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Hi,
My wife and I are booked with Aer Lingus EDI-DUB on a late October evening. We booked on 26th April.
Original flight departure time was 2050. A week ago, we got an email notification of schedule change. The flight was now to depart at 1835 with the same flight number. A pain but doable for us.
Yesterday, we got another schedule change notification. Our flight number has changed and now departs at 1200. Totally unsuitable for us.
Unbelievably, I noticed that there is a flight with our original flight number due to depart at 2020 that day, for which they were taking bookings last night, after our “schedule change”.
I contacted their chat last night and they replied today. They said, and I quote verbatim:”Apologies for the delayed response, David. Unfortunately, there are no seats for the EDI DUB,2020 flight. Apologies for the inconvenience.”
That’s it.
I wanted to escalate the complaint and was given a link for their Post-travel enquiry form on their site. When I said this was not a post-travel enquiry, I was told that “This is our complaint form as well”.
I can get a cash refund but it seems incredible to me that an airline can treat customers in this way.
What is going on here?
It seems to me to be very sharp practice, to say the least.
I have travelled with lots of different airlines over the years and have never come across this sort of treatment. This is my first time with Aer Lingus. Are they known for this sort of thing?
Thanks in advance for any comments or advice on this.
Are you left out of pocket by refunding and rebooking ? If the pricing is similar that’d be the easiest thing to do.
Otherwise I’d give them a call, some companies staff their live chat with agents with very little training or authority
If the flight number has changed this “may” count as a cancellation (there seems to be some difference of opinion here on this!) which would mean you have re-routing rights and better bargaining power.
A similar thing has happened to us with a MAN-DUB avios flight in November, but fortunately it doesn’t really impact our travel plans.
It seems to be EI’s MO to move pax to earlier flights, whereas with BA it’s generally (much) later!
Well, a changed flight number sounds like a cancellation. And if it is, then you are entitled to rebooking on a flight with any airline, not just the original carrier, and you do not have to agree to depart earlier.
Check up on your EU261 rights, and your ability to enforce them against an Irish airline in a Scottish court. I’m fairly sure you’re on good ground to rebook yourself on the flight you want and reclaim the costs from Aer Lingus.
Maybe put one more request in for exactly what you want in writing (by post)? Is there time? Or book the seats you want and write back demanding the refund of this cost, minus what you’ve already paid?
The issue of changing flight numbers and whether they constitute cancellations is actually quite clear from the definitions in EC261 and the Interpretative Guidelines. Airlines change flight numbers for a variety of operational reasons so if they change a flight number and all the booked passengers are transferred onto the newly numbered flight, that’s not technically a cancellation. If however, a flight (number) ceases to operate and the passengers are dispersed onto various different flights, then that’s a cancellation per EC261. Simples.
Is there an event on or other peak reason in DUB that day?
BMI did pretty much this to me on a flight back from Scotland, on a longstanding booking after a recent win by a local side meant there was going to be a sought after home game.
I called BMI having spotted the flight I’d received a cancellation for was still running and they were still.selling multiple seats on it. So the cancellation I’d received was in fact them offloading my cheap cash ticket as they now hoped to sell my seat for more.
Just told BMI what I had spotted and explained my personal circumstances needing the original flight timing and asked them to reinstate me which they did.
Yes if you make sure you express your timing restrictions / lack of (further) flexibility and they refuse to transport you accordingly and refuse to book you on any other airline’s service running that meets your timimg needs then you can purchase elsewhere and claim. I’d try to persuade them to do the right thing as much less stressful.
I’d also complain to the local aviation aythority with evidebce if I was not reinstated at rhe originally booked flight time as it sounds like sharp practice ans even if not, they do have the power to remedy it and should.
If the flight you were originally booked on is the last flight and given you certainly can’t leave any earlier than thr ine earlier flight it sounds like you might? have accwpted then it sounds like if you have to travel the following morning if they refuse to help then sadly they would also be responsible for a hotel cost at reasonable local rates, transoprt to and feom it, dinner and breakfast.
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