Does your flight make you feel sick?

Today we have been dealing with one holidaymaker who has recently returned from his Package Holiday in the Caribbean. He tells us that when he got on the flight, everything was OK but shortly after take-off, he began to feel unwell.  He was suffering with breathing difficulties and nausea and could not sit or stand.  The crew and his family helped him to the back of the plane where he was laid on the floor next to where the crew sit and close to an exit.  At no stage was he offered any medical treatment and he remained on the floor for the whole flight.

When he arrived in England, he was given some oxygen and later treated by his GP.

Several issues come to mind:

1. Was his condition due to fumes or contaminated air on the aircraft?
2. Were others also ill on the flight?
3. Why was he laid on the floor at the back of the aircraft?
4. Why was he laid close to an emergency exit - and allowed to remain there when the aircraft was landing?
5. Why did the crew not administer medical attention?
6. Did the pilot enter what had happened in the 'Mandatory Occurrence Report'?

With these facts you would have thought that the Safety Regulation Group of the UK Civil Aviation Authority would be interested; apparently not!  They have told this holidaymaker that what happened to him is not in their remit! 

Time methinks for those to wake up and smell the coffee - this was a serious health issue on a UK aircraft and if does not fall within their remit, whose responsibility is it to investigate this incident?

This holidaymaker is being closely advised by us, particularly on aircraft safety and aerotoxic issues!

How to deal with 'risk destination' holiday complaints

The world is a complex and at times a troubled place! When we look at the gloss of a brochure, it suggests that we can get away from all the strife and trouble of our daily live's to an oasis of calm and tranquillity. The reality for some holidaymakers is that this is not the case and we have noticed in recent weeks that some holidaymakers contacting us, are concerned that they are being sold or sent to a holiday destination where there is civil strife!

The pattern is clear; whenever holidaymakers raise their concerns, they are told by tour operators that they are relying on Foreign Office advices and therefore it is safe to go.  However, holidaymakers also watch the news and when they see problems in Egypt or Tunisia or other countries, they begin to doubt the wisdom of travelling to these destinations!

It is not helped by the fact that these same holidaymakers also speak with other holidaymakers who share their experiences within the various travel forums.

A recent comment by Richard Branson, calling for the end of travel advisories where 'terror' exists, ignores one basic fact - holidaymakers do not want to expose themselves or their families to risk and they deserve to be informed so they can make a choice whether to travel or not.

It really is quite simple; selling or sending you to a 'risk destination' constitutes in my view, a significant change and this means you have rights under the Package Travel Regulations. If you are going to challenge a travel company on this basis, make sure you have gathered all the information that proves your point about risk and send that along with your complaint to your travel company!  If you get into difficulties, don't forget that you can always give us a call and we will guide you further!

You get what you pay for - is that right?

During the week I heard a story from one holidaymaker who booked what he thought was going to be a romantic holiday for him and his wife to Paris! Some would say you get what you pay for but surely that's only right when you have consciously chosen a particular product?

Yes, the dream of French Cafe living, walking along the River Seine, and visiting the Louvre and a great hotel  all turned sour for this one couple who:

1. Found that their 'cosy' Parisien hotel was not actually in Paris at all, but some distance outside the City;
2. The hotel was based in an outlying suburb of Paris and a good 40 minute ride on the train;
3. The hotel was dirty and its furnishings old and dated;
4. The adjacent buildings were pock-marked with bullet holes;
5. They could hear gunshot at night;
6. A look on Trip Advisor reveals the same experiences from other holidaymakers;
7. Other holidaymakers were warned not to walk at night in the area;
8. One holidaymaker reported that they had been mugged!

You can understand why this couple were upset, particularly when they confronted their 'travel company' who claimed that it was not their problem.

Quite frankly, this travel company should have found what I found - a little care by them would have delivered a memorable experience, instead all this couple can remember of Paris is the nightmare!

Paris is a wonderful destination and is full of great hotels and interesting places to visit, I should know, I have been there many times, but companies like the one that sold this holiday sully a hard-fought reputation!

For this couple, we have given them help in understanding their rights under the Package Travel Regulations and will be there for them if they have further problems with that travel company!

What do they mean I have a DIY Holiday?

I have noticed that some of the calls we are getting are from concerned UK holidaymakers, involve them being told that their holiday complaints are not covered by the Package Travel Regulations!  They are being advised of this by not only by the travel companies themselves, but also by solicitors who clearly do not understand the regulations and I would question whether they have actually heard of them!

This problem for UK and EU Consumers started back in 2005, when in a case before the Court of Appeal, there was an attempt to 'split' the package holiday into component products.  This attempt created problems for Consumers, because companies claimed that 'we are all travel agents now' as a result of the choices we make on the internet and therefore your rights are limited by your contract!

Buying a holiday off the internet is no different to going into a shop and choosing from a hard copy brochure; when you choose your holiday this way:

1. You choose the country you want to travel to;
2. You identify several resorts you want to visit until you make the final choice;
3. You then choose from several hotels;
4. You then flip to the back of the brochure to choose your departure airport and the times you want to fly;
5. You pay one price for this arrangement.

This is recognised as a package holiday!

What then is the difference between that way of booking your holiday and doing it online?

Apparently it's the terms and conditions! Companies think that they are free of their obligations under the Regulations by claiming they don't sell Package Holidays, but the government and the EU Commission think differently!

So if you find that your holiday complaints are being dealt with like this, read our full guide or give us a call; we would be happy to help you!

How to make a Holiday Complaint!

Sometimes we find that some holidaymakers are like a dog with a bone when making a holiday complaint whereas other holidaymakers feel unsure about taking that first step! Often it is the case that Consumers are not sure about making complaints for holidays; there is sometimes the view that holiday complaints are different and holidays are not like 'real' Consumer products!

I think the reason for this is that there is so much publicised on television or in the press about 'holidays from hell', that there is a risk sometimes of making holidaymakers look inadequate or stupid!  We will often hear from Consumers that they do not want to be like that person they saw on TV; they do not want to be seen as being a moaner!

Their views are not unjustified when the travel industry in the past has suggested that complaining holidaymakers should be black-listed and indeed we have spoken with holidaymakers who believe that making a complaint will prevent them from travelling again!

Let me reassure the reader; making a complaint will NOT stop you from going on holiday or taking a flight with the same airline again!  Making a complaint about a holiday is really no different to complaining about that poor service on your car or that faulty TV.

So the first step to take if you have a complaint is to make sure that you bring any complaints you have to the attention of the representative in resort or to their telephone helpline; you have to give your travel company the opportunity to put right what has gone wrong.

If you are on your way home, then make sure that you complete the customer 'satisfaction' form they give you on the aeroplane, listing your complaints.  When you get home, also make sure that you put your complaint in writing and try to do so within 28 days of your return.

We have written a more detailed article on making a holiday complaint which is published on our website.

So, don't suffer in silence - you paid a lot for that holiday - make sure you get compensation and recognition for your complaints!

Changes made to your Package Holiday and your rights!

This last few weeks we have received quite a few calls from concerned holidaymakers, telling us about the changes that travel companies are making to their holidays.  The majority of Consumers who are contacting us are due to take their holidays in August or September this year, but there are some holidaymakers who are about to go on holiday and are now faced with the problem of dealing with the problems created by their travel company!

Such complaints involve:

1. A change of flight time by several hours;
2. A change of airport - some to airports hundreds of miles from where they live;
3. A change of hotel or resort.

Many of our callers are at a loss on what to do, particularly when they are faced with a travel company that wants more money or are just simply ignoring requests to resolve the problem!

Whilst there are some travel companies that claim that they are not selling Package Holidays (and therefore you have limited rights), the majority of holidays will be Package Holidays and are covered by the Package Travel Regulations.

We have a dedicated page on our website that deals with these regulations and should be your first port of call whenever you find that you are having to deal with holiday complaints!

The changes I talk about are classed as 'significant changes' because they affect the operation and nature of your contract with your travel company.

Where changes are made to your holiday before departure, Regulations 12 & 13 apply:

1. If they make a change, they have to tell you and allow you to accept the changes or have a full refund;
2. If they make a change they also have to offer you an upgrade where it is available, a downgrade where it is available with the price difference being refunded or a refund - in some cases, you will also be entitled to compensation.

So if you find yourself caught up in the 'significant change' roundabout, then visit our page or call us and we will guide you further.