To not understand why travel companies are taking flight bookings?

[HomerSimpsonsDonut]

Sorry this is mega trivial but I'm confused and need a rant.

I have a holiday booked to an amber list country, to depart on the 14th August (the holiday was booked last February, pre-covid. Moved from last August to this August).

The flights are booked with TUI. We do not find out the holiday is 100% confirmed until a few days before we are due to depart. I'm confused because other airlines are currently travelling to this destination, not sure why TUI aren't flying there.

Anyway I have had a look on Skyscanner on my lunch, and TUI are still taking bookings for flights, on the day we are due to go? Despite the uncertainty of holidays being cancelled at the last minute. Does it not seem a bit cruel of the airlines to be taking people's money and getting their hopes up, even though they are likely going to cancel?

I hope this all makes sense. I am currently feeling very annoyed about the situation and want to know if I I being unreasonable with wondering why airlines are still taking bookings for holidays that are probably not going to happen?

FWIW I wouldn't have booked a holiday this year, only going as rearranged from last year.

Thanks all.

@TinaYouFatLard

The travel companies are in the shortest of circumstances. They can’t just furlough everyone and shut down. They need staff to deal with the incessant cancellations and rebookings - those staff and other overheads need to be paid. The money has to keep moving through the account or else they’ll fold.

This! My job is to deal with refunds, rebookings and cancellations. We have been busy throughout the pandemic and none of us have been furloughed.

They don't want to cancel - Tui will give you a full refund if they do so not in their interest at all. They just have to make you aware I guess that things are still changing beyond their control.

[quote HomerSimpsonsDonut]@Clymene to air of the side of caution? I'm not sure. Just not feeling hopeful as it has already been cancelled once.[/quote]
If they don’t take bookings, they are likely to go bust. If they take bookings and then can fly, they will probably be ok. If they take bookings and have to refund again, they might go bust.

Their most logical choice is to keep taking bookings and hope flights can go.

We're in a similar position to you, holiday booked in 2019 for 2020, moved to 2021, amber list country.

However we are hoping it gets cancelled. The test you need to take before flying home is too much of a risk. I'm starting a new job the Monday after the holiday so can't get stranded abroad. We're both double jabbed and have already had the virus, so I'm not worried about catching it. I'm worried about getting a false positive, it would be just my luck. 🤦🏻‍♀️

People who wfh may be happy(ish) to isolate at home.

They run X amount of flights to your particular destination on that particular day based on how much demand they get in the run up to the departure date. To judge that, they need to keep the booking system open.

They won’t just ‘find a reason’ to cancel your flights. There will be a logistical or administrative or even political reason for it, but if the flight is nearly full, chances are that plane is leaving as scheduled.

Many people don’t travel for holidays. I have 15 flights booked between July and August. I am not going on 15 holidays.

I’ve had some flights cancelled throughout this past year, and there might be more, but they’ve never failed to rebook me on the most similar, closest available flight. This is why I only book with airlines which operate multiple flights a day/week to my destination, who also have a presence in the surrounding airports, and are part of an alliance as a bonus. Every time a flight was cancelled, I’ve been suggested an almost identical alternative within 24h.

They must, by law, offer you a suitable alternative or provide you with a full refund. They will also almost always decide if they’re cancelling a flight or not 14 days before departure by the latest.

When does your flight leave? Are they running the exact same schedule this month? What is the airline’s alternative provision atm vs what’s available for booking on your dates? That’s how you can determine how much of a chance there is for your flights to not be cancelled.

@Ellmau

People who wfh may be happy(ish) to isolate at home.

Luckily I can isolate at home. Although I know a lot of people aren't able to.

@Squirrelblanket sorry to hear you're in a similar position it's rubbish isn't it. Holidays are supposed to be exciting but they're nothing but stress now.

They don't have to refund in cash so it's better for them to take money now and have to issue vouchers if the flights get cancelled.
Do you think they would only open bookings for flights in the next couple of days? That would be totally unsustainable!

@CloseYourEyesAndSee I get what you mean. It is just frustrating not knowing what is happening!

It is none of the travel company's business what your home life is like. Whether you can manage self-isolation when you return, be it in a hotel or at home.

If you or anyone else chooses to book a holiday, the pandemic and the amber/red/green system has been in place for months (should have been 18, but even so, for a while now). So the risk is known.

@newnortherner111 this holiday was booked before covid 19 was even a known thing (last February).
Or it may have been known but none of us realised the seriousness of it at that point.

TUI have cancelled my flights to an amber country twice this year. Both times I was due to fly from a small airport near my home. Both times they were continuing to fly from a large airport about 250 miles away. The logistics of using this airport defeated me, and my holiday was cancelled.

Like you, my holiday was carried over from last year.

I think they cancelled because they didn't have enough bookings ( it was when you had to isolate for ten days after returning).

It's a pain, but I don't blame the company ( they can hardly fly at a loss), and I certainly don't want them to go under with the loss of jobs that would entail.

@user1471453601 I'm so sorry to hear about your holiday. It's awful isn't it, getting excited to go away then having it cancelled. I agree with you - I don't blame the company and I wouldnt want people to lose jobs. It is just very frustrating, especially when money is tied up in it (we booked directly with the hotel, so we can't get a refund).

@HomerSimpsonsDonut, fortunately for me,I booked with a small family run company where I know the owners personally. Their policy is, if your cancellation is covid related, you can have a refund or use any money paid for any other holiday where they have vacancies.

So far, I've cancelled on them three times. I've now got a holiday booked and paid for in September and one half paid for next May. The company are suffering too, but they are still holding on to that promise. I worry about them maybe going bust over this. They have a very loyal following, but if we cannot get their, we can't help them out.