EtoileSportiveDeDerby Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Looking for advice here as it is a bit of a tricky one. Booked holiday flights long haul via Paris with Air France from Birmingham. Before Xmas got an email to tell us that flight from Brum was cancelled and then rebooked on Flybe. The holiday is in a few weeks so no panic yet but we are not very flexible on dates cos' of kids exams and hotel booking was done separately from flights and cannot be amended or refunded. Given that original booking was with Air France my (naive) thinking is, it is their problem to get us to connecting flight in Paris somehow. Before they just cancel the lot and I am left having to try to find flights to suit the hotel dates, I am trying to find out what our rights/options are. For instance fly to Paris night before or fly from Manchester/Heathrow for instance and they fork out for taxis/hotels. If anyone knows about this please inform before they fob us off with a £5 discount coupon off the next Air France booking!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Git Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 If the flights as originally booked with Air France were from BHX to your final destination (where you check-in your luggage at Birmingham and collect at the final destination), then Air France have to arrange alternatives at no cost to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Its not good this has happened, seems coronovirus the final nail in the coffin for them although suspect it was just a matter of time. 2000 Jobs lost by the look of it, and potentially more with knock on effects. Belfast City airport will be desperate for an alternative carrier as 80% of their flights were with Flybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der MoodHoover Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Sounds as though its air frances issue to sort. Was it them who unilaterally cancelled their original flight from brum and replaced it with a Flybe one? If so, that would seem prima facie evidence that your contract is with air France. Sad news tho. Our local airport (Southampton) was a Flybe hub, so expect that there will be knock on implications locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EtoileSportiveDeDerby Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 15 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said: Sounds as though its air frances issue to sort. Was it them who unilaterally cancelled their original flight from brum and replaced it with a Flybe one? If so, that would seem prima facie evidence that your contract is with air France. Sad news tho. Our local airport (Southampton) was a Flybe hub, so expect that there will be knock on implications locally. Yes it was AF who cancelled from BHX and replaced flights with Flybe. Yes saw in the news this morning that Southampton (or was it Exeter) traffic is 95% Flybe. Sad news for all employees. Really do not want to politicise the issue... but when I saw that government would not agree to 100M loan (throwing good money after bad but may be saving jobs away from London? ) but they did spend 100M for "Get ready for Brexit" media campaign back in October when it did not happen, you got to wonder about some of those decisions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Git Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 1 hour ago, EtoileSportiveDeDerby said: Yes it was AF who cancelled from BHX and replaced flights with Flybe. You are in the clear then. Just make sure Air France get you sorted urgently as alternative flights will become more scarce because of this. Just remember that there should be ZERO cost to you because of this. So if alternative flights result in hotels being required or transport to another airport, Air France have to bear the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Just had mine cancelled for Sunday, gutted work found me another one. Thought I was going to see the Blackburn game after all ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Bunch of contact details on their press release Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EtoileSportiveDeDerby Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 5 hours ago, Grumpy Git said: You are in the clear then. Just make sure Air France get you sorted urgently as alternative flights will become more scarce because of this. Just remember that there should be ZERO cost to you because of this. So if alternative flights result in hotels being required or transport to another airport, Air France have to bear the cost. Note quite that easy... After a looong time on the phone got through to be told that we could go to Amsterdam then to Paris to get to connecting flight (The chances of our cases following us would have been as high as seeing Keogh in a Derby shirt again) or go the night before and stay in Paris. That wasn't really possible but the cost of staying there would be with us as our departure is more than 21 days ahead. When I suggested flying from Manchester that was £50 extra per passenger x 4, again 21 days and terms on our tickets. Robbing bar stewards really try it on! After I moaned like duck and asked the person to speak to supervisor they eventually waved the fee. Could have been worse! Waiting patiently for the virus/government advice to disrupt travel plans a bit further... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der MoodHoover Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 8 hours ago, EtoileSportiveDeDerby said: Yes it was AF who cancelled from BHX and replaced flights with Flybe. Yes saw in the news this morning that Southampton (or was it Exeter) traffic is 95% Flybe. Sad news for all employees. Really do not want to politicise the issue... but when I saw that government would not agree to 100M loan (throwing good money after bad but may be saving jobs away from London? ) but they did spend 100M for "Get ready for Brexit" media campaign back in October when it did not happen, you got to wonder about some of those decisions! Utter bluster from the UK government. There is a sort of principle they need to get heads round in terms of propping up failing industries, i get that - but to blame the EU state aid rules that we are looking to escape with a fanfare is disingenuous. They were ridiculous in puffing the importance of helping such a company in the name of "levelling up", only for the numbers guys to realise that any "loan" would likely not get repaid so they've withdrawn. So basically there is only a very shallow/no commitment to the regions in this instance and jobs will be lost locally. There will be other collateral impacts as a lot of people who use Southampton airport travel there by South Western Railway (there's a Southampton Airport Parkway station) and that rail company is struggling as well....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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