Total Disbelief
Ok guy, i used to have a respect for monarch. as a travel agent, always though that they were a very reliable, well trusted company.
unfortunately today, that has all gone out of the window.
had some friends booked on AGP - MAN flight that was cancelled due to the closure of the airspace. OK, fair enough, not Monarch's fault. However once airspace opens, monarch puts out a flight schedule and at 8am this morning managed to book my friends on the ZB9661 flight back this evening. even checked on the manchester airport website which clearly showed 2 monarch flights departed (ZB660 & ZB9660), within about half hour of each other. preparing to go and collect my friends from manchester, when i recieved a call from my friend saying they were at malaga, and the check in staff knew nothing of this flight (ZB9661), and only had details for the ZB661. more checks and more checks (unfortunately i was away from my PC, so could do nothing straight away). Trying to call monarch is a nightmare, where it will not allow you through (even after answering your call with a recorded message at 10p per minute). eventually got in the queue where after 30 mins on hold my mobile died. Got home and straight onto the landline at just after 8pm, to be advised that they are now closed!
my friends are now at the mercy of the handling agents in malaga, who might - only might - be able to get them on a flight to LGW, but even that is not certain. and once at gatwick, it's gonna take longer to get from gatwick to halifax than the flight itself.
anyone from Monarch care to comment on why my friends were rebooked onto an imaginary flight?