Sorry!! it's an act of God

john-e-big-guns

Many airline travelers may not get their flight money back due to the volcanic dust cloud...and say its an act of God

I really don't understand this....the airline as your money they have'nt moved...not used any fuel.....

What if your an 'atheist' a none belever are you able to put in for a refund???????

Flasheart

Yep, as an Athiest I've always had a problem with that phrase. Too late to buy a ticket to find out I reckon though.
Act of Nature would be more to the point methinks

cjw

I think most (if not all) are refunding or offering option of rescheduling - believe they have to according to the Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trave ... ights.html.

According to the Tranding Standards Institute, passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the volcanic dust blown over to the UK from Iceland have the some rights under the Regulation 261/2004 Air Passenger Rights.

They are entitled to a refund or re-routing if the flight is cancelled or delayed by more than five hours; if re-routing is offered from an alternative location, the airline must cover the cost of transfers.

Passengers on flights delayed by more than two hours are also entitled to meals and refreshments, hotel accommodation if necessary, transport between airport and accommodation, two free telephone calls, faxes or emails.

In cases of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ like this, which are beyond the airlines’ control, consumers are not entitled to further compensation, the TSI said.

I know Easyjet are as my son is in Bulgaria due to fly back tomorrow midday and as the flights are cancelling they give those two options.

cjw

And his flight has just been cancelled for tomorrow. So have just rescheduled - to a week on Sunday as that is the earliest available now :roll:

Eau Rouge

john-e-big-guns wrote:

Many airline travelers may not get their flight money back due to the volcanic dust cloud...and say its an act of God

I really don't understand this....the airline as your money they have'nt moved...not used any fuel.....

What if your an 'atheist' a none belever are you able to put in for a refund???????

Claim you're insulted by the phrase and want extra compensation.

ilm_zero7

acts of God: you're entitled to re-ticketing or a refund but not consequential loss - ie your journey to the airport, or that mega deal you were flying out to sign


AKA Sod's Law

or as countless flights have been cancelled, maybe its mother earth joining in with the recent "earth hour" - with so few flights its only a matter of time before someone calculates the positive impact our our carbon footprint

guilliano

The volcano is acting on behalf of the Green Party! Annoyed at not being invited to the televised debates

Splottboy

Surely the Grey Party!

jimmcdonnell

Simon Calder, The Indy's travel writer, has just been on R4 and stated plainly that there is no Act of God or Force Majeure get-out for the airlines; his words "if you're travelling with a European carrier, then they are required to cover your care while you're stranded abroad" ie hotel etc. He said the only problem would be if there simply were no available hotel rooms, and expected there would be a lot of after the fact litigation from travellers who don't get or who aren't being appropriately looked after until the planes start again...

finchy

If you think we've got it bad when insurance companies refuse to pay out over acts of God, imagine how the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah felt.

mrushton

djbarren wrote:

My Dad had a trip organised to Washington DC for my mums 50th meant to leave from Belfast-Heathrow then to Washington. They have had to cancel the whole trip and needless to say they are gutted as they have been refused a refund for everything.

It'sb****x. The airlines cancelled the flight so your folks couldn't get to the US. The airline has to refund/reschedule the flight. Airline sites should tell you the policy. I was fling with Monarch and they offer the choice of refund or reschedule.If you can't get there why shouldn't you get refunded? Small claims court/class action may be the way forward. Check with eg money saving expert from Radio 2 and the travel writers in papers also forums like this. The airlines/insurers will pay but only if public pressure/bad pr makes them.

rick_chasey

mrushton wrote:

djbarren wrote:

My Dad had a trip organised to Washington DC for my mums 50th meant to leave from Belfast-Heathrow then to Washington. They have had to cancel the whole trip and needless to say they are gutted as they have been refused a refund for everything.

It'sb****x. The airlines cancelled the flight so your folks couldn't get to the US. The airline has to refund/reschedule the flight. Airline sites should tell you the policy. I was fling with Monarch and they offer the choice of refund or reschedule.If you can't get there why shouldn't you get refunded? Small claims court/class action may be the way forward. Check with eg money saving expert from Radio 2 and the travel writers in papers also forums like this. The airlines/insurers will pay but only if public pressure/bad pr makes them.

It's in the small print that natural disasters that unexpectedly and unavoidably cause flights to be cancelled is not the airline's fault, thus the airline shouldn't have to refund.

It's fair enough, otherwise it'd put half the airlines immediately out of business, which, in the long term, is not beneficial to the consumer.

After all, it's hardly the airline's fault that the air is so full of ash it strips the paintwork off the planes and ruins the engines.

SteveR_100Milers

Whilst I have sympathy with people who are stranded, I'm extremely concerned about the effects of a lengthy ban on flights in Europe on businesses - many businesses depend on it, already fresh food growers and distributors in Africa and S America are under serious threat of going out of business. I work in automotive, and if normal service isn't resumed within the next few days, then critical parts that are due to be be airfreighted will simply not get here in time. The potential lost revenue and the consequences to business are pretty serious.

nolf

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Whilst I have sympathy with people who are stranded, I'm extremely concerned about the effects of a lengthy ban on flights in Europe on businesses - many businesses depend on it, already fresh food growers and distributors in Africa and S America are under serious threat of going out of business. I work in automotive, and if normal service isn't resumed within the next few days, then critical parts that are due to be be airfreighted will simply not get here in time. The potential lost revenue and the consequences to business are pretty serious.

+1 Steve. I feel sorry for the airlines as well. They've got to pay wages and fixed costs, when they aren't doing anything. If this lasts long then they'll have real cash flow problems, with no new cash flowing into the business.

daviesee

john-e-big-guns wrote:

Many airline travelers may not get their flight money back due to the volcanic dust cloud...and say its an act of God

I really don't understand this....the airline as your money they have'nt moved...not used any fuel.....

What if your an 'atheist' a none belever are you able to put in for a refund???????

It's a punishment dealt out to all the non-believers

Sorry. Having been on the receiving side, you have to laugh. :oops: