To think we should cancel our holiday to Tunisia?

[googlenut]

So holiday booked to Sousse with Thomas Cooke. Member of the party include two 84 year olds and a child with autism. Not due to go to the end July but reckon we should just persuade TC to refund or reallocate to different country.

[FirstOfficerDouglasRichardson]

googlenut it's been explained to you, you clearly still aren't getting it.

Look TC are not profiting from this and neither should you.

[DustBunnyFarmer]

and neither should you

Very good point, FirstOfficer. Sounds to me like googlenut thinks she should get a free upgrade. Opportunism or what?

[DustBunnyFarmer]

As an addendum, if another £700 is too much ask them to find you another destination where the cost comes in at the same as your current Tunisian holiday. It may not be as shiny as Lanzarote, but maybe you'd stop feeling so aggrieved.

[NiceViper]

"I've just looked at Spains travel advice and that is on high threat for terrorism whereas Greece is on a general threat of terrorism confused"

It'll be the Moorish history (relevant to the idea of the Caliphate) plus it being the more popular route into Europe for people traffickers of all kinds.

[AssembleTheMinions]

I guarantee the tour operators will not be profiting from this situation. What a ridiculous thing to say. This will cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Tunisia is one of the cheapest destinations to travel to so of course everything else is more expensive.

As for giving you the hard sell to hurry you up to make up your mind, do you have any idea how many people are also trying to find alternative holidays?

I understand you are cross and disappointed, however a look at the bigger picture is needed here. 38 families have lost a loved one.

[Meanandlow]

Well put assemble

[AnyoneForTennis]

Yes well put

The op is being ridiculous here

[Pugthug]

What's wrong with Wales? Really looking forward to my holiday cottage on the beach now. I think people have become too complacent about getting cheap foreign holidays with hardly any thought about what is going on in these countries.

[googlenut]

I'm not seeking to profiteer - I would be happy if they would just refund and we wouldn't go anywhere. Remember I have two elderly people in the party and a child with autism. We can't just go anywhere and flight times are actually quite important. But TC are not refunding but happy to take extra money to go other places. Suddenly finding a large sum of money less than a month away from departure is not easy for many of us - but don't expect mums net to be sympathetic to that.

[LIZS]

All the more reason why you need to transfer asap, as finding suitable flights and accommodation will be trickier than for an average group. I would imagine that you had booked AI, but would self catering apartments perhaps be an option to keep the additional cost lower.

[sunshinerunner]

OP you aren't coming across particularly well given what has just happened in Tunisia....

Love the Foreign Office advice to all go to Cornwall !

[OttiliaVonBCup]

There's always Blackpool.

[AssembleTheMinions]

The position re refunds might very well change in the days and weeks to come. Right now the tour operators are concentrating on getting people back home and trying to rebook people who were due to travel in the next week or so.

You could as lisz says and try to downgrade to self catering. You could also change the date to later in the year when the prices might very well be cheaper and the availability is better.

[HeisenbergSaysHello]

I wouldn't go. My work colleague was due to go to Tunisia in 2 weeks, to a hotel just a 5 min walk from where this happened, her travel agent emailed saying if they still wished to go they could, but would strongly advise not to and will give them a straight swap for another holiday.

[Aermingers]

Well yes Thomas Cook are profiting if they won't offer refunds. So are the airlines. They are companies, they exist to make a profit. So if they refuse to refund anything they are making a profit. Perhaps they should return anything other than cost price of people can't afford a more expensive alternative?

Because they ARE profiting. They are harvesting money for fuel flights will never use, money for food they will never eat, paying for staff who will never get paid, cleaning that will never be done and drinks that will never be served.

And this is from a forum that a few weeks ago had a majority of people who were insisting Tunisa was absolutely safe. And a few still are. Who probably don't have holidays booked there but would willingly tell other people to go off there and put themselves at risk because it makes their politically correct posturing look good when it's actually somebody else's family who will be shot.

[BravingSpring]

TC are offering refunds to those traveling on the next couple of weeks and free transfers to those travelling up to the end of July, but if the new holiday costs more you pay the difference, I think that's reasonable.

We're due to go on 9th August, my only option at the moment is to cancel and lose 70% of my money. Waiting for the outcome of the Cobra meeting this afternoon, hopefully they'll extend the days, otherwise I'll have to suck it up and try to find a cheap UK holiday with the refund. Could be worse, we're alive, it's only money.

[AuntieStella]

I'm not at all sure they will be "profiting" from unused/unsold holidays in Tunisia. Because although the the contracts with suppliers may well favour the operator, I don't think all the risk/cost is carried by those suppliers.

And for things like flights, if the plane isn't flying, it's not making the money that covers its costs. So yes, they don't have to pay for the fuel they don't use, but they do have to pay for all the other expenses and do so with that aircraft out of service and not generating the break-even point, let alone profit.

Insurance for individuals, is likely to exclude terrorism. Is that the same for the types of insurance companies carry?

[BravingSpring]

I'm sure the cost of putting on extra flights to get people home early will soon wipe out any profits, plus the cost of sending those who choose not to cancel or change their holiday out on virtually empty planes.

They're also running helps until 10pm and opening stores today that are usually closed.

I don't work for TC honestly, but am following how they are handling this site to having a holiday booked myself and I can't fault them so far.

[googlenut]

Take a look at their Facebook page and see what people are saying before you book with them

[Only1scoop]

I'm not on FB but I hear for some reason TC has been getting a roasting. TC has been bringing passengers back from destination....not just their own but other operators passengers also.

The dedicated phone lines are assisting firstly customers due to travel within next month. If you booked holiday recently and can't receive full refund you will be offered alternatives.

If 'flight time is important' as you said Op ....are you meaning duration of flight as in a relatively short sectors? Are there still flights to the Balearics available? These flights also tend to be at nicer times of the day. Enfida departure time tend to be awful.

Have a look at what you could fit in within departure window if TFS is out of budget.

[Sallyingforth]

I disagree with anyone saying tour operators will be profiting over this.
They have block booked hotels that won't be used. They have had to charter aircraft at short notice specially to bring people home in a hurry. And thousands of potential customers will be reconsidering holiday plans.
I don't particularly feel sorry for them because it is a known risk of their business. But it's a bit unfair to accuse them of making profit out of a tragedy.

[sunshinerunner]

Totally agree Sallyingforth

[Sickoffrozen]

If you are thinking of rebooking, I would avoid Greece too. Looks like they may be bankrupt shortly.

[kelda]

It may be relevant to know that in Belgium, Thomas Cook are scrapping all holidays to Tunisia until the end of August, due to Foreign Office advice.

[butterfly133]

yes, I'm not claiming to be an expert but given how many costs they have to meet, I can't see how they are making a profit and I also thought they themselves weren't covered for terrrorism unless the FO says "don't travel at all".

as another poster said upthread, worth remembering our own terror alert is severe but there's no shortage of tourists in London.