WHAT HAPPENS IF MY FLIGHT IS DIVERTED?
Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder
Q I have return flights to Las Vegas via New York out of Birmingham with United Airlines. Now the Birmingham-Newark flights have been cancelled, I assume the airline will offer alternative flights from Heathrow or Manchester. Are we entitled to a taxi to and from the alternative airport?
Chris Dewes
A The sudden decision by United to axe its daily flight from Birmingham to New York’s Newark airport has left thousands of travellers seeking alternatives.
I have no doubt that United will offer you a transfer to its flights from Heathrow or Manchester to the US and onwards to Las Vegas. Unfortunately for United, you can invoke the European passengers’ rights rules that require the airline to find the closest possible match to your original schedule – and fly you from Birmingham, if that is what you’d prefer.
As you will have found, there are no other transatlantic services from Birmingham to which you can connect. The only one-change options I can see are on Swiss via Zurich, or using Flybe to Glasgow and changing to Thomas Cook Airlines – which would work depending on the days you are travelling out and back.
I suggest, however, that you tell your travel agent that you would be prepared to accept a non-stop flight from Heathrow on British Airways or from Manchester on Virgin Atlantic (with the bonus of not having to change en route, personally, I would be happy to pay the train or bus fare to either airport).
If your agent advises that only United from Heathrow or Manchester is possible, I would get picky about the routing. The most direct route is actually Heathrow-Chicago-Las Vegas, which is actually about 150 miles shorter than Birmingham-New York-Las Vegas. It also reduces the amount of time that you must spend on a US domestic flight, which I think is no bad thing.
If you have to go to Heathrow or Manchester, I think United should provide you with a taxi, and I believe the law does too. And the airline might want to consider offering a voucher for a couple of hundred dollars for a future trip.
Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder