Sam_AE

I just received an email from EasyJet that they are making a change to an itinerary that i booked about a month ago. The original flight was scheduled for 9:30pm (TLV-MXP) -- now the flight has been changed to depart 9 hours earlier --12:30pm.

Clearly, a refund is likely one of my recourses BUT the issue I have is that trying to book an alternate flight at this point is considerably more money than it was when I chose EasyJet 4 weeks ago. Anyone have any experience with Easyjet and an itinerary change?

Aviatrix

When is your flight?

Your rights depend on whether or not you were notified more than two weeks in advance.

Sam_AE

Flight is in 4 weeks so it would definitely be more than 2 weeks away.

Sam_AE

Looks like EasyJet will only offer me a full refund OR no change fee on an alternate booking. Ridiculous -- since the alternative flights I could have booked a month ago would have been half the price they are today.

I spent 30 minutes on the phone with them -- transferred to three different "Managers". The most they would offer me is a voucher for free luggage on another EasyJet flight. At the end of the call, I was offered the option of sending a written letter to their UK offices. HAHAHAAHH I will get my inkwell and feather out to draft a letter -- "Dearest EasyJet, it was a fortnight hence that I made a booking ..."

I found the CEO's email address and sent her an email. The response was a stock reply (from the "Executive Response" team) indicating that they complied with the UK regulation on flight changes and that they could do no more for me than to give me a refund/credit or change the day of the flight for 'free'.

Useless airline - what's the point of making a **RESERVATION** if they can't keep their part of the bargain. I totally understand that stuff happens and they have to make a change -- but why should their customers be left worse off? Any other carrier that I've been on that has made this type of change has provided some kind of compensation for the change.

Buyers beware.

theddo

Then challenge it in a court. It may actually work, and I would find it very fortunate if it did.

Aviatrix

Airlines have a summer schedule and a winter schedule, and there are two set week-ends every year when they change from one to the other. The next "all change" week-end is in a couple of weeks.

The next season's schedules aren't usually finalised until a month or two before the schedule change week-end, so if - say - you book a flight in February for travel in April then there is a significant risk that the time of the flight will change. Just one of those things, and it happens with all airlines, not just Easyjet.

Most of the time the changes are minor, but sometimes you get major changes like this one. I've had a few major ones, like AF trying to move me from a Saturday morning flight to a Friday evening one because the Saturday morning one no longer existed (I managed to find an alternative which was slightly less inconvenient, and AF were happy to accept my alternative proposal - but of course it's a lot easier for them as they are a legacy carrier who can book passengers onto other legacy carriers)

You will need to look at the fine print, but somehow I don't think you'd get anywhere by taking them to court. What happened to you, while most annoying, is normal and commonplace, it happens to thousands of passengers every year, I'm sure that if there was a chance of winning court cases over timetable changes then those court cases would have been won years ago.

sfx

life is too short, they don't care, take the best you can and get on with life.

Sam_AE

Agreed. The exact approach I took. Got my $$ back -- moving on but will never book with "notsoeasyjet" again.

sfx

I think you just had the misfortune to book a flight for the exact time they change the schedule. Not heard this happen before with easyjet.

Often1

All carriers have schedule changes. Some, more frequent and more significant than others. That is all covered in the contract to which you agreed and which defines the term "reservation".

Because you were notified more than 14 days prior to the scheduled flight, you are entitled under EC 241/2004to, at your choice: 1) a refund; 2) rebooking/rerouting under "similar conditions"; and 3) if necessary, duty of care (hotel + food). You are not entitled to any fixed cash compensation or anything to make up for the extra cost you will incur if you book on your own.

The key issue here is the meaning of "similar conditions" and whether a 9-hour change (presumably meaning that you take the next flight) meets "similar conditions".

Your options at this point are:

1. Take the next flight and whatever comes with it.

OR
2. Specifically ask to be rebooked on whatever it is that you are seeking. Be specific. You will be denied, but need to have asked.
2. Take the refund and rebook as you choose. After your journey is complete, file a complaint seeking compensation for what you lost, noting that the rebook offered was not under "similar conditions".

Understand that you will have to fight this and that EasyJet will fight back. Hard. You may or may not win. And, you have to be prepared to lose and be out-of-pocket the difference between your new ticket and the refund on the old one.

Keep your demand short and to the point. You cannot (fruitfully) complain about changes in schedule and the responsiveness of the carrier is not at issue (emails to the CEO of large companies are invariably responded to by the same agents who handle ordinary matters, but use monikers such as "executive team" and the like).

yonatan

Bump.

So exactly two weeks before my upcoming Easyjet flight, I got a notice that they're moving my flight up to leave 40 minutes earlier. Not that big a change but am not too happy as it's the day after a transatlantic and I had booked at what I thought was the earliest civilized time given what my body clock will be at. I was wondering if I have any legal entitlement under EU 261 or any other law to a refund (or possibly free rebooking to the next day, when the flight still leaves at the original time), and/or if Easyjet in practice simply allows either as a goodwill gesture?

Also, O/T, but even before the schedule change, I was considering cancelling the trip because of a recent shoulder injury. I saw that in such circumstances Easyjet will sometimes issue a voucher to use on a different booking. I also saw that if one cancels, one can get a refund of the APD, which in my case is almost half of what I had paid. Anyone know if Easyjet might let me get both a refund of the APD and a voucher for what's left?

lehovec

If it is more than 14 days and 1 minute, unfortunately no legal entitlements. However... when you log into your manage my booking is this flight in bright yellow colour saying disruption? If yes it will allow you to make changes online FOC.

If this is not the case then you can always try and call them to see if they would be willing to move you onto another flight/give credit for future flight (in this case you APD would be included as a part of credit, you would not get it refunded). Their call centre is not brilliant and sometimes it is worth HUACA. If all of this fails you do get your £13 per person back without any admin fee.

UKtravelbear

If you are referring to EU261 regulation then it does not apply to schedule changes. If the easy jet had been cancelled then it would and yonatan could apply for a full refund. but their flight hasn't been cancelled.

Some airlines will allow a passenger to cancel if the schedule change is 'significant' but it varies. IIRC BA regard over 2 hours as significant but for VS it is 5 hours.

You would have a hard time pursuading easyjet that 40 minutes is a significant change. But I have not read easy's T&Cs to see if there is such wording and if there is what cut off they use as meaning 'significant'

yonatan

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I don't get the yellow "disruption" text. The flight is to TLV so the APD is significant (about $100) - I guess if I can't make it, I'll have to weigh the benefits of a future flight credit for the full amount on an airline I rarely fly (given I live in the US) versus a cash refund of a significant portion of what I had paid.

headingwest

I'm wondering how this will play out....

I had a flight booked VIE-AMS, but they cancelled it, along with the same flight on the following day. I know that EU261 obliges easyJet to offer alternative flights (the website only offers their flights) or a refund, but it also states that they should offer to rebook on another airline if they don't have any alternatives. I've been pushing this point with them for the last day (via Twitter) but they keep telling me to book the flight myself and request a reimbursement if they have no other flights within 24 hours. The thing is, there are no flights until 2 days later with them, but there is a flight on the previous night of the cancelled one.

Does anyone know if the 'within 24 hours' means after the originally booked flight, or can they claim it also means before?

I don't want to book a 100 EUR Austrian flight if they're not going to give my the money back!