the police.
The airlines first offer was the Gatwick Hilton, dinner, bed and breakfast, with the flight rescheduled for 09.00 the following morning, so up at 06.30. 300 passengers accepted this offer and went off to the hotel.
The rest demanded more, so were sent, by coach down to The Grand in Brighton.
A hard core of fifteen or so passengers insisted that this was totally unacceptable.
The airlines final offer...the statutory minimum of a voucher of £5 per passenger, and a pillow and blanket each.
Be careful what you wish for, and choose your airlines wisely
Author
Topic: Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke (Read 1980 times)