Advice required

[rfw1]

We have recently returned from florida.

On the way out we suffered a 23 hour delay courtesy of a dodgey jumbo jet.

On arival home we recieved a letter from the travel company apologising for the delay and stating that as was caused by a faulty aircraft, the holiday company were not responsible and would not be compensating us.

This delay cost us 1/14th of our holiday and caused a considerable amount of discomfort and stress on the day, I therefore feel I should recieve some form of compensation.

Should i persue this further and iff so do I go after the travel company , the airline or who? , or am I wasting my time.

 

[UKDEB]

Not sure whether or not you've got any sort of claim, but <i>if</i> you have it will be against whoever you booked with - that's who your contract is with.

 

[UKDEB]

Just had another thought. Doesn't your travel insurance normally cover you for delays?

 

[WDWfan uk]

the first thing to do would be to check out the small print on the brochure of the company you booked with and any paperwork you were given - there will be information on delays and how they deal with them according to the amount of time you are delayed and the reasons for the delay.

How were you looked after whilst you waited for your flight?

 

[edie w]

How dreadful!

We were delayed 23 hours on our return from Orlando last year. Virgin put us up in a decent hotel, and we have 50% off vouchers for a future flight each. That was owing to a "small tear in the wing" which they tried to repair but couldn't do it to the satisfaction of Boeing.

We got £50 each from our insurance as well, and would have been able to claim expenses had we incurred any.

Not a pleasant experience, but the outcome was satisfactory. We are seriously considering a return visit in October because of the vouchers and the weak $.

I think you should name and shame your airline if you are unhappy with their attitude. Other DIS-ers will be interested.

 

[rfw1]

the insurance states we can claim the princely sum of £10 for each 12 hours delay , however the small print states there is a £75 Excess on flight delay payments so folowing this aproach is a waste of time.

the Travel company conditions state

FLIGHT DELAYS Unfortunately, flight delays do sometimes occur. These are beyond our control and any resultant arrangements will be the responsibility of the airline.

I thought that whoever sells a service to you was responsible for that service.

On the day concerned we actualy got as far as the english channel before the pland experienced problems. we had to circle dumping fuel for 30 minutes before landing. on landing the plane was met by what like like the entire Gatwick fire crew.

after taxiing back to the gate uneventfully we were taken off the plane and ordered back to the departure lounge for about 3 hours before they decide the flight was canceled. 'refreshment' vouchers for about £5 per person were provided. this is not much at gatwick.

We then were herded into baggage reclaim for another 2-3 hours to wait for suitcases that never came.

eventualy all 400+ of us were herded to a check in desk to be allocated hotels - bearing in mind the flight should have departed at 1pm this happened at 10pm

we eventualy got to a hotel at about 11pm. We managed to get our luggage but many simply left it at the airport.

The next day however evrything seemed to work OK and we set out at 12 noon , 23 hours late. the rest of the trip was fine!

after some consideration I think I am going to start by writing to the airline asking for compensation.

 

[WDWfan uk]

I know it was a bad start to your trip but the fact that they were aloft and had to dump fuel and return to Gatwick, was ultimately an unforseen problem with an engine, and your safety and well-being was paramount.

This does happen on occasions - it happened to my husband and he was three days late getting home - but they acted responsibly and checked you into a hotel with meal vouchers.

I don't think you will get compensation and thank goodness the problem with the engine happened early in the flight, that the pilot took responsible action, and returned you all to the land safely.

 

[UKDEB]

I can't imagine you have a claim against the airline as you have no contract with them. The Unfair Contract Terms Act may afford you some protection - it makes interesting reading if nothing else! Why not contact the Citizen's Advice Bureau or Office of Fair Trading for some advice?