An intra-Europe TUI flight made an interesting stop on another continent this weekend, which you don’t often see…
Continue reading: TUI 737 Stops In Tunisia To Drop Off Aircraft Part
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
At least they only spent 5h in the aircraft. On June 25, the first time I was flying with them (and the last) from Manchester to Cancun we spent 19h on the plane… worst experience ever and it was very poorly managed.
After 2-3h in the air, there was a medical emergency, so the flight got diverted to Shannon. We were supposed to continue from there, but finally the crew time out and the airline took the decision to fly us back to Manchester to replace the crew (after 3h on the tarmac in SNN). Then, we spent another 2.5 to 3h in Manchester (we were not allowed to disembark) before departing again to CUN, after more than 8h already in the plane. After the diversion was announced, they decided to offer us the afternoon tea (I didnt eat it as it was disgusting) that was supposed to be the second meal service; after that we only received the hot meal in the final flight to CUN, around 10 hours after initially boarding. Everybody was starving. We didn’t receive a second meal in that flight neither.
Overall a really unpleasant experience. Thank God that at least I was sitting in Premium Economy in the first row. I would have rather disembark in Manchester and fly the next day, but they did not give us that option.
Obviously no compensation as it was a medical emergency…
I disagree, Ben. They don't get credit for "saying" pax get EU compensation. They "said" it in a press release and it would be true whether or not they said so.
"Did an airline really proactively put out a statement saying that passengers are entitled to EU261 compensation?!? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before…" <-- it's also in EU261 that you MUST inform your passengers about their options when there is a delay.
I had a similar even occur on Amtrak of all places. A locomotive from a few days prior had had an accident with a vehicle and was unable to continue. Our train stopped to pick up the broken locomotive; it took well over two hours, and you can guess what compensation we were given. Absolutely nothing!
Which is effectively unenforced. The standard way to "inform customers" is to have a small footnote hidden on the website, and a sticker with small print at the check-in desk.
I'm not aware of any airline that actually tells it's customers "you have been delayed - fill out this form and we'll give you hundreds of Euros".
Given it's a level of customer service no other airline provides, yes, they do get credit.
Obviously it's true either way, but releasing that statement makes it more likely that people will claim it.
Well, I think we need to consider the customer base of TUIfly: They are almost exclusively carrying pax who booked package tours - mostly through TUItravel. In most jurisdictions package tours enjoy an extra level of consumer protection. So denying compensation would only shift the burden inside the TUI group to an entity which had no influence whatsoever.
Well, no. They are entitled to claim it - the airline didn't confirm or deny that they are entitled to it, just to claim it. I can claim that I am the president of the Gambia, but that doesn't make me one.
Would have been a case of EU261, maybe not the time for the medical emergency, but 3 hours at SNN waiting, then 3 hours in MAN, these are not caused by the medical issue, but that's operational...
Yes, of course it would have been cheaper. That's not rocket science.
But if you've got an aircraft stuck on the ground with up to 200 passengers, especially at a location with limited facilities, and potentially affecting the flights for many hundreds of passengers due to fly on subsequent flights by the unserviceable aircraft, a good airline doesn't spare the expense. This decision will have made good commercial sense, both financially and from an overall customer service perspective.
Yet in today's wokeness, if you claim you are the president of the Gambia, I am obliged to agree with you and address you as such. Which pronoun would you prefer I use to address you as such?
I disagree. It's not as simple as you claim. The whole problem would have been a direct consequence of the initial medical issue. But for that, the crew would not have gone out of hours and the additional diversion for crew replacement would not have been required.
Would not have been happy if I was on that flight. A huge inconvenience. Just saying you can claim the compensation does not mean you get it. You have to apply for it. It is not automatic.