# The Travel Department , Aer Lingus and British Airways :(



## mikedublin (23 Dec 2010)

Hi

I would be very grateful if anyone could give me any advice or suggestions on what I can do about what has happened as my Christmas holidays have been totally ruined.

I was due to go on a holiday yesterday on a tour to China booked with "The Travel Department" and it was due to start yesterday with a flight from Dublin to London,and then a conecting flight from London to Beijing.

There was me and 4 other passengers, and we all had checked in on time and everything, and our Aer Lingus flight was due to leave at 12.10 yesterday afternoon.  The connecting flight with British Airways was due to leave at 4.30 (we even had our boarding passes and all).  The Aer Lingus  flight was delayed - first by a half an hour, then an hour, and we finally took off at 3.   

We received texts before we left from The Travel Department saying they were montitoring the flights and to check in as normal for the 12.10 flight.

Anyway we landed in London, about 4 and as soon as we arrived the Travel Department were calling and texting us to say we had missed the connecting flight, and to come back to Ireland.

(so no option was given to us to book onto another flight to Beijing, or re-route to get there somewhere).   So the whole trip has been cancelled. 

British Airways and Aer Lingus at London Heathrow gave us all different information but in the end no-body would re-book us onto another flight.

So we have all ended up back in Dublin with no holiday at all 

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions ?    I thought airlines would work together to re-book passengers onto the next flight if a connection was missed.


----------



## Black Sheep (23 Dec 2010)

It's up to The Travel Department to sort you out. Why not E-mail them and ask them what options they are offerring you.
Your problem is not with the airlines


----------



## mikedublin (23 Dec 2010)

Thanks.  Yes I've tried, but havn't heard anything from them.


----------



## SlurrySlump (23 Dec 2010)

Welcome to The Travel Department. When will anyone learn?

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=143383&highlight=travel+department

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=144806&highlight=travel+department

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=93259&highlight=travel+department

Try the email below.


ginap@thetraveldepartment.ie


----------



## mikedublin (23 Dec 2010)

Thanks.  I'll send her a mail.


----------



## jhegarty (23 Dec 2010)

Were the flights on a single PNR ?

Or two different tickets ?


----------



## mikedublin (23 Dec 2010)

A single ticket with one reference number/letters code.  And I should explain that when I checked in at Dublin (with Aer Lingus) the machine had all the information about the 2nd flight - even the seat allocation, and thats why I was sure that when the 1st flight started getting delayed, I didn't panic too much, as I believed the airlines and Travel Department would re-book us onto the next flight if we missed the connection completly - instead of just cancelling the whole thing.


----------



## mikedublin (24 Dec 2010)

And just in case anyone from British Airways or Aer Lingus is reading this : I still want to go, and even if I have missed the tour, I have my visa and passport and if you can help re-route or re-book me in any way anytime between now and 6 Jan (when I am back in work) I would be so grateful. 

I will post my PNR here , just in  case anyone from British Airways or Aer Lingus might be able to help :    Z6GQMD

Its Christmas eve, and if by any chance anyone from BA or Aer Lingus would like to help it would be a great Christmas present.


----------



## SlugBreath (24 Dec 2010)

It's The Travel Department's problem not the airlines.  If you landed at 4 was it not possible for you to make your flight connection?  I thought that London Heathrow flights were delayed as well as the Dublin flights?  You had a ticket!


----------



## mikedublin (24 Dec 2010)

SlugBreath said:


> It's The Travel Department's problem not the airlines. If you landed at 4 was it not possible for you to make your flight connection? I thought that London Heathrow flights were delayed as well as the Dublin flights? You had a ticket!


 
I know and thats what I thought,  I believed the Travel Department would try and re-book us onto later flights or re-route us someway so we could catch up with the tour. Only they wouldn't do anything except tell us all to turn around and come straight back.   All of us got the texts and calls from The Travel Department as soon as we had landed, so I still don't understand how they were so adamant we had missed the connecting flight and were against us even going to Terminal 5 to try and get it. 

They have said they will do a refund.     But I will still be badly out of pocket as I took un-paid leave to do this trip and now have nothing to do with it.


----------



## SlugBreath (25 Dec 2010)

Well I would have gone to Terminal 5 to satisfy my own curiosity if nothing else.  I am sure that you will be entitled to some sort of compensation but I would say that it would only be a nominal amount.  Did you get a response from Gina?


----------



## WaterWater (25 Dec 2010)

mikedublin said:


> But I will still be badly out of pocket as I took un-paid leave to do this trip and now have nothing to do with it.


 
Looking at your posts on Tripadvisor I can understand why you were on unpaid leave. Am I right in saying that you were in Munich, Brussels, London, Gran Canaria, Tallin, Helsinki, Milan and Malaga in 2010?  As a seasoned traveller I cannot understand why you did not question the Travel Department in more detail about your connecting flight.


----------



## mikedublin (26 Dec 2010)

SlugBreath said:


> Well I would have gone to Terminal 5 to satisfy my own curiosity if nothing else. I am sure that you will be entitled to some sort of compensation but I would say that it would only be a nominal amount. Did you get a response from Gina?


 
Sorry - I should have explained. We did all go to Terminal 5, and then back to Terminal 1 and then back to Terminal 5 , each time sent from one airline (BA) to the other (Aer Lingus).   There were seats on the next days flight with Qantas to Hong Kong (BA 's One World Partner) from where we could have connected to Beijing but Aer Lingus or The Travel Department needed to do something with the original ticket to get us onto that flight. 

There were also standby seats on the next days Beijing flight, but again BA would not actually do anything without the authority from Aer Lingus or The Travel Department to put us on it.


----------



## mikedublin (26 Dec 2010)

WaterWater said:


> As a seasoned traveller I cannot understand why you did not question the Travel Department in more detail about your connecting flight.


 
The flight connection was the one booked for the whole group (coming from Dublin,  there was another flight load of people for the tour coming from Cork - and it appears they made it). 

So there was no option for the individual passengers to choose the time of the outbound flight.  And yes - if there had been I definetly would have booked an earlier flight to give at least 6 hours connecting time at Heathrow. 

But The Travel Department said (in texts to me and the other passengers) that they were montitoring the flights, and to check in as normal for the 12.10 flight.


----------



## WaterWater (26 Dec 2010)

The Travel Department block booked the tickets on your behalf. They also block booked the ground tour part of the trip. They are just arrangers.  They are the only ones who can make changes to the flights.
What I don't understand is that there seems to have been lots of communication between you and the Travel Department yet it seems it was not possible to get you another flight.  We have seen pictures on the TV of people sitting and queing for the internet terminals at Dublin Airport to re-book their flights. Why could the Travel Department not do this for you?  When you would have arrived in Bejing you could have taken a taxi to the "second" leg of your tour.
Have you made contact with "Gina" and what does she have to say or have they all gone home for Christmas?


----------



## mikedublin (26 Dec 2010)

WaterWater said:


> The Travel Department block booked the tickets on your behalf. They also block booked the ground tour part of the trip. They are just arrangers. They are the only ones who can make changes to the flights.
> What I don't understand is that there seems to have been lots of communication between you and the Travel Department yet it seems it was not possible to get you another flight. We have seen pictures on the TV of people sitting and queing for the internet terminals at Dublin Airport to re-book their flights. Why could the Travel Department not do this for you? When you would have arrived in Bejing you could have taken a taxi to the "second" leg of your tour.
> Have you made contact with "Gina" and what does she have to say or have they all gone home for Christmas?


 
Yes I tried e-mailing her but didn't get any reply, and also have e-mails going back and forwards between me and the manager there at the Travel Department. 

There is somthing really odd about why they were so eager for us to give up and come back to Ireland straight away, when I thought they would have moved heaven and earth to try and get us onto any available flight out to Beijing even if we missed a few days of the tour, we could have caught up with it.   

And yes I would have been happy to take a taxi or bus or anything to get to it.  All we needed was that chance to get onto another flight.


----------



## IsleOfMan (27 Dec 2010)

I can understand booking with a coach tour company when heading far afield such as China but it makes you think why anyone would want to book with someone like this who it seems is prepared to abandon you because they were closing down for their Christmas break. It could just as easily have been the South of France.
At least if it was a DIY job you could access an internet terminal and re-schedule your flights yourself.
I am really sorry to hear that your holiday was ruined by The Travel Department.


----------



## mikedublin (27 Dec 2010)

Thanks for all the advice and feedback.

I'm starting to cheer up a bit now, and am planning that when I get my refund, I will go and find another company and be able to still get to China even for a short visit while I still have my visa (valid for next 3 months). 

Thanks.


----------



## gipimann (27 Dec 2010)

If it's of any use to you, I travelled to China a few years ago with Travelsphere (a uk company who've been touring China for many years).  It was well organised and I enjoyed it immensely.

Their website is www.travelsphere.co.uk

(no connection other than as a customer).


----------



## mikedublin (28 Dec 2010)

gipimann said:


> If it's of any use to you, I travelled to China a few years ago with Travelsphere (a uk company who've been touring China for many years). It was well organised and I enjoyed it immensely.
> 
> (no connection other than as a customer).


 
Excellent. Thanks very much.


----------



## IsleOfMan (28 Dec 2010)

[broken link removed]

I think that these are still around as well.


----------



## Odea (28 Dec 2010)

Well Gina from the Travel Department posted this on AAM awhile back. Let's see if she comes back and gives an explanation this time.

_"Hello, Gina from The *Travel* *Department* here. 



Hope you don’t mind us joining in the discussion on the Boston trip? Just wanted to address the feedback on hotels we use in Boston as part of the New England in the Fall Tour. 


We handpick our hotels based on a number of criteria including customer value for money and the hotel’s convenience to the various tours. To be honest we did look at selecting a hotel in Boston City Centre but felt strongly that the tour group would have to spend a lot of time commuting in and out of Boston City Centre each day (on our tours to Cape Cod , Rhode Island etc). We believe that this would have added a long time to each tour and taken away from the tour experience. 


So convenience was a big factor in selecting our hotels in Boston, but we also believe that they provide several other positive features including sizable rooms and good breakfasts.


As always, we listen really carefully to feedback from customers and value your comments. Hope this helps explain why we offer this hotel. If you want to contact me directly you can email me at __ginap@thetraveldepartment.ie__ . You can also speak to any of our customer relations team at 01 637 1600.


All the best! Gina, The *Travel* *Department"* _


----------



## mikedublin (30 Dec 2010)

ParkLane said:


> I think that these are still around as well.


 
Thanks very much for that suggestion. 

And thanks too, to the other poster who mentioned the gina-p at the Travel Department e-mail. I'm guessing they are all off on their holidays still at the moment (unlike some of their customers !) so maybe we will hear an answer in the new year.


----------



## SlurrySlump (9 Jan 2011)

Mike. Any chance of an update?


----------



## mikedublin (9 Jan 2011)

Hi. well I got the main part of it refunded so far, and am just waiting for the rest of the refund which they have promised to send. 
The Travel Department also offered me 100 euro off another trip to China with them.  I'm still not sure though if I'd risk doing it with them in case the same thing happens all over again ! 
I also finally got my luggage back - it made it all the way to China, and for some strange reason then ended up in Paris !   Anyway - it arrived back here today.  (I had packed all my thermal underwear in it for the China trip so I am very pleased to have it back to wear now).


----------



## gipimann (9 Jan 2011)

Glad you got some of your money back with the rest to come, Mike.   

One thing has jumped out at me from your update - despite all of the security palaver that anyone taking a flight has to go through, your luggage travelled on a plane that you weren't on?   Anyone else find this strange in these times?


----------



## SlurrySlump (9 Jan 2011)

mikedublin said:


> The Travel Department also offered me 100 euro off another trip to China with them.


 
These people have got to be joking. A €100 off another trip to China! You should be getting a lot more compensation than that.


----------



## oldnick (9 Jan 2011)

Mike - i know you haven't mentioned compensation but in case you are tempted to seek it.....
I've 30 yrs dealing with tour operators who screwed up clients holidays.
This was badly handled by TravelD and I still haven't understood why they and airlines couldn't eventually get you on another flight. And I share Gipiman's amazement re your baggage.
And I'm shocked that the full refund  wasn't given to you immediately.

But.......

My experience tells me that if you take this further -whether thru arbitration proceedings or courts - TD will quote *force majeure.* 
In all holiday company contracts this is mentioned. And even though these contracts may be ,indeed are unfair contracts and can be challenged ,the actual law as covered in the Package Holiday Act does state that in case of Force Majeure the consumer is not entitled to compensation.
So ,both contractually and according to the relevant law, it appears you'd have a tough time claiming compensation. And court proceedings cost money if you lose.

Naturally, full refunds are different from compensation.

I'd be happy to answer any questions on this.Smugly. i think I know more than many layers on holiday/travel law.And I'm bored.


----------

