Send your children on the British Airways work experience scheme

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• Charlieface says:

  23 Sep23 September 04:33

  Anyone who paid for Thomas Cook by credit card, remember that section 75 makes the credit card operator jointly and severally liable for the contract, so you can claim for rebooking, NOT just a refund. Many people have been fobbed off by CC companies with just a refund in the past after e.g. Monarch and Air Berlin

  • Freddy says:

    23 Sep23 September 06:25

    Thanks Charlieface – I had a one-way ticket from Lanzarote to Manchester in November and paid through Amex.

    In light of the news I’ve bought a jet2 ticket….its double the cost of the original ticket! Its the only flight available on that day. From what I understand Amex would be responsible for the increased cost as it is a consequential loss. Am I right on that point?

    • Shoestring says:

      23 Sep23 September 06:33

      you said it was an Amex credit card, right? credit card should be OK – charge card definitely not.

      you’d do well to start gathering evidence that no cheaper flight was available on that date, ie take screenshots of the websites of all the usual suspects, ISTR you quoting a fare in the £thousands for Lanzarote-Manchester, which they might find hard to swallow – how much did you end up paying? return?

      • Freddy says:

        23 Sep23 September 07:18

        Yeah credit card not charge card.

        We had booked a single Jet2 out to lanza and a single with Thomas cook to Manchester (preferred TC flight times). The original TC cost was £800 for 6 people. The Jet2 price on the same day is now £1700 eek!

        • Shoestring says:

          23 Sep23 September 07:28

          6 people @£283 isn’t going to worry the credit card co – but a couple of supporting screenshots showing it was cheapest available won’t hurt

        • Freddy says:

          23 Sep23 September 07:39

          Thanks shoestring – I’m used to paying cheap as chips money on the low cost carriers. Even the TC flight at £800 was a bit high for my liking!

  • Andrew says:

    23 Sep23 September 06:37

    I booked a TC flight on my Amex for just under £100. Any chance of me getting any money back? As it happens I don’t actually want the flight anymore.

    • Shoestring says:

      23 Sep23 September 06:45

      sure, there’s a chance, try chargeback

    • John says:

      23 Sep23 September 07:02

      This isn’t even section 75 – you just want a refund for service not provided (or that is not going to be provided) which is not a problem with any card

  • Lady London says:

    23 Sep23 September 12:33

    Statute of limitations is usually 3 years. So guessing anyone that was fobbed off incorrectly as above would have 3 years to go back to CC and claim the rest? not sure what date the 3 years would start though – from the date of company going bust or the date the travel services were to be used.

    • Charlieface says:

      23 Sep23 September 14:27

      6 years I think. 3 is for personal injury IIRC

• Concerto says:

  23 Sep23 September 06:22

  But was reckoning, over on Flyertalk, that the credit cards are going to start pulling out of these agreements because these bankruptcies are reaching ridiculous, bananas republic levels.

  • Shoestring says:

    23 Sep23 September 06:36

    they can’t pull out without ceasing business in the UK
    https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/39/section/75

    • Rob says:

      23 Sep23 September 09:09

      As you may have read, the card companies are sitting on £50m which they never handed over for fear of collapse.

      With ATOL paying up first the hit to the card groups will be contained.

      • RussellH says:

        23 Sep23 September 09:19

        Not sure about the CAA, but anyone claiming on their travel insurance scheduled airline failure cover will be asked about how they paid for the ticket, and if the purchaser does not make an S75 claim, the insurers will.

    • Lady London says:

      23 Sep23 September 12:37

      Ahem. Which might have a lot to do with hotel and airline credit cards disappearing in the past 2-3 years, and no coming back.

      The liabilities are just too rich for them.

      If we’re not careful EU261 may go the same way.

  • Will says:

    23 Sep23 September 09:19

    As rob points out the card companies will ask for significant cash deposits from travel agents (or any company that charges for a service to be provided on trust in the future) and that deposit will increase as their financial statements worsen.

  • Lady London says:

    24 Sep24 September 00:14

    Charge back seems to be voluntary for them to participante in, s.75 is statuts so gouvernement rule and not optional.

    There’s also s.100 if you dont qualify for s.75. But at this time of night I’ve forgotten what that is!!

• Cat says:

  23 Sep23 September 06:39

  Completely O/T, sorry!
  I managed to get business flights from Gothenburg to Singapore in the Qatar sale for £1400, for the duration of August next year (I think my O/H and I will be re-attempting Offa’s Dyke for the end of July, hopefully not in sub-zero conditions this time). I’m absolutely delighted to get such bargainous flights in the school holidays! Many thanks Rob and Rhys for your articles.
  I’m trying to decide between Borneo, Sumatra or hopping along Nusa Tenggara (or possibly somewhere else in the region, I’m open to suggestions!). Has anyone got any recommendations of places they’ve been that they absolutely loved?
  Also, suggestions for Singapore gratefully received too! Last time I found myself there, I was at the end of my gap yaaaaaa, was horribly over budget, and I could barely afford to eat, let alone see the sights, so I’m delighted to be going back.
  Thanks all!

  • Shoestring says:

    23 Sep23 September 06:42

    they just re-opened Raffles Singapore https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/raffles-singapore-hotel-review-a4209826.html

    • Cat says:

      23 Sep23 September 06:44

      Ooooooh, I’ll be getting squiffy on Singapore slings then! Thanks Shoestring!

      • Craig says:

        23 Sep23 September 08:10

        Start saving if you want to get squiffy at £21 a drink!

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 08:31

          To be fair, I usually pay about that at our annual pre-Xmas trip to the American Bar! It’s worth it for a well made cocktail in an iconic bar…
          I may just have to content myself with the early stages of squiffy though!

        • Craig says:

          23 Sep23 September 09:32

          Oh absolutely, one drink is a must, I did also try to eat £21 of nuts to offset the cost.

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 18:08

          Yes, I tend to attempt to eat my own weight in nuts and those lovely Japanese crackers! Not the wasabi ones though (bleurgh).

  • BJ says:

    23 Sep23 September 07:04

    Good luck with that 🙂 We are headed to Cairngorms next weekend, and then to Torridon in November to wind up for this year. Actually hoping for a lot of snow. Have you thought about Kinabalu? Have you guys been to Nepal yet? Silk fly there from SIN and I think Air Asia are now flying there too but presumably from KUL or DMK. If you have not been to Nepal you really must try to get there sometime 🙂

    • Cat says:

      23 Sep23 September 07:26

      I was about to type that you should go to Applecross and go kayaking, as they frequently get migrating whales around Rasaay at this time of year, then re-read and saw November! I highly recommend you don’t go kayaking in November! Torridon is lovely. What’s the name of the road pass with the stunning views to get there? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for beautiful autumnal colours in the Cairngorm and snow in Torridon.
      I did climb Kinabalu on the gap yaaaaaaah (along with the Gibbon experience in Laos and uncle Tan’s on the Kinabatangan River, it’s one of the main reasons I was so broke in Singapore!). I’m idly thinking about seeing both again (I summited last time enveloped in cloud, and have a much better camera and lenses to pap the wildlife with this time), but combining with Sarawak this time. But then, I’ve never been to Sumatra…
      Nepal is high on the list, I’d probably use a 241 and get there via India though (and after a terrifying incident on a train 5 years ago, I’d rather revisit India with someone else). I just need to convince my O/H or a friend that they want to join me…

      • Lottie says:

        23 Sep23 September 08:19

        There are some good walking trails in Singapore which take you through the national parks around 10-12km with plenty to see on the way. Not sure if the link will come through but it’s Mac Ritchie reservoir .https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/central-catchment-nature-reserve/treetop-walk. We followed Singapore with Borneo , Mulu was great fun, and KL. definitely rates as one of our top 5 trips.

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 08:32

          Oooh, I like the look of this! Thanks Lottie!

        • the_real_a says:

          23 Sep23 September 10:29

          Highly recommend Mulu. Flights on MSWings – the only way into mulu – are bookable on Avios if you call (not online).

        • the_real_a says:

          23 Sep23 September 10:30

          oh and the Marriot Resort is only 10k points a night… 🙂

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 18:16

          The treetop walk and Mulu do look amazing! Thanks the_real_a and Lottie! I’ll get looking into Avios redemptions there! Thanks for the useful tips!

      • BJ says:

        23 Sep23 September 18:05

        Bealach na Ba (Cattle Pass). We did all our Nepal visits via BKK on TG in the glory days of 37.5k Diamond Club business class redemptions 🙂 I’d still recommend flying in on Thai as they use longhaul 777 and there are usually stunning views of Everest (K seats heading NW and A seats heading SE) which causes a lot of excitement. We went over the mountains from India by car one time, scariest thing ever, I so wanted to get out and walk yet we were frequently passed by school buses with a whole bunch of kids sitting quite happily on the roof! Anyway, enjoy wherever your travels and hikes take you.

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 18:20

          Oh my word, that all sounds incredible BJ! You are quite the adventurous soul! The flight into Nepal from BKK tip is one I will remember, but I might just give driving from India a miss!

        • BJ says:

          23 Sep23 September 18:40

          We had a driver but that was a big part of the problem 🙂 The other thing that’s interesting about driving is that Nepal are very dependent on India for just about everything, and we got stuck north of Lumbini for hours just trying to find petrol. Not nearly so adventurous as I once was, increasingly content at home these days.

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 18:54

          I don’t think I’m getting any less adventurous with age (although not with windy hairpin mountain roads), when I look back on my more mad adventures, most of them I’d be delighted to do again!

      • Jill (Kinkell) says:

        24 Sep24 September 02:21

        Bealach na ba (pass of the cattle) is the one you want.

        • Jill (Kinkell) says:

          24 Sep24 September 02:24

          Oops! My comments are way out due to time difference . Currently in Cherokee on our USA road trip.

  • Michael C says:

    23 Sep23 September 07:38

    Hi Cat – don’t know what sort of accommodation you’re looking at, but a few top tips are:
    -Ritz Carlton: for me, one of the best lounges I’ve ever been to, food & drink offering incredible
    -IC (Bugis, the original one); beautiful local Peranakan details in (for me) a fun part of town
    -Conrad: not swish, but a) massive family rooms, and b) best gin bar ever.
    -PanPac: gorgeous inside, fab club (but no small kids allowed).

    As for side trips, Lake Toba is very easy & lovely. All of Malaysia fab – you could get a train from the SIN border right up to Penang. And further afield, the Sumba/Sumbawa are fabulous. Although, as someone else mentioned, you can literally fly anywhere in SEAsia v easily: Myanmar is one of my top trips ever. Have fun, and eat lots!

    • Cat says:

      23 Sep23 September 07:50

      Thanks Michael C, I suspect my evening is now going to be spent Googling all of these places, rather than marking books!

    • Jon says:

      23 Sep23 September 08:08

      Stayed at all of these (whilst living in SG – #StayCation). Ritz if you go Club – champagne for breakfast and pretty much food and booze available all day + free limo to local sights. If you get bay facing room, the bath tubs have huge hexagonal windows, perfect for some silhouette photography… 😉 Also recommend one night at Marina Bay Sands for the swimming pool- has to be on the bucket list. And top tip is to get up at crack of dawn for a morning sunset swim and avoid the hordes.

      • Jon says:

        23 Sep23 September 08:11

        Sunrise not sunset!

        Also stayed at MO and doesn’t even compare to RC. If you time your stay, make sure you do Sunday champagne brunch – RC is good and also PanPacific. The RC you could upgrade to vintage Moet and Rose if you felt flush!

        • Cat says:

          23 Sep23 September 18:23

          Wow, excellent tips Jon, thanks! The RC does look absolutely incredible!

  • Chris says:

    23 Sep23 September 07:47

    For places to stay; the boutique Fullerton Bay Hotel is in a great location and is one of the classiest hotels on the island. Its on FHR and that makes it easy to get an amazing water front upgrade for a spectacular view. If you want a bit of character / save a bit of money its sister hotel the Fullerton is also nice – and gives you easy access to the river. (And it has the facilities its smaller sister doesnt have)

    I have found the Sofitel So to be convenient too; and its decor is way out there. All are walkable to Raffles Place MRT. Sofitel has Satay street right outside each night along with the world heritage site Lau Pa Sat hawker centre for all you could want to eat. (and whilst you are there you might want to reflect; that like raffles, it was once a waterfront property

    • Cat says:

      23 Sep23 September 07:56

      Excellent, thanks Chris, these all look amazing! More marking avoidance!

    • Michael C says:

      23 Sep23 September 08:02

      Oh, good one, Chris: Fullerton Bay rooftop pool (coincidentally with bar) possibly best view on the island?!

  • Genghis says:

    23 Sep23 September 08:08

    My usual tips for Singapore:
    – IC on Middle Rd is great.
    – for food, fancy = Colony buffet and all you can drink at the RC; best I’ve ever had and decent Rothschild wine. Less fancy, Gluttons Bay (try the savoury rice cake) and the famous Lau Pa Sat (for anything but the sago ice puds v good) hawker markets.
    For activities, Singapore Zoo (we liked breakfast with orangutans, although food v poor), Gardens by the Bay (go early evening just before dusk and the start of the light show) and a good walk to the Tree Top walk (Mrs G wasn’t happy that day as rain the size of golf balls came down and Mrs G’s sandals were ruined in the mud bath; supposedly I should have told her to wear walking shoes like I was).

    • Stu_N says:

      23 Sep23 September 08:50

      Burnt Ends in Chinatown was exceptional – high end barbeque place with amazing open kitchen and oven, definitely get a counter seat if you go.

      • Cat says:

        23 Sep23 September 18:44

        Oh. My. Word. Stu_N and TGLoyalty, I may never make it to Borneo – this all looks far too delicious! I’m not sure they’ll be able to fit me into my QSuite at this rate!

        • Polly says:

          24 Sep24 September 00:19

          Hope you do make it to Borneo. Loved Sabah, Sabah hotel, huge pool, v reasonable, and down the river, so back to nature. Truly amazing, but you have done that, been there. Well done getting the qr fare.
          We have the same from Arn to Singapore next month. We fly out to Arn on Oct 31st. How about that for planning.
          My OH Panicked atm watching the haze settling on where we plan to go. looking for the safest place right now. Our friends we plan to stay with in Kota Kinabolu say it’s ok there but bad in Sarawak.
          Remember a couple of years ago BJ, aka, James67!, warning us about waering our masks when in HKT. My OH had severe resp probs after our boat trips from the smaller islands.
          Wherever you end up Kat, you will have have a great adventure. Inspiration to us all!

        • Cat says:

          24 Sep24 September 06:30

          Hey Polly! The trip on the Kinabatangan river was 13 years ago now, with less experience of wildlife photography – I’d love to go again, it was incredible! We saw an orangutan in the wild – there were two good spots to stand in order to get a decent shot. Our group divided between them, and the orangutan posed for us perfectly, while intermittently pelting the other group with rotting fruit. I suspect it was ginger sympathy, personally.
          The haze often dissipates by the end of October, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it at this early stage, have masks at the ready, just in case, and keep an eye on where it’s bad nearer the time. Fingers crossed things clear up! X

    • TGLoyalty says:

      23 Sep23 September 08:50

      The Vagabond Club has very good review including from a friend. Especially if you like whisky

    • Cat says:

      23 Sep23 September 18:40

      Oh my god, I’ve just been looking at the Colony menus! It looks incredible! I feel I will undo my good work from Offa’s Dyke in one meal!
      I can imagine breakfast with the orangutans is less of a gourmet feast (I’ve never been that keen on bark and insects TBH…).
      Gardens by the Bay and the treetops walk (with my long suffering walking boots, rather than my beach sandals) are well and truly on the list, thanks Genghis!
      How’s fatherhood treating you?

  • Stuart_f says:

    23 Sep23 September 09:16

    Night Safari at Singapore Zoo. It’s a MUST if you like animals.

    https://www.wrs.com.sg/en/night-safari.html

    • Dev says:

      23 Sep23 September 12:00

      +1 for Fullerton Bay Hotel.
      If you would like, I can introduce you to the Head Concierge to help you with arranging any trips around the city. Please give me a nudge closer to the time, I tend to read the comments every day, usually late morning.

      • Dev says:

        23 Sep23 September 12:01

        Also recommend the Newton Food Centre and the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

        • Lyn says:

          23 Sep23 September 12:31

          +1 for the Singapore Botanical Gardens although it’s ages since we were there. Hope you have a wonderful time planning, Cat.

      • Cat says:

        23 Sep23 September 18:47

        These are all fantastic suggestions – thanks Stuart_f, Dev and Lyn! I feel like I could fill up summer holidays for the next 3 years with all of these!

    • Stu_N says:

      23 Sep23 September 16:22

      Night safari was really good but definitely take insect repellent; they sell it there but cost per ml is probably far more than a Raffles Sling.

      • Cat says:

        23 Sep23 September 18:49

        I always bring tonnes of the stuff – mosquitos love me, unfortunately!

  • Clive says:

    23 Sep23 September 18:25

    Hi Cat,

    Depends what you are looking for but we went to Lombok last year and had a great relaxing holiday. Prices are very good still so the £ goes a long way.

    • Cat says:

      23 Sep23 September 18:51

      What did you do in Lombok? I climbed Rinjani and went to the Gilli islands last time I was there (10 years ago), but I imagine there’s been loads of development since then!

    • Polly says:

      24 Sep24 September 00:23

      Agree, lombok still v reasonable, and some lovely low key places to stay, food lovely too. Supposed to be in Bali or Lombok in Feb. Will have to wait and see how the haze settles around the area.

• Shoestring says:

  23 Sep23 September 06:40

  £30 statement credit on £100 spend back at Harvey Nics for anybody interested

  • BJ says:

    23 Sep23 September 07:06

    Never got that one but got £25 back on £100 at ‘alternative airlines’ , whoever they are.

    • meta says:

      23 Sep23 September 07:24

      I got spend £200 get £20 back on several cards. Essentially a booking site like any other. Last time I used them was probably circa 2004 when I needed to fly on some obscure airlines and they were the only ones selling online. I thought they don’t exist anymore…

    • Craig says:

      23 Sep23 September 08:11

      I was looking at flights from Da Nang to Singapore, Alternative Airlines are 10% more expensive than just about anyone else.

  • Rob says:

    23 Sep23 September 09:07

    Can use that! Sitting opposite it as I type, finishing breakfast ….

    • Lady London says:

      23 Sep23 September 12:50

      In the MO? looking out on the park? Jealous!

      • Rob says:

        23 Sep23 September 13:11

        Er no. In the cafe a bit further down 🙂 Was on school run for the youngest today.

      • Simon says:

        23 Sep23 September 13:43

        Ha! My first thought, too. 😁

  • Benylin says:

    23 Sep23 September 10:40

    Do you know if it works at the restaurants, in particular Zelman Meats?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      23 Sep23 September 13:23

      You’d think so. You can buy a gift card and use it a Zalman Meats for sure.

  • Anna says:

    23 Sep23 September 11:13

    Thanks for the heads up, got this on my SPG Amex. It’s valid till November so will come in handy for Xmas!

• Shoestring says:

  23 Sep23 September 06:56

  Not so sure it will ‘cost £600m’ to repatriate the TC people abroad, as reported by The Sun. All holidays are protected by ATOL, so that should end up a net zero. The Govt should be checking if flight-only people paid on credit card (S75) or had travel insurance in place covering airline failure, and making them pay.

  • Ken says:

    23 Sep23 September 07:28

    I think the repatriation cost is £100-£150 million – I think this is covered by Department of Transport, hence taxpayer.
    The ATOL scheme was in surplus at March 2018 (£170m) but likely to be tipped into heavy deficit. I assume there will be significant (guess £450m) call for holidays booked but not yet taken.
    Not sure how many people take insurance out at time of booking and what ranks first in line for claiming. ATOL, insurance then S75 perhaps?

    Got to wonder at the long term viability of ATOL.

    • Shoestring says:

      23 Sep23 September 07:32

      I don’t think the general taxpayer should be paying for repatriation at all, personally – sure, organise it centrally & pay up front – on the proviso that it gets repaid by the individuals concerned or their insurance/ S75 credit card cos

      with Monarch it seems they couldn’t be bothered to chase repayment by individuals so guess who ended up paying?

      • Craig says:

        23 Sep23 September 08:23

        The taxpayer shouldn’t be paying for it, the ATOL scheme will. I can see the £2.50 fee per passenger increasing after this though.

        • Shoestring says:

          23 Sep23 September 08:26

          flights-only aren’t covered by ATOL

        • Craig says:

          23 Sep23 September 08:27

          Interesting that the Government have said it will cost the Taxpayer £100m? Are they putting the ATOL fee into the coffers? I thought it was ringfenced?

        • marcw says:

          23 Sep23 September 08:28

          Taxpayers money shouldn’t be used to rescue banks either.

      • Lady London says:

        23 Sep23 September 12:53

        + 1

      • Lady London says:

        23 Sep23 September 12:55

        + 1000 marcw. Shouldnt have been done in 2007/2008 either. It just reinforced to ‘investment banks’ (aka casinos) that it’s a one way bet.

    • C F Frost says:

      23 Sep23 September 09:16

      One of the inescapable outcomes of TC’s liquidation and perhaps an outcome that might trouble the casual observer the most is….

      …. wall-to-walll Simon Calder.

• Chas says:

  23 Sep23 September 07:30

  OT – was looking at redemption bookings at the Langley, but I get a message saying “this property isn’t taking redemption bookings at this time”. Does anyone know if this is a temporary change or something more permanent? I got the same message for several different weekends I looked at later this year.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    23 Sep23 September 08:20

    Using the website or app? Try the other or a different browser.

    Remember it’s only 41 rooms of which probably 10 are in the redemption pool if that.

    They deffo had reward Stays available for later this year and early next year last week

    • TGLoyalty says:

      23 Sep23 September 08:22

      Just checked and rewards are bookable on weekdays but weekends look fully booked. Worth keeping an eye on it as plans change and people will cancel.

    • Chas says:

      23 Sep23 September 12:16

      That must be it – was only looking at weekend stays later this year. They should consider having a more informative “reward nights are not available for your dates” message rather than the blanket “this property isn’t taking redemption bookings at this time”… Or maybe that would be too helpful.

  • Rob says:

    23 Sep23 September 09:06

    I booked two ‘Sat night only’ stays last week for March and June.

• Nick says:

  23 Sep23 September 08:22

  In 10 years- I’ve just had my first Amex fraud alert

  Happened on my ba premium card

  Two attempted and declined transactions online for a purchase in Mexican pesos.

  Called Amex and card has been cancelled now

  • AJA says:

    23 Sep23 September 11:12

    Sorry to read that Nick but kudos to Amex for its fraud alerts. They are far and away the best credit card company out there. They really do customer service. First thing I say when I come to pay at any place is: “Do you accept Amex?” and if they do then out comes the BAPP card. I have been known to walk away from a restaurant if they don’t accept Amex.

    • Dev says:

      23 Sep23 September 12:32

      +1 The way they have dealt with fraudulent transactions on old card numbers (the ones I had pre-Starwood and BA incidents) can only be applauded.

    • Lady London says:

      23 Sep23 September 12:57

      Looks like the British Airways hack just keeps on giving ?

  • Blue Mountains says:

    24 Sep24 September 05:03

    How odd… Just had a similar experience yesterday too. On Amex Nectar, they tried to charge 379 MXN but thankfully blocked by amex’s fraud systems.
    Now the spookier part of the story. The Amex Nectar card is still in the envelope, never left my house and has not even been activated yet… Leads me to believe there is a bad apple somewhere inside Amex…

• Nicky says:

  23 Sep23 September 08:58

  Bits: Thousands of apologies because this question has probably been asked and answered lots of times: I am on a BA 2-4-1 first class to NY on Boxing Day: whole purpose of trip is to see the ball drop in Times Square (on a New Year Extravaganza at Casablanca Hotel at the square). IF BA do take strike action, which is more than a possibility, how does that leave me…if they offer flights on an alternative airline would it be in economy or will they honour my first class booking, Any advice would be appreciated at this stage….(my hotel would have to be an Amex s75 claim).

  • Rob says:

    23 Sep23 September 09:04

    BA will try to offer you F with another airline on a roughly similar day.

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