Flights - ex partner advice

[summersolstice43]

This is going to be long winded so I apologise now.

I booked a package holiday in August last year with a travel company, just me and my DD. Then Thomas Cook went under so I had to re-book the flights myself, at this time I was seeing someone and he suggested he'd come too with his own DD so I booked flights for the 4 of us on my credit card and he paid me back monthly. We then broke up but he decided he would still go with his DD as it was only the fight we were sharing and they are non refundable. He was going to book his own hotel which has never happened.

We are supposed to go in a few weeks, Ive had an email from the company I booked the flights with to say flights are going ahead and that if we cancel we wont get any money back as they are non refundable so I messaged him and asked for his passport details. He has now messaged me back saying he hasn't got his passports yet, spun a yarn about his problems etc and is basically saying he wants his money back. I've told him its non refundable and he paid me and I'd booked the flights so theres nothing I can do about it, he's expecting me to go through my own insurance which only covers me and my DD. The flight company are wanting all passport details otherwise they wont release the tickets so do I cancel his flights all together as he has no intention of going? Im worried he gets a solicitor to demand the money back from me even though he's the one not able to go and I've already paid for the flights which I've explained to him.

@MozzchopsThirty I cant print off the tickets until I've uploaded the passport numbers for the whole party so I need his passport details OR cancel his flights. Booked with Opodo flying with tui.

Update - so he's just messaged me to say his passport is on its way and his DD's will be soon too which is totally the opposite from what he said last night. Also, he's now saying he has insurance but didn't earlier today so he's stinging me a web of lies and making me wait longer as he knows I need to print my tickets. I've told him I need the passport numbers ASAP otherwise he's not going.

Cancel his flights and suck up the £60. It's worth paying that not to have him hanging round for a week at your resort and expecting free tour guiding and entertainment for his child.

Give him a deadline then. If you haven't received passport numbers by xxx then you will assume he can no longer use the flights and you will be cancelling at that point.

No wonder he’s your ex!

When are you going? I’d give him until one or two weeks before the holiday (but state the date) and say if not you’ll cancel and take him to small claims for the cancellation fee. Screenshot his messages with his ever changing story so you have a record if he tries to argue.

You need to know the actual final date to give passport information, from the travel company.

It’d be really unusual for them to not release your tickets - his will just automatically cancel when it’s too late to upload, or at least that’s what happened with flights I’d booked with an ex. My tickets were fine.

Legally, you want to protect yourself by making it clear to him when the cut off is, and what he needs to have done. I’m not confident that a random date would work, I’d use the date from the company, and tell him you need 24 hours before that to upload this details, so if he hasn’t got you the details by XX/XX, his tickets won’t be valid.

He seems the type to be an arsehole about this so you need to play it really straight.

I definitely see why he is your ex!

I think he's been an arsehole about the whole thing anyway, keeps changing his story every few minutes. Yes I think you can all see why I ended it now.

I was going to book the seats as I need to sit with my DD (shes 15 so could be seated away from me) but do you think with Covid they will try to get families next to eachother? I just don't want to fork out another £22 each to book seats especially if he ends up not going (I would have booked his seats furthest away from me).

I'm pretty sure because of covid they will put any group bookings together.

I don’t understand the hurry.

You’re going in a few weeks. So you don’t need to give passport details or get the tickets released yet do you? You can leave it till a few days before. Is the flight company saying you have to do it now?

The UK passport office is massively delayed at the moment and not saying how long passports are taking. We just got DD’s at the last minute having almost given up hope. So I have a bit of sympathy with his story tbh.

Do you have to go through Opodo? Is there no way to give the flight carrier your details directly?
If you cancel flights you do get the airport tax back. I take it Opodo are keeping that then?

@minipie it's the fact he said he had the passports then told me he didnt so I know theres no chance of them coming as he hasnt applied for them.
I've had an email from the flight company saying they need our details so thsts why I'm wanting to get it done sooner rather than later.

I cant go direct with the flight company as I didnt book with them, they told me to contact the company I booked with and refused to deal with me. I added my DD dob and tui said they'd refund the tax i paid but they've sent it to opodo and I'm struggling to get anything back from them.