Flight not as described, forced to cancel - any help?

[Londonlife]

This is a bit complicated and I will be very grateful if anyone has a clue as to where I stand....

 

I booked a flight online with STA travel, everything seemed fine until I tried to check in online the morning of departure. The flight had a transfer and I noticed that the arrival transfer airport had a different name to the departure transfer airport. I called the airline to find out the story and was told that the two airports are on different sides of the country, so I would need to collect my baggage, get a bus/taxi to the other airport and then check in again! As I only had a 4 hour gap between flights, the airline said this wouldn't be possible so I should ring my travel agent.

 

Then followed 3 hours of phone calls and being put on hold while travel agent and airline argued and tried in the end to tell me this is a viable flight. From what I have seen/heard, there is not a hope in hell that I would arrive at the other airport in time to catch the second flight, even if traffic on the day was perfect.

 

At the end of my patience and not being offered a refund or alternative, I had to cancel, meaning I have lost my money. Hopefully the travel agent will give me back the taxes but that's all. This is so bizarre to me - how can you be expected to change airports and collect your luggage, then cross a country and check in again as part of a normal flight? Have never heard of anything like this and there was nothing on the itinerary or receipt to indicate I would need to do a land transfer. If I hadn't noticed this when I tried to check in, I would probably still be standing in the first airport not having a clue what was going on!

 

Can anyone help with how I can try to get my money back? I have written a complaint to the travel agent but they haven't even acknowledged it yet. I have had to pay for another new flight (probably now also to be cancelled due to this volcanic ash nightmare!) and my schedule has been messed up, plus all the hassle of having to redo airport transfers, phone calls, etc. Please help!

[Conniff]

I think that is you don't get satisfaction in a reply then you should let a judge decide if it is reasonable or not.

 

Collect all available paperwork to show exactly what was expected of you.

[Londonlife]

Update on this - after several emails and a long (2 month) wait, finally this week I got a refund for the tax portion minus a generous 'admin charge'. This means I am still down on most of what I paid for the useless flight...and they are still selling the same flight on the their website with no mention of the overland transfer. Have put in a complaint with ABTA so we'll see what happens next. The most annoying thing about all this is that I was told is was essentially my fault for not checking out all the details properly. HELLO!? YOU'RE THE TRAVEL AGENT, IT'S YOUR JOB TO DO THIS! Would seriously advise not to book with STA Travel at least for flight only, their prices are more than booking direct with the airline and apparently you're not actually paying for the cost of a knowledgeable travel agent but just funding their office parties.

[scaniaman]

Also report this to the Civil Aviation Authority---they have had similar complaints in the past and may well look into this for you.

CAA website has links on how to complain.

[Bookworm]

Which country and airports, as a matter of interest?

[Londonlife]

To Dubai, with Turkish Airlines. The airports were Istanbul and SAW (can't remember the full name). I just had a message from Consumer Direct saying I had no case for redress as I should have checked the details before booking - so basically STA can sell any old flights that don't actually work without explaining the transfer situation and if you make the mistake of booking then it's your fault. So much for consumer rights. !!

[Londonlife]

Thanks very much to Scaniaman for the info btw, wasn't aware of the CAA...I'm getting on that right away!

[Conniff]

To Dubai, with Turkish Airlines. The airports were Istanbul and SAW (can't remember the full name). I just had a message from Consumer Direct saying I had no case for redress as I should have checked the details before booking - so basically STA can sell any old flights that don't actually work without explaining the transfer situation and if you make the mistake of booking then it's your fault. So much for consumer rights. !!

 

If the itinerary and schedule is published, surely it's up to you to check it like any other thing purchased.

 

There are strict rules and guidlines laid down, so have a good read. Airlines seem to be a club all of their own. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact they travel worldwide and all the nations can't agree on legislation.

[Londonlife]

The airport codes weren't shown when I booked online, or on the receipt. They were shown on the itinerary I was emailed a few days later. From what I can make out, even if I had questioned it once I received the itinerary it would have been too late as I'd already booked it and it was non-refundable. It honestly never occurred to me that a flight like this would be sold and I've been travelling for years - it wasn't even a bargain price! Saying it's my fault surely allows them to sell any old rubbish online and blame the customer when they realise it's not going to work - and what's the point of even using a travel agent if they aren't checking what they sell first?

[honeybee13]

I wonder if it's worth telling the Advertising Standards Authority? They keep trying to nail Ryanair.

 

HB

[Londonlife]

Good idea - thanks, I'll look into it. Kind of frustrating to be told it's all my fault when I wasn't given the proper info in the first place! Cheers to all for the advice.