Charged MORE to rebook a holiday!
As travel firms fight to survive, customers are being...
ANGRY holidaymakers have accused travel firms of cashing in on the coronavirus by hiking prices for customers trying to rebook trips.
Millions have had holidays ruined after the virus outbreak sent the world into lockdown. Many customers were already unhappy at being offered vouchers or credit notes instead of refunds.
But Money Mail has now found travellers are facing price rises of up to 40 pc when they come to rebook. One couple who had their April honeymoon postponed were told they would have to pay an extra 14 pc to rebook exactly the same holiday for October.
Travel experts have called the practice ‘unacceptable’. Customers who have booked through an airline or tour operator are legally entitled to their money back within 14 days of cancellation. But operators say they don’t have the cash to meet demand due to a collapse in sales.
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has written to the Prime Minister pleading for the window to be extended to four months to stop firms going bust.
Many operators are trying to ease cash flow by getting passengers to rebook their trips instead. Richard and Susan Percival say Ryanair is charging them an extra £114 to rebook their two one-way flights from London Stansted to Lisbon. The couple paid £296 for their original flights to depart on April 2, but tried to cancel after the Government advised against non-essential travel.
The couple, from Rutland, could not get through to Ryanair’s customer service team. When Richard, a retired management consultant, eventually spoke to an adviser via the airline’s online messaging system, he was told the flight was still set to go ahead and that the couple were not entitled to a refund, but could rearrange the flight.
But when the 57-year-old tried to change the flight to another Thursday in March 2021 he was told he’d have to pay £114 more. The extra charge would take the price of their two one-way tickets to £410 — a 39 pc increase.
Richard says: ‘I know Ryanair is a no-frills, low-cost airline, but I’m just so disappointed with its approach to this. This is a time of national crisis and Ryanair just seems to be using it as an opportunity to make money.’
He adds: ‘I would have happily rearranged my flight for next year, but the company shouldn’t be charging extra for this.’
Airlines often claim that ‘dynamic pricing’ causes variation in fares, as they rise and fall with demand. But some Ryanair passengers have found that the fare for rebooking is more than a new ticket on the same flight.
The additional charge ranges from £10 to £80, according to consumer watchdog Which?
When one passenger tried to rebook a Dublin to Malaga flight
for August 3, he was told it would cost him £122. But when he checked the Ryanair website for the price of a new ticket on the same plane, it was £44.
All flights on EU carriers travelling within the EU are eligible for a refund. But many airlines are not allowing customers to cancel flights and get a refund, even when travel is against FCO advice.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘ Ryanair seemingly inflating its prices for passengers who have no option other than to rebook following travel restrictions is simply unacceptable.
‘The regulator must monitor to ensure airlines aren’t implementing harmful sales and pricing practices during the coronavirus outbreak, and be ready to clamp down on any found to be taking advantage of customers who have been left vulnerable as a result.’
Ryanair did not respond to our requests for comment.
Dave and Linda Briggs faced paying 24 pc extra to rebook a cottage in Northumberland despite trying to reschedule for the same time next year.
The couple paid £485 for a week from May 9 through Cottages.com. While the firm has yet to officially cancel their booking, it has done so for all holidays up to May 1. It says customers with bookings between May 1 and May 22 can rebook with no admin fees.
But if accommodation is priced higher than the original booking, it says customers may have to make a further payment.
When Dave went back onto the site he found he would have to pay £599 to book the same cottage for the same week in 2021.
Dave, 74, from Clitheroe, Lancs, says: ‘I feel the company is taking advantage of this situation. It’s not fair that we should have to pay more for the same holiday. We’ve used the site before, but I wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole in the future.’
Martyn James, of consumer complaints website Resolver, says: ‘ I understand there could be seasonal variations, but if you can book at the same time there is no reason why that should be more expensive. Get the company to explain why in writing. If you feel it’s unfair or ambiguous then complaints can be made.’
Following the intervention of Money Mail, Cottages.com said the couple would not have to pay anything more to reschedule the same cottage for May next year. A spokesman says: ‘We are prioritising customers in date order and offering price-matched breaks for the same time next year.’
Wyndham Jenkins booked a package holiday to Krakow beginning on March 22 with Jetline Holidays for £498. But when the holiday was cancelled due to coronavirus, the firm only offered a credit note to the value of £243.
Accountant Wyndham, 63, from Carmarthen, Wales, says: ‘ It’s derisory, especially when I’m entitled to a full refund. How can they offer me half of what I paid for the holiday in the first place?’
Jetline did not respond to requests for comment.