Originally Posted by
TheBoss2729
Hi there, hoping someone can advise me if I have any rights to get reimbursement for the extra I paid to buy a replacement ticket for a cancelled booking.
Initially booked a reward booking through Virgin for JFK - AMS - Edinburgh operated by KLM.
KLM changed my flight to a Delta flight from JFK to Amsterdam - I wasn't notified about this it was just there when I logged into my account.
The day before the flight I wanted to check in for my flight I tried online to check in but couldn't, so I phoned VA and was told my booking had been cancelled.
I was then basically given the run around for hours - VA told me I had to phone KLM as they had cancelled it (bearing in mind I had no written confirmation). KLM told me I had to phone VA as the booking was through them. VA couldn't offer me an alternation flight to get home, all they could do was offer me a refund for the ticket. Eventually I settled on the refund of the initial ticket and rebooked a VA JFK to LHR ticket and then booked BA. LHR to Edin - quite a bit dearer.
I wrongly assumed that because I had used Virgin Atlantic and KLM that I would be covered under EU Legislation.
KLM are stating that as the flight was operated by Delta there's nothing I can do. (The Delta flight did go ahead - it was my booking that got cancelled).
Any suggestions as to what I can do.
Also
Does this mean in future if you make a booking with Virgin or KLM they can move you to a Delta flight and then just cancel it at the last minute and there is absolutely nothing you can do?
I'm sure there all kinds of things that can be done, but the customer should not have to be tortured like this. Your story is precisely why I avoid booking partner/code-share trips. Airlines go on and on about their code-shares and partnerships, but it's all fluff, there's no real benefit to the traveller. In actuality, there can be huge drawbacks for the traveller as the airlines sit there and point fingers at each other. It's about time that they stepped up and made the system work.
If you have no choice but to make a partner booking, by all means stay on top of your reservation. Be sure you have the confirmation numbers of each flight so you can follow your res directly with the airline that's providing that flight. I check all my flight reservations every month, every week the last month, and every day the last day. Airlines cannot be trusted to take care of their pax ... there's always a reason/excuse for what happens, but the pax is the one who suffers.