Urgent help Cancun Mexico with TUI Beryl Hurricane

[Gilmoregirly]

We need urgent advice please. We are flying to Cancun in Mexico this Thursday landing at 2 p.m. local time. It is an all inclusive package holiday from TUI. I called TUI to cancel or switch to a different location today. They refused and said that they are monitoring the situation and that if it is a concern that they will contact us tomorrow or Wednesday. Since this is a natural disaster I am not sure why they are not allowing us to cancel. Could you please help by providing any ideas what we can do?

Accuweather say the impacts / warning for Cancun lasts until 1pm Friday local time.

I suspect your departure is delayed because the current guests can't depart on your plane on Thursday night due to expected weather and they don't want to plane to be in Mexico that night due to potential damage. As long as they can find crew for the flight out - not sure if using the planned crew 24 hours later is possible - the flight could well go on Friday. Each NOAA update puts the potential patch further south than the last so Cancun is not at risk of a direct hit.

They will stick to your planned return date as they will have other guests arriving for your room the day you are set to leave. They can't delay customers' departures for the whole summer because you were forced to travel later than planned.

by Friday hopefully the hurricane will quieten down and we are able to fly out as I don’t care about the refund, just want to be on holiday and the preparation that goes into the holiday

i don’t want to fly all the way to Mexico for few days I hope TUI will give us the option to add few days to the end if possible. At the end of the day when so many lives are at risk I am so glad TUI is being responsible and doing the right thing.

Problem is the hotels may be booked up I guess? I’d want a refund rather than going long haul for a few days if that was what it boils down to.

You should absolutely wait, not least because TUI will be insured for these things and if the storm comes in, they're obliged to move it with no cost to you.

I'm in cayman and Beryl on its way in the next few hours.

It’s changing all the holiday days that we’ve all booked off for work. Such a shame but not a lot Tui can do I guess. I’m going for 11 nights so if I loose 2 nights I still get 9 which ain’t bad and reimbursed for the 2 nights I loose

@Strokethefurrywall please stay safe. I hope it will not be too horrible and the hurricane will pass Cayman Islands soon.

I am currently in Mexico with TUI and our flight home has been cancelled. They are arranging for us to stay in our hotel as there is a curfew from 8 tomorrow.. we are right on the beach so I’m a little worried

Hope you and your family stay safe and that TUI make sure you are looked after

You need to check your T&Cs because this counts as a significant change to your package and therefore I ‘think’ (check your booking terms) you’re entitled to a full refund. I believe it is if your holiday is materially different and significant delays usually count. Again, don’t quote me but definitely read your booking terms. Agree I wouldn’t fly to Mexico for 5 nights, just rebook for next year instead.

I had a look and a change of flight time within 24 hours of departure is not considered a major change unless the change in flight time is more than 24 hours. At the moment we don't know what the change in flight time is but if it's more than 24 hours then yes we can change or get a refund. That's how I read it anyway

@Choux

As long as they can find crew for the flight out - not sure if using the planned crew 24 hours later is possible - the flight could well go on Friday.

Depends on scheduling agreements at TUI but it’s usually legally possible.

The bigger problem TUI will have will be having enough aircraft to clear any backlog.

I hope you are safe and TUI is in contact to keep you safe

It'll be reduced in duration, they can't add it on to the end but you'll be compensated for any days you're not there. You'll be able to choose not to go for a full refund too.

I hope you get some kind of holiday.

I've just had confirmation I’ve been rescheduled for tomorrow

@TeeR yes us too but I don’t this that is is possible as well. Given the predicted times of the hurricane.

I’m a bit sceptical myself.

@TeeR

You are right to be sceptical but I’ll offer this with the standard caveat that this might change:

At the moment the current forecast that I can access for the airport and it’s immediate surrounds runs up until just before midnight (Cancun time), as understand it just before the centre of the Hurricane makes landfall well to the south.

That forecast has the winds at the airport itself no greater than 30 mph, which isn’t even gale force and is on a par with what most would consider a very windy day the UK.

The critical thing for flights tomorrow (and I’m sure something TUI will be looking at) is what is in the next short term forecast when it gets issued later this PM. If the winds don’t get any stronger than strong breeze or gale at the airport that then I can see that flights might just operate, and I suspect that is why TUI are still keeping options for tomorrow open.

The bigger consideration for holidaymakers might well be the state of roads and other infrastructure in the AM and how easy it is to get people between the airport and resorts, and vice versa.

@Gilmoregirly I remember one year we were going to New York in 2012 a week after hurricaine sandy. they refused to cancel and gave the reason that it is only if the point of departure, ie UK was affected would cancellation be permitted. the place was still under water

@allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld I am very disappointed to hear this. I hope this would not be the case for us. Cancun remains in hurricane warning until early afternoon tomorrow. Also TUI didn’t give us the option for a refund. If it is given I would have liked to take it.

They haven’t given that option because the flight isn’t more than 24 hours delayed, it’s bang on 24. So if they delay again this evening then they’d have to offer refund.

@TeeR make sense. I think (and hope) that they will delay tomorrow as well. Aftermath of a hurricane is not nice and I have experienced this in Florida.

I don’t think they will unless the weather situation hasn’t improved