AIBU to want to sell this flight on

[BG2015]

DS (16) had a holiday booked with his girlfriend (together for 12months) and her family. Two large villas accommodating 20 of them for 2 weeks.

I paid for it (£300 flight, £400 villa) against my better judgement and last week he finished with her. She's a lovely girl, nice family and I'm very sorry that they have split but he's decided he doesn't want a girlfriend. It wasn't an easy decision for him.

I've suggested to her mum that they try and find a friend to go on the holiday and give me a token amount towards the holiday, I don't expect the full £700 as it's short notice - they go in 5 weeks.

Mum has said gf doesn't want to take anyone, she's heartbroken and needs time to get her head around their breakup. She says if my DS changes his mind the holiday is still there. He doesn't want to go and I've communicated this to them a number of times.

I have now suggested that they give me the flight details so that I can at least sell the flight on but they are holding out on me. I'm truly sorry that my son has let her and them down and I understand that the villa money is gone but am I wrong to want to recoup at least something.

I have also thought that they could take anyone on this holiday now for free (bar a ticket name change) and I would never know.

This is your son's fault, no one else's

Yes you would be entitled to claim the tax back from the unused flight.

However, the airline will only accept a claim from the lead name on the booking and will only refund to the card used for payment. ☹️ ex travel agent

I agree that your son needs to repay you the money. Life lesson for him.

Admin fees for changing name of flight is usually very high, try and do it online, you may be lucky

Did you book the flight or did you give them the money and they booked it? If it's the latter, and it sounds like it is, then I think you are out of luck here. Expensive lesson for both you and your son unfortunately.

Why don’t you just be a kind person, towards someone who’s just been dumped. Your last post makes you sound like a dick.

People split up all the time, but you could at least have empathy. And in the future don’t pay for young peoples holidays when it’s highly unlikely they’re mature enough to even be going on holiday with a partner.

Oh and stop haranguing them.
And go look up empathy in the dictionary.

I don’t think you can really expect them to take another friend - she really might not want to. But I think they are unreasonable not to let you at least try to sell the flight on, assuming it wouldn’t inconvenience them.

Agree that it was a big risk spending that kind of money on a holiday for a 16yo going with his girlfriend - teenage relationships are notoriously unstable!