Originally Posted by
DOBEYPETE
Michael O,Leary at Ryanair might be outspoken but his airline gives you what you pay for.
You are quite incorrect there. Standard operating procedure at Ryanair in these circumstances is indeed to cancel the flight. Passengers like yourself booked on it are offered either seats on the next available flight (which from a resort point in season may be more than a week away) or given their money back - and you would be stuck in Antalya.
In your case Thomson did not cancel the flight, did turn up, albeit substantially late, and transport you all home.
Yes you were late. On a range of operations over the years I have been much later. It happens. Snow, birdstrikes, aircraft struck by lightning ..... keep going.
I sat at the front of the coach near to the First Choice holiday rep. Because we had experienced a 5 hour delay on the flight to Antalya I asked the rep if our homeward flight was on time, she replied yes it was as scheduled for 23.15 departure & she did not know of any delays....... Now it seems to me that the First Choice rep I spoke to on the coach was either telling lies or genuinely did not have the info.
The transfer rep from the holiday company typically does not have this information. In a remote resort they are not all hooked up to airline information systems, and with passengers in your vehicle doubtless returning to a range of departure points on different aircraft and carriers, that detail does not get beyond the airport.
Unfortunately package tour passengers have long been viewed as " cattle class "
This comes as a surprise to those holiday airlines who each year invest many millions in their aircraft fleet and their whole operation. Yes, you do get what you pay for. Looking at the losses many operators are likely to make this year, passengers have actually got more than they have paid for.