Vent - flights and airline changed- no warning

[kcoulson]

Yes, a little vent in frustration. Arrived at the Manchester airport this morning after flights from Melbourne - to discover at checkin that the Brussels airlines flights we had booked 9 months ago, had been changed with no warning (no email) to later times on Lithuania airlines. The time change means we miss important events, and frustrating since we could have booked cheaper flights to take the later routes.

 

[serfty]

Not good.

You may be entitled to eu261/2004 compensation depending on the reason for the change.

How did you book it?

 

[kcoulson]

We booked directly with Brussels airlines.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Importantly is when the flight change was made. If it was made more than 2 weeks ago then the compensation levels under EU261 may not apply.

 

[serfty]

Importantly is when the flight change was made. If it was made more than 2 weeks ago then the compensation levels under EU261 may not apply.

Was Brussels airlines was able to inform of the change.

@kcoulson , were your correct contact details in the booking?

Do you know in restospect when the booked flight was acrtually canceled?

I presume your alternate flight arrived more than two hours later than originally scheduled.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Timing is important. If more than two weeks out, no compensation. But the passenger should have had the option to take a flight at the earliest opportunity (definition unclear, but 6 hours later might be ok), or a later flight, or a refund.

The timing of the flight cancellation should be in the PNR.

 

[serfty]

Timing is important.

Yes, but it's the time the passenger or their agent (if any) was informed of the cancellation that has relevance.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, but it's the time the passenger or their agent (if any) was informed of the cancellation that has relevance.

Yes, the OP should ask Brussels airlines to show evidence they informed when the cancellation message was sent. But these can easily go missing in spam etc.

 

[eric2011]

Is it just me, but from about a month out from any flight, cruise or train booking (in this case Amtrak) I am on the internet daily on the manage my booking section of any airlines website checking timings, seat allocations and any other changes which may have come into effect. Never in my life have I booked something 9 months ago and just turn up at the airport assuming nothing has changed.
Fairs fair I know they are responsible for informing you about changes to flights etc but we do need to take a bit of responsibility and do some basic checks ourselves

 

[kcoulson]

Yes, all contact details were correct. I received emails a week prior asking me to bid for upgrades (4 people and you had to bid for each section - Manchester to Brussels, and separately for Brussels to Stockholm). I had also logged in to my booking to check the luggage allowance, so there were no surprises. There was no email telling us of a change to Luthasania airlines, going via Germany.
PS the check in agent could tell that we weren’t happy to be missing events in Stockholm - and asked to weigh and label all our carry on. We got on the plane, and realised we were the only ones with labels on our carry on, showing we were compliant.
After arriving on Cathay Pacific business class flights from Melbourne - it was back to reality!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, all contact details were correct. I received emails a week prior asking me to bid for upgrades (4 people and you had to bid for each section - Manchester to Brussels, and separately for Brussels to Stockholm). I had also logged in to my booking to check the luggage allowance, so there were no surprises. There was no email telling us of a change to Luthasania airlines, going via Germany.
PS the check in agent could tell that we weren’t happy to be missing events in Stockholm - and asked to weigh and label all our carry on. We got on the plane, and realised we were the only ones with labels on our carry on, showing we were compliant.
After arriving on Cathay Pacific business class flights from Melbourne - it was back to reality!

So it sounds like this was on the day of departure (if you had checked your bookings etc and the original Lufthansa flights were still there).

In that case, you should write to Brussels Airlines requesting your compensation under EU261. Also, and receipts you have for food and beverages would also bee covered under duty of care provisions. It may be that there were extraordinary circumstances, however the airline will provide you an initial response and you can go from there.

The email to Brussels will be that your original flight MAN-BRU was cancelled, with a new flight on [xyz] giving you an arrival time in Stockholm [x] hours after originally scheduled.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What was the flight you were supposed to be on? And what date in the UK? I'm looking at MAN-BRU on SN and there were no morning cancellations any day this week - only the evening flight on Thursday UK time.

The flights listed to operate are a 0610, 1105, and 1745.

 

[kcoulson]

Sorry don’t have the exact details on me - but from looking at my diary it was Friday 29th June on a 10:55am flight. It appeared to be leaving (we were in the Brussels airline queue to checkin). We got to the counter and were told that our tickets had been ‘cancelled’, and to see customer service.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sorry don’t have the exact details on me - but from looking at my diary it was Friday 29th June on a 10:55am flight. It appeared to be leaving (we were in the Brussels airline queue to checkin). We got to the counter and were told that our tickets had been ‘cancelled’, and to see customer service.

Ok. Well in that case it is something more than a 'cancelled flight'.

According to flightaware the SN2174 flew as scheduled on 29 June. It had a scheduled departure time of 1105, so even if you were originally supposed to leave at 1055, that minor flight time change shouldn't have required notification, nor a reissue of the ticket.

Did you ask why the ticket was cancelled? A cancelled ticket - as opposed to a cancelled flight - would ordinarily make you ineligible for EU261 as that requires that you have a valid ticket.

Did you arrive late in to MAN or something? How was it ticketed? As part of the international connection from HKG? Or a separate ticket?

 

[kcoulson]

They didn’t give us any information about the change. No - stand alone ticket. Not late - arrived hours early, and was in the queue as soon as it opened.

 

[moa999]

Were others seemingly being shifted as well?

 

[serfty]

Seems more like denied boarding.

Article 4 covers that and basically gives the compensation as per Article 7. (Same as cancellation.)

EUR-Lex - 32004R0261 - EN

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Seems more like denied boarding.

Article 4 covers that and basically gives the compensation as per Article 7. (Same as cancellation.)

EUR-Lex - 32004R0261 - EN

I don't know Serfty.... a denied boarding requires a valid ticket. In this case the tickets were cancelled and pax were directed to the service desk. As this was Manchester it shouldn't be a case of English interpretation getting in the way - ie 'ticket cancelled' is fairly unambiguous. Overbooking wouldn't cancel the ticket.

What we don't know is why the tickets were cancelled... if that's in fact what happened. It's a shame the OP didn't ask why the tickets were cancelled or they were moved to a later flight.

The Op could pursue a claim for denied boarding, the response from Brussels Airlines will either give (a) compensation or (b) a reason why the tickets were not cancelled if no compensation is due.

 

[serfty]

I doubt the ticket was "cancelled", as they flew.

We would use the term rebooked - and that appears to be involuntary.

Nothing was cancelled.

As such they were denied boarding on the originally booked flight (refused check in).

.... We got to the counter and were told that our tickets had been ‘cancelled’, and to see customer service.

By claiming cancelled tickets, Brussels airlines are gambling there would be no EUR250 per PAX compensation claimed.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I doubt the ticket was "cancelled", as they flew.

We would use the term rebooked - and that appears to be involuntary.

Nothing was cancelled.

As such they were denied boarding on the originally booked flight (refused check in).


By claiming cancelled tickets, Brussels airlines are gambling there would be no EUR250 per PAX compensation claimed.

The ticket could have been cancelled (any one of a number of things including wrong day, payment failure, credit card used to purchase subsequently being reported lost or stolen), but reissued by the service desk. I guess I find it a little unusual in that the normal reaction to someone being told their ticket was cancelled would be to ask 'why?'. Without that piece of information it makes it difficult to know what exactly happened.

But given the ease of a 261 claim, the OP should write in. Nothing to lose. .