ATL-LHR rebooked as ATL-LGW?
Jul 23, 2019, 5:24 pm
#1
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ATL-LHR rebooked as ATL-LGW?
I have a booking on VS 104 (ATL-LHR) on Thursday and got an email saying I'd been rebooked to VS 1104 ATL-LGW. Schedules show now VS 104 as cancelled on Thursday.
Virgin's email didn't have any Duty of Care information, which I believe is mandatory? Am I right in thinking VS are liable under EU 261 for any reasonable expenses stemming from this cancellation and rebooking to a much less convenient airport for where I'm going?
Virgin's email didn't have any Duty of Care information, which I believe is mandatory? Am I right in thinking VS are liable under EU 261 for any reasonable expenses stemming from this cancellation and rebooking to a much less convenient airport for where I'm going?
Jul 23, 2019, 5:36 pm
#2
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First, if you don't like the tentative rebooking, call VS and ask for the rebooking you wish. It ought to be easy enough to be rebooked onto a DL service to LHR.
Second, the "duty of care" has nothing to do with this. Rather VS has a duty to get you to LHR. Thus, you should have ask for a bus voucher or at least a reimbursement of the bus ticket afterwards. You could also negotiate for a simple payment which gets you to where you are going. But, anything over the cost of the ticket to LHR is a simple customer service gesture.
Third, you may also be entitled to cancellation compensation under EC 261/2004, all depending on the original timing, the new timing and the actual time of arrival at LGW/LHR depending on where things wind up.
The key to these situations is to be proactive. If what you are offered isn't to your liking, do the research to find what is and call in.
Second, the "duty of care" has nothing to do with this. Rather VS has a duty to get you to LHR. Thus, you should have ask for a bus voucher or at least a reimbursement of the bus ticket afterwards. You could also negotiate for a simple payment which gets you to where you are going. But, anything over the cost of the ticket to LHR is a simple customer service gesture.
Third, you may also be entitled to cancellation compensation under EC 261/2004, all depending on the original timing, the new timing and the actual time of arrival at LGW/LHR depending on where things wind up.
The key to these situations is to be proactive. If what you are offered isn't to your liking, do the research to find what is and call in.
Jul 23, 2019, 6:18 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London. Or a plane.
Programs: "Only" 50,000 TPs until BA GGLfL
Posts: 2,779
First, if you don't like the tentative rebooking, call VS and ask for the rebooking you wish. It ought to be easy enough to be rebooked onto a DL service to LHR.
Second, the "duty of care" has nothing to do with this. Rather VS has a duty to get you to LHR. Thus, you should have ask for a bus voucher or at least a reimbursement of the bus ticket afterwards. You could also negotiate for a simple payment which gets you to where you are going. But, anything over the cost of the ticket to LHR is a simple customer service gesture.
Third, you may also be entitled to cancellation compensation under EC 261/2004, all depending on the original timing, the new timing and the actual time of arrival at LGW/LHR depending on where things wind up.
The key to these situations is to be proactive. If what you are offered isn't to your liking, do the research to find what is and call in.
Second, the "duty of care" has nothing to do with this. Rather VS has a duty to get you to LHR. Thus, you should have ask for a bus voucher or at least a reimbursement of the bus ticket afterwards. You could also negotiate for a simple payment which gets you to where you are going. But, anything over the cost of the ticket to LHR is a simple customer service gesture.
Third, you may also be entitled to cancellation compensation under EC 261/2004, all depending on the original timing, the new timing and the actual time of arrival at LGW/LHR depending on where things wind up.
The key to these situations is to be proactive. If what you are offered isn't to your liking, do the research to find what is and call in.
Jul 23, 2019, 11:50 pm
#4
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Location: Brighton. UK
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That’s an unusual diversion. Connected to the possible strike at LHR on Friday I think. DL flights may well be cancelled as well.
yes VS will either arrange coaches to take pax to LHR or reimburse you your costs if they don’t.
yes VS will either arrange coaches to take pax to LHR or reimburse you your costs if they don’t.
Last edited by UKtravelbear; Jul 24, 2019 at 12:08 am
Jul 24, 2019, 10:18 am
#6
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Strike has been called off for this weekend.
Jul 24, 2019, 11:37 am
#7
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That is harsh!
They tried to make reasonable alternative arrangements, because of Industrial Action at your destination airport. Then they reverted to plan A pretty quickly when the threat disappeared - what would you have wanted them to do? Ignore the problem until it may have been too late?
Nick
They tried to make reasonable alternative arrangements, because of Industrial Action at your destination airport. Then they reverted to plan A pretty quickly when the threat disappeared - what would you have wanted them to do? Ignore the problem until it may have been too late?
Nick
Jul 24, 2019, 11:52 am
#8
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That is harsh!
They tried to make reasonable alternative arrangements, because of Industrial Action at your destination airport. Then they reverted to plan A pretty quickly when the threat disappeared - what would you have wanted them to do? Ignore the problem until it may have been too late?
Nick
They tried to make reasonable alternative arrangements, because of Industrial Action at your destination airport. Then they reverted to plan A pretty quickly when the threat disappeared - what would you have wanted them to do? Ignore the problem until it may have been too late?
Nick
Had VS left it to the last minute, there would have been any number of threads from people complaining that VS let the string run out.
Striles, slowdowns, and other threats are all intended to disrupt commerce. That is what happened here.
Jul 24, 2019, 3:42 pm
#9
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Jul 24, 2019, 7:04 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London. Or a plane.
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I’m a BA GGL/CCR/GfL (and VS gold), so I have some idea what I’m talking about about flying into and out of LHR. BA are the largest airline operating into LHR: how many flights did they redirect for a strike with a significantly uncertain chance of happening? None.
Point being VS gave absolutely no communication along with the cancellations: just a “your booking has changed” email, so I had no clue if the strike didn’t happen if we’d be reverting to LHR or staying with LGW. I bought business class tickets for my step family and their toddler: VS doing the hokey-Corey without a clear explanation of their reaction function to the industrial action (which was out of their control, but their reaction was certainly in it) made planning post-logistics impossible. This isn’t good customer service, no point trying to convince me it is.
VS “proactively” cancelled thousands of seats for an event than didn’t happen. The threatened vs actual strike ratio at LHR is really not that high, so BA’s stance of “let’s see what really happens” was mich more pragmatic than “let’s panic and cancel a bunch of flights so we’re resilient”.
Point being VS gave absolutely no communication along with the cancellations: just a “your booking has changed” email, so I had no clue if the strike didn’t happen if we’d be reverting to LHR or staying with LGW. I bought business class tickets for my step family and their toddler: VS doing the hokey-Corey without a clear explanation of their reaction function to the industrial action (which was out of their control, but their reaction was certainly in it) made planning post-logistics impossible. This isn’t good customer service, no point trying to convince me it is.
VS “proactively” cancelled thousands of seats for an event than didn’t happen. The threatened vs actual strike ratio at LHR is really not that high, so BA’s stance of “let’s see what really happens” was mich more pragmatic than “let’s panic and cancel a bunch of flights so we’re resilient”.
Last edited by alexwuk; Jul 24, 2019 at 7:10 pm
Jul 25, 2019, 9:52 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2013
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I’m a BA GGL/CCR/GfL (and VS gold), so I have some idea what I’m talking about about flying into and out of LHR. BA are the largest airline operating into LHR: how many flights did they redirect for a strike with a significantly uncertain chance of happening? None.
Point being VS gave absolutely no communication along with the cancellations: just a “your booking has changed” email, so I had no clue if the strike didn’t happen if we’d be reverting to LHR or staying with LGW. I bought business class tickets for my step family and their toddler: VS doing the hokey-Corey without a clear explanation of their reaction function to the industrial action (which was out of their control, but their reaction was certainly in it) made planning post-logistics impossible. This isn’t good customer service, no point trying to convince me it is.
VS “proactively” cancelled thousands of seats for an event than didn’t happen. The threatened vs actual strike ratio at LHR is really not that high, so BA’s stance of “let’s see what really happens” was mich more pragmatic than “let’s panic and cancel a bunch of flights so we’re resilient”.
Point being VS gave absolutely no communication along with the cancellations: just a “your booking has changed” email, so I had no clue if the strike didn’t happen if we’d be reverting to LHR or staying with LGW. I bought business class tickets for my step family and their toddler: VS doing the hokey-Corey without a clear explanation of their reaction function to the industrial action (which was out of their control, but their reaction was certainly in it) made planning post-logistics impossible. This isn’t good customer service, no point trying to convince me it is.
VS “proactively” cancelled thousands of seats for an event than didn’t happen. The threatened vs actual strike ratio at LHR is really not that high, so BA’s stance of “let’s see what really happens” was mich more pragmatic than “let’s panic and cancel a bunch of flights so we’re resilient”.
Being proactive is always better, in my book, than being reactive.
Jul 25, 2019, 11:14 am
#12
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+1 Damned if they do, damned if they don't. BA presumably couldn't be as proactive due to the volume of flights they have to deal with. VS should be applauded, not derided for their actions in this case.
Jul 25, 2019, 7:02 pm
#13
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I don’t know is what arrangements HAL pit in place for the strike such as reducing take off and landings.
what happens with severe weather for example is they say 10% cut in flights allocated across airlines flying to/from LHR.
Because VS is a relatively small airline it affects only their Long Haul ops so is more noticeable if they do have to cancel.
with BA they tend to chop short haul instead if along haul hence it appears as though they are better at irrops than other airlines when in fact they aren’t.
what happens with severe weather for example is they say 10% cut in flights allocated across airlines flying to/from LHR.
Because VS is a relatively small airline it affects only their Long Haul ops so is more noticeable if they do have to cancel.
with BA they tend to chop short haul instead if along haul hence it appears as though they are better at irrops than other airlines when in fact they aren’t.