Comtel Air

[airsound]

Anyone hearing anything about a 757 belonging to Comtel Air of Vienna stuck at BHX because of lack of fuel?

It is apparently a charter (to Amritsar), and the aircraft seems to be the only charter-size one the company has - leased from Mint Airways based in Madrid, according to Wiki.

airsound

[airsound]

Thanks Wingo. I obviously had the story a-about-face. As far as I can see, though, it's still not clear from the Mail's story that they've arrived back at BHX. I guess that can probably be inferred.

I see from a similar story in Huffington Post UK
Comtel Air Passengers Forced To Stump Up £20,000 To Get Home (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/11/16/comtel-air-flights-20k-whip-round-india-birmingham_n_1096904.html)
that there is supposed to be still one more Comtel Air flight on the tarmac in Vienna which is "delayed indefinitely."I'm not sure how that can be if the airline has only one 757-size aircraft.

Anyone?

airsound

[MikeAlphaTangoTango]

Just been on Channel 4 news - a figure of £130 / adult was mentioned. Not the way a safe, professional airline is run imho.

[M.Mouse]

This evening's news showed the, now home, passengers crowding in the Takhar Travel, in Smethwick, where they bought their tickets. The owner had 'gone away' and the staff eventually had to call the police.

The TV station managed to speak with a Comtel director Bhunpinder Kandra in Austria. He was adamant that the money due to Comtel had not been paid by the travel agent and they had no alternative but to ask the passengers for petrol money.

Edited for typo.

[kms901]

One bent Asian business screwing another bent Asian business over a bunch of Asians wanting a cheap deal. Why is anyone either surprised or bothered ?

[RoyHudd]

Quite so. Rotten to the core.

[crewmeal]

It's being covered in the BHX thread

[Al Fakhem]

According to their own fleet information, Comtel have only (a) Falcon 2000. The equipment for their flights to and from Amritsar must be chartered.

[airsound]

ComTel wetlease three(?) 757s from Mint Airways, Madrid.

Bhunpindra Kandra describes himself as Director of ComTel's Scheduled Services, but they don't seem to have any of those. These flights are charters - and at least one pax stranded in Amritsar has said he was refused permission to buy a single return flight "because he was booked on a charter flight"

The flights were sold by Takhar Travel in Smethwick who don't seem to be ATOL holders, but the deal also involved SkyJet in Surbiton, who are.

BBC Radio WM have been leading this story, but this evening it'll lead BBC Mids Today and Central Tonight.

airsound

[TSR2]

Perhaps I am missing something here but should it not have been the responsibility of MINT AIRWAYS to sort the finances out for the fuel with Comtel Air. I feel there is more to this sad story than has been reported.

[Evanelpus]

One bent Asian business screwing another bent Asian business over a bunch of Asians wanting a cheap deal. Why is anyone either surprised or bothered ?

The perfect summary of the situation.

[spentaylor]

Mint it seems have ceased flying for Comtel due to "unresolved financial issues" :ugh:

BBC News - Comtel Air cancels Amritsar to Birmingham flights (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-15775920)

[WHBM]

"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said passengers who booked their Comtel flight as part of a travel package would be protected by the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Atol) scheme run by the CAA in the UK.
Customers who booked flight-only deals would not automatically be covered though, it said."

I wonder how the CAA manages to not realise this wasn't a package holiday arrangement to hotels in the Mediterranean at all, but was a charter flight to/from India, not involving overall travel packages.

If they would say they are going through all the licences and everything else of Comtel, and Takhar Travel, and Skyjet of Surbiton, and Mint Airways, and any other Uncle Tom Cobbley who managed to get involved in this nonsense, then it would look like there was some action happening. But we won't hold our breath .....

[Captain Caveman]

One bent Asian business screwing another bent Asian business over a bunch of Asians wanting a cheap deal. Why is anyone either surprised or bothered ?

I love this! Not only does it sum up this thread, but the pervious (at least 8 I could count) operators, well call them operators -Travel agents that thought starting flights from BHX to ATQ based on that days cash takings is a good way to do business ! When will these people learn, cash runs dry very quickly in aviation!

[Skylark58]

Passengers made to have a whip round for fuel? Has anyone told Michael O'Leary?

[ATNotts]

kms901:

I take it you would have the same cavalier attitude if it had been "one bent British business screwing another bent british business over a bunch of hard working english families looking for a cheap deal to Tenerife!!"

Still, I suppose it can all be settled by a handshake at the end of the match!!

With absolutely no apologies from me for this posting.

[OltonPete]

I was listening to one of the passengers on the radio tonight describing how somebody went around the cabin with a carrier bag with pax slinging money into it before it was taken into the cockpit for the captain to count it. The crew got to £22000 and stopped and said that will do.

The radio presenter had to apologise to the passenger for laughing as he simply could not believe what he was hearing.

Quite amazing.

I wonder how many operators all told have been used on BHX-XXX-ATQ, at least Turkmenistan seem to go about their business in an orderly fashion.

Pete

[WHBM]

I wonder what the cost of fuel is in Vienna for a 757 for a one-way sector to Birmingham. Somehow I think there might be some change from £22k (well over £100 per passenger, just for fuel ????). Where did that go ?

[CityFlyer]

Three other points:

1) Fuel was booked for one aircraft and they sent two. The first flight got out of Vienna OK.

2) They uplifted more fuel than they had booked.

3) They did try to pay in advance, but on a U.S. holiday, so they had to wait (management and pax), over a weekend, for the transaction to clear before they could refuel.