Return flight cancelled before outbound leg - what to do?
 

Hello,

Been awhile since I last posted here. If this is the wrong forum, or the question has been answered elsewhere - kindly direct me.

A friend based in EU booked flights to Asia for this holiday season, she is due to leave this weekend and return in January. She booked well in advance using a Spanish website.

The agency sent her a couple of e-mails in the autumn concerning small changes in flight times. She glanced through them and did not find an obvious problem.

However, today she examined the second of those e-mails and found that a leg was missing in her return route. She enquired at the agency, and was told that the airline had "cancelled the flight" and that all the agency could do now was to ask the airline for authorisation to refund the cancelled flight because there was no flight for her to take on that date.
(There had been no separate mail about a flight being cancelled.)

Of course buying a new ticket now to return from Asia during this peak period would cost a fortune; she is considering cancelling the whole trip and taking a loss of all entertainment bookings made for the destination.

By the way, she checked the original return date, as well as adjoining dates and found that there were indeed flights available. I smell a mistake, if not outright scam, on the online agency's part.

What would you advise her to do now? I haven't been flying actively since 2009 and have forgotten most of the tricks of the trade.

Thank you.

I'd advise here to 1) Read e-mails more carefully, and 2) if you're not an experienced flyer don't make your own bookings.

People go to discount web sites trying to get a lower price. Fine. But unless you know what you're doing you're leaving yourself open.

What was the airline that cancelled the flight?

What airline? Airlines are obligated to refund you, re-route you, or get you on another flight to your destination. I suggest she instructs the travel agency to have the airline re-route her to her destination, rather than accepting a refund. Or cancel the whole thing and rebook. Her credit card should provide her with some protection, and of course there is travel insurance.

Thank you for the quick reply! I agree on the need to be more attentive. On the other hand, if the e-mail is titled "Change of flight times" one cannot be blamed for not specifically looking if one leg of about eight is not missing, no?

Also, she IS an experienced traveller - of the low-cost type, hence the choice of an obscure agency for the sake of economy.

Anyway, the airline is Vietnam Airlines, and she is now on the phone with them. Situation should be clearer soon.

Please let us know what happens after your friend speaks with VN. Best for her to be armed with the specific alternatives when she calls. E.g., flight #s. The easier she makes this, the more likely it is to happen.

Until she reports back, all else is speculation.

Thank you. It appears that the problem flight is overbooked and her ticket is marked as cancelled for some reason.

Also good point about insurance included with the credit card.

Overbooked and cancelled....that's weird. Has VN confirmed her ticket? This is where I get nervous that no ticket was ever issued, which is why I never deal with these online agencies.

Yes, she should start by looking carefully at the initial itineraries she received to determine whether her flight was ever confirmed and ticketed. The best outcome would be VN simply rebooking her for a day earlier or later. This will be easier if all flights are VN operated, VN marketed, and on VN ticket stock.

It seems odd that the flight would be sold out many months in advance unless she's traveling on a big holiday travel date, not just around the holiday season.

What are these "entertainment bookings for the destination" that are mentioned in the OP? Are they prepaid tourist activities or is she a professional entertainer who is scheduled to perform at the destination? If the latter, canceling could hurt her professional reputation and future opportunities while required added ticket costs would just be a business expense to her and hence tax deductible (if not reimbursed) in most jurisdictions.

While this may be throwing good money after bad, it sounds as though your friend has proceeded in a relatively unsophisticated manner. We can all go back and forth here about how we would handle things if we found ourselves in this situation. But, frankly, this cries out for some professional assistance.

Your friend should get herself to a real professional TA. One who has a bricks and mortar office and who comes recommended by her friends and colleagues who have used that TA to book sophisticated travel. Ask that TA, for a fee, to figure out what has happened and to see what can be done.

Your friend may or may not get her ticket rerouted. She may or may not get her fee refunded and she may or may not decide to cancel. She may or may not be due various pieces of EC 261/2004 compensation. But, at least she will make her decision based on the knowledge that someone who knows what they are doing is looking out for her interest.

Will a human TA help out with a ticket that has been issued by a cheap OLTA, even for a fee?

True. The local VN rep appeared understanding to her, but could not do much before the head office opens in VT (evening/night European time). Let's see.

She should be leaving VT on 31 Dec, to arrive in PAR 1 Jan.

No no, it's not that serious. She mentioned having booked (and prepaid) yoga sessions which would be her loss. I would think so would be any accommodation and local transport bookings, but did not enquire further.

In the meantime, she should research options and try to find some alternative VN flights with space (day earlier or day later?) that can work. She also needs to see what it would cost her to buy a new ticket on VN or another carrier if they refuse to do anything other than refund the ticket. If she's starting in the EU, she needs to check the EU rules on schedule changes and flight cancellations far in advance of travel--although it sounds like this isn't a genuine schedule change/cancellation, just an overbooked situation--and similar incidents just in case the EU261 protections apply (which I doubt, but it's hard to know for sure without seeing all the details).

My TA tells me that he cannot touch a ticket booked by another agent no matter how much I beg! But he would (and I am sure others would) be able to look at the information, tell you what has happened (or not happened) and be able to see flight availability and make suggestions as to what you might say on the phone to the airline.

The airline has written to her confirming that her ticket has been reinstated. Apparently the matter is resolved.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts.

By the way the online agency she used is called Travelgenio - she says that poor reviews abound on the web now that she has googled it.