I have a rant on behalf of my work colleagues – yes, you didn’t think you would get a week in without me ranting did you. A few of them have had problems with airlines / tour operators changing their flight times which have caused no end of problems.
One colleague has booked a flight to Majorca and the flight times have been changed three times since she booked it late last year. The flight was originally, early afternoon which is why they booked that particular holiday because they are travelling with kids – the flight has now been changed to arrive at midnight.
Another colleague has booked his honeymoon to Mexico, and the flight times have changed twice, which now means they will have to leave early from their wedding reception, to get enough sleep to travel to the airport in time for the flight.
I wonder – do airlines change their times because really, the popular flight times are all booked up, so shift some people over to the flights which depart at unsociable hours because they are plenty of seats, or am I being tough on these poor airlines [sense the sarcasm]
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Karen Bryan | 2 May, 2007 at 9:35 am
Darren, do you think it is particular airports, airlines or times of year, that are more likely inclined to have changes to the flight times? Over the last few years I’ve flown mainly with Ryanair from Glasgow Prestwick and a couple of charters from Newcastle and never had any flight changes. However have travelled in low season, mid week and not from the largest of airports.
Helen | 2 May, 2007 at 11:43 am
My gripe is EJ’s cancellation of the Geneva flight for the summer from Newcastle. Now we’re stuck for flights to our apartment. Also some friends had flights cancelled by BA at the last minute recently.
It seems all too common.
Darren Cronian | 2 May, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Karen, without knowing about more cases of flight time changes, its difficult to comment. I haven’t had a problem with flight changes, but I also have another work colleague who had their flight changed twice with Ryanair to Oslo.
She booked the flight in December and flew out in April. The flight changes weren’t that different, a couple of hours here and there, but if you have arranged transfers then this causes problems.
Darren Cronian | 2 May, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Nicholas Lee | 2 May, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Darren
A tip, Airlines do not book slots till Feb for the summer at the airports. This means a flight time before this is planned only. If they do not get the slot they take another choice (1st change). If this happens to enough flights then the airlines do not have enough time between flights (2nd change).
Then there is always lack of passengers. If say a company thinks we will carry 400 passengers a day and find that there forecaste shows only 250 passengers a day then they will merge flights.
This is general and not every case works by these rules, other factors also play a part.
Darren Cronian | 4 May, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Thanks for the tip Nicholas.
Shouldn’t airlines be confirming that the seat is ‘planned only’ and its not confirmed until a specific date. Surely airlines people plan their holiday, and its ruined when the airline changes their plan.
Debbie | 4 May, 2007 at 12:51 pm
We’ve had no end of problems with airlines changing their flight times.
There’s no excuse – you book and pay for a flight at a specific time and date, but then they have the right to change it and ruin your holiday plans.
GaryK | 4 May, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Do these airlines think about those of us with connections?
We book our flights, and if one changes it completely messes up our travel plans.
Darren Cronian | 4 May, 2007 at 11:23 pm
It’s frustrating when flight times change, and I suppose it’s one of the disadvantages of DIY holidays, that if they change the flight, you have to re-arrange airport transfer too if you have booked that in advance.
Darren Cronian | 11 May, 2007 at 5:04 am
A work colleague read this blog entry and mentioned to me today that her sister, booked a package holiday to Florida, last year, and the flight times were changed, three times, so it’s not just the low cost airlines that can mess you around!
Cristina | 14 April, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Airlines should NOT be allowed to change flight times the way they do. Most tour operators quote 12 hours as a significant change but that could effectively lose you 1 night of your holiday or get you there so early you have to hand around until your room is ready.
We book a package holiday in good faith and because the times are suitable. Do airlines just ‘publish’ good timings and then once they have you change them to something you would not have booked in a million years…… By that time of course you have no options.
bob mitchell | 17 April, 2008 at 6:51 pm
It strikes me as though the flight companies have the best of all worlds. I booked flights to majorca back in december and booked them because the flight times were wat i wanted. However i was recently informed by travel republic that Thomson my flight provider had changed my flight times. Upon checking what could be done i noted that Thomson were still selling the original outbound flight that i had been told had been changed, and the flight time details were exactly what i originally booked. Ironically the only difference between the original booking and what Thomsons are selling now is the cost……….its £140 dearer per person.
jane conway | 13 April, 2009 at 9:56 pm
hi i just learned that my flights to majorca have been altered with a ten our difference from 5pm to early 7.15am which is very nice because we get extra time at resort but it also causes us probelems because we now have to leave home at 2am to get to air port and i have to work saturday till the evening which mean i have rush around and get packed now for the evening and get no sleep either also there is the problem of the car park we booked that now has to be changed it really bad they never even told us it was by chance we found out as we travel with friends and it was on their booking form not ours , thomson just do not care,
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