Oman Air Cancelled MCT-SIN - Options?
May 11, 2017, 9:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, BA, 9W
Posts: 124
Oman Air Cancelled MCT-SIN - Options?
Just got off the phone with the global call center after discovering that my CDG-MCT-SIN flight is now CDG-MCT-CMB-SIN.
No email, no call, no text - no communication whatsoever - I only discovered the change while checking my booking online.
I now have a 15 hour layover in Muscat (instead of 1.5 hours originally). Not to mention, an additional layover in Colombo for 9 hours, before connecting to a UL-operated flight, meaning I will arrive in SIN a full 24 hours later than originally scheduled.
Equipment is now on 737/A320 with regional business class, instead of the A330 flatbed I booked. The agent is unable to offer me flights via BKK/KUL. To top it, their office in Singapore is totally unreachable.
I have had such a frustrating experience with Oman Air before even stepping on the plane - I am severely regretting booking with them. Is there anything I can do? Any sort of compensation I can claim, perhaps under Euro rules as the booking is from CDG?
Any advice to deal with this situation is much appreciated. My outbound is this Sunday, which thankfully, is operating per schedule (for now
)
No email, no call, no text - no communication whatsoever - I only discovered the change while checking my booking online.
I now have a 15 hour layover in Muscat (instead of 1.5 hours originally). Not to mention, an additional layover in Colombo for 9 hours, before connecting to a UL-operated flight, meaning I will arrive in SIN a full 24 hours later than originally scheduled.
Equipment is now on 737/A320 with regional business class, instead of the A330 flatbed I booked. The agent is unable to offer me flights via BKK/KUL. To top it, their office in Singapore is totally unreachable.
I have had such a frustrating experience with Oman Air before even stepping on the plane - I am severely regretting booking with them. Is there anything I can do? Any sort of compensation I can claim, perhaps under Euro rules as the booking is from CDG?
Any advice to deal with this situation is much appreciated. My outbound is this Sunday, which thankfully, is operating per schedule (for now
)
May 12, 2017, 2:06 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, BA, 9W
Posts: 124
Update: With my planning and dollars speeding towards a disastrous outcome, I had no choice but to take drastic action and email their CEO. Thankfully, this has led to me being promptly contacted and rebooked on QR out of CDG.
Apparently, Oman Air is terminating service to SIN earlier than planned. Its last flight is now on 14 May (the day I depart
), and it will also close its local office.
Apparently, Oman Air is terminating service to SIN earlier than planned. Its last flight is now on 14 May (the day I depart
), and it will also close its local office.
May 12, 2017, 12:15 pm
#3
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: MLA
Programs: A3*G, BA Silver, HHonors Diamond, SPG Gold, CC Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 63
I had a very similar experience. Had LHR-MCT-SIN booked for later in the month, and only called Oman this morning to book my chauffeur service, when the agent informed me that my Singapore leg had been cancelled.
Same story - the 'default' option for rebooking was via CMB on Srilankan Airlines, adding significantly to the journey time. When I informed the agent that this was a no-go, she went away to do some more searching and came back to me a few hours later with a better but still quite horrible option that would've added one more connection and over 8 hours to journey time.
During the conversations, she repeatedly offered me to refund the fare (which I, needless to say, wouldn't take, as any other equally good option would be pricier by now).
It was only when I made it clear that I'm aware of the EU passenger rights, as well as the fact that there are better flights available, and that if they force-refund me they would still be liable for compensation AND the fare difference, the story changed. Quite quickly they managed to rebook me on QR out of LHR and sorted it out (I would've preferred SQ direct but I'll take QR over WY
)
One note to OP though: If either or both of your re-booked flights either leaves more than 2 hours earlier than the original flight should've left, or arrives in the final destination more than 4 hours later than the original one should've, then you're still entitled for a 600 Euro compensation on top of the rebooking. Or 1,200 if it applies for both inbound and outbound.
In my case the QR flights have actually better times and a shorter layover than the original WY ones so no compensation (and rightly so, as the "upgrade" to QR is compensation enough).
Same story - the 'default' option for rebooking was via CMB on Srilankan Airlines, adding significantly to the journey time. When I informed the agent that this was a no-go, she went away to do some more searching and came back to me a few hours later with a better but still quite horrible option that would've added one more connection and over 8 hours to journey time.
During the conversations, she repeatedly offered me to refund the fare (which I, needless to say, wouldn't take, as any other equally good option would be pricier by now).
It was only when I made it clear that I'm aware of the EU passenger rights, as well as the fact that there are better flights available, and that if they force-refund me they would still be liable for compensation AND the fare difference, the story changed. Quite quickly they managed to rebook me on QR out of LHR and sorted it out (I would've preferred SQ direct but I'll take QR over WY
)One note to OP though: If either or both of your re-booked flights either leaves more than 2 hours earlier than the original flight should've left, or arrives in the final destination more than 4 hours later than the original one should've, then you're still entitled for a 600 Euro compensation on top of the rebooking. Or 1,200 if it applies for both inbound and outbound.
In my case the QR flights have actually better times and a shorter layover than the original WY ones so no compensation (and rightly so, as the "upgrade" to QR is compensation enough).
Dec 25, 2017, 2:17 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 2
hello, please do you have CEO email and details? Thanks.
Update: With my planning and dollars speeding towards a disastrous outcome, I had no choice but to take drastic action and email their CEO. Thankfully, this has led to me being promptly contacted and rebooked on QR out of CDG.
Apparently, Oman Air is terminating service to SIN earlier than planned. Its last flight is now on 14 May (the day I depart), and it will also close its local office.
Apparently, Oman Air is terminating service to SIN earlier than planned. Its last flight is now on 14 May (the day I depart
), and it will also close its local office.
Jan 1, 2018, 12:42 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023