Changing flights

[Nick Riviera]

My wife returned from Faro yesterday. She flew Monarch scheduled with my brother and his family whilst my parents were on an earlier Monarch charter flight. Having arrived at the airport in good time for the earlier flight they found out that the charter flight had plenty of spare seats and so asked whether they could be switched to the earlier flight and so all fly home together. They were told that this was not possible as the planes were operated by separate companies so they had to wait 5 hours for their own flight.

Now I appreciate that the flights are branded scheduled and chartered, but would it really have been that difficult to have switched the flights? They are both Monarch flights and I think calling them separate companies is stretching it a little too far.

Can anyone confirm whether my family were expecting too much, or could the company have tried a little harder?

[Scottie Dog]

I cann't give you a definative answer, but I know that the Monarch scheduled services operate under a Zb prefix and the charters as MON.

I suspect therefore that responsibility for the flights is taken by 2 seperate bodies. Monarch themselves control the inventory on the ZB flight, but a charterer (Tour operator) is responisble for the other service.

I recall flying from Manchester on the charter service and had been told by Avro reservations (a Monarch company) that it should be possible to change to another flight. When I got to the ticket desk I was told in no uncertain terms that this was not possible.

If you can remember back to the days of British Airtours, I am sure that you would not expect British Airways to accept a British Airtours ticket?! The same parent, but trading as seperate companies.

Regards

Scottie Dog

[Bealzebub]

Scottie has pretty much hit the nail on the head.

The charter flight is operated by Monarch airlines but is chartered to either one or more than one tour companies. This is much like you chartering a flight or a bus or even a taxi. You would have something to say if the operator said "oh by the way I have decided to pick up a few other fares to fill the plane/ bus/ car. In other words the contract exists only between the charterer and the operator.

A scheduled service ( plane or train or bus ) plies a route and offers direct contracts ( tickets) between individual customers and the operator.

It is not impossible that a block of seats on a scheduled flight may be chartered under separate contract or even that a block of seats on a charter flight be be avilable for individual sale but it is not usual in the circumstances you describe.

These different modes of operating ( scheduled and charter ) not only operate under different contractual arrangements but usually also operate under different regulatory rules. An airline may be allowed to operate a certain number of flights on a particular route and sell a certain number of seats. Charter arrangements are often not so restrictive under competition rules but would almost certainly preclude the sale of individual seats on an open market arrangement, if not otherwise under some form of tour or inclusive holiday agreement.

I am sure that if exceptional compassionate circumstances existed the airline and indeed the tour operator may well have bent over backwards to assist. This doesn't appear to be the case here, but I hope this explanation is of some assistance

[Nick Riviera]

Thanks for clearing that up guys. Appreciate your help.