FlyBe: full price fares, low cost service
Discussion
Back in January I battled with FlyBe's truly amateurish website and managed to book a cheapest Economy day-return flight from Birmingham to Aberdeen for a business trip later this year.
A few weeks later I received an e-mail stating that the flight times had been changed: outbound more than 2 hours earlier; return more than 2 hours later. As I was in India at the time, I left the message unanswered until I got home and had a chance to look into it. Meanwhile I got another e-mail, telling me that a full refund would only be payable on condition that the flights were more than 2 hours either side of the original timings, so I was all right on that score and decided to cancel.
When I got home I responded to the e-mail by clicking on the option confirming that the changes were Not Acceptable. The automated response e-mail stated that FlyBe would contact me to resolve the issue one way or the other.
A whole month has since passed and FlyBe has contacted me neither by phone, nor by e-mail. Consequently I today logged on to Manage My Booking and was advised to call a phone number. The first couple of times this was engaged and the third time I got through only to a join a queue. The recorded message repeatedly told me that I was paying 10 pence per minute for the pleasure of being on hold. I duly hung up after 8 minutes (80 pence) without an answer.
I have since checked their alternative proposed flights and can actually book them for 50 quid less than I paid originally! I can also travel on more convenient timings with British Airways from Heathrow or London City for much the same as the original FlyBe price, which will presumably include check-in luggage and the service of a snack and drink each way.
So what's the point of an organisation like FlyBe? I don't have too much beef about EasyJet or Ryanair when I'm paying peanuts, but if I'm paying flag carrier fares, I at least expect a bit of service in return.
A few weeks later I received an e-mail stating that the flight times had been changed: outbound more than 2 hours earlier; return more than 2 hours later. As I was in India at the time, I left the message unanswered until I got home and had a chance to look into it. Meanwhile I got another e-mail, telling me that a full refund would only be payable on condition that the flights were more than 2 hours either side of the original timings, so I was all right on that score and decided to cancel.
When I got home I responded to the e-mail by clicking on the option confirming that the changes were Not Acceptable. The automated response e-mail stated that FlyBe would contact me to resolve the issue one way or the other.
A whole month has since passed and FlyBe has contacted me neither by phone, nor by e-mail. Consequently I today logged on to Manage My Booking and was advised to call a phone number. The first couple of times this was engaged and the third time I got through only to a join a queue. The recorded message repeatedly told me that I was paying 10 pence per minute for the pleasure of being on hold. I duly hung up after 8 minutes (80 pence) without an answer.
I have since checked their alternative proposed flights and can actually book them for 50 quid less than I paid originally! I can also travel on more convenient timings with British Airways from Heathrow or London City for much the same as the original FlyBe price, which will presumably include check-in luggage and the service of a snack and drink each way.
So what's the point of an organisation like FlyBe? I don't have too much beef about EasyJet or Ryanair when I'm paying peanuts, but if I'm paying flag carrier fares, I at least expect a bit of service in return.
FIRST UPDATE
After posting on here I tried to phone FlyBe's Refunds Dept at Exeter HQ later on Tuesday. Once again it was just a recorded message telling me to ring back another time. Therefore I sent an e-mail to the Refunds Dept to clearly explain the situation and claim my full repayment. Straightaway I got an automatic reply e-mail saying that they would respond to my e-mail within 28 days.
28 days just to respond! What if I had intended to travel within 28 days? That's not even a promise of resolution within 28 days.
Surely this is a matter of a few minutes work? They have changed each flight by more than their self-confessed allowable 2 hours, so a full refund should be simple, shouldn't it? Notwithstanding the fact that they have been sitting on my money for 2 months already.
Because of FlyBe I need to make alternative arrangements, but I want to make sure my refund is coming before I fork out on another ticket with a different airline. Maddening.
After posting on here I tried to phone FlyBe's Refunds Dept at Exeter HQ later on Tuesday. Once again it was just a recorded message telling me to ring back another time. Therefore I sent an e-mail to the Refunds Dept to clearly explain the situation and claim my full repayment. Straightaway I got an automatic reply e-mail saying that they would respond to my e-mail within 28 days.
28 days just to respond! What if I had intended to travel within 28 days? That's not even a promise of resolution within 28 days.
Surely this is a matter of a few minutes work? They have changed each flight by more than their self-confessed allowable 2 hours, so a full refund should be simple, shouldn't it? Notwithstanding the fact that they have been sitting on my money for 2 months already.
Because of FlyBe I need to make alternative arrangements, but I want to make sure my refund is coming before I fork out on another ticket with a different airline. Maddening.
They're certainly struggling at the moment. There are a reasonable number of redundancies in the pipeline both from front line and office staff.
I don't fully understand their issues; their staff certainly aren't overpaid and their aircraft should, in theory, be amongst the cheapest to run, yet their fares don't reflect this. I hear murmurings that they are affected more than most by APD due to most of their routes starting and ending in the UK.
They're often hit by a double whammy whereas Easy and Ryan only pay once per sector on their predominantly international routes.
Whatever the reasons, it doesn't seem that they're getting it right.
I don't fully understand their issues; their staff certainly aren't overpaid and their aircraft should, in theory, be amongst the cheapest to run, yet their fares don't reflect this. I hear murmurings that they are affected more than most by APD due to most of their routes starting and ending in the UK.
They're often hit by a double whammy whereas Easy and Ryan only pay once per sector on their predominantly international routes.
Whatever the reasons, it doesn't seem that they're getting it right.
SECOND UPDATE
2 weeks on and I have still not received any response whatsover from anyone at FlyBe to my refund application. Let's hope they somehow manage to fit me in to their oh-so-busy schedule within the next 14 days. I wish my customers would allow me 28 days to respond to their simple requests, but sadly I live in the real world.
2 weeks on and I have still not received any response whatsover from anyone at FlyBe to my refund application. Let's hope they somehow manage to fit me in to their oh-so-busy schedule within the next 14 days. I wish my customers would allow me 28 days to respond to their simple requests, but sadly I live in the real world.
I gave up on FlyBe after they refused to discuss a refund on a Birmingham-Edinburgh flight that I couldn't catch because my connecting flight couldn't get off the ground.
Now, that wasn't their fault but I called them from abroad and gave 24 hours notice so they had a chance to resell the seats, and I would have been happy with even a partial credit against future tickets but they just weren't interested.
At one point I was flying Edinburgh-Birmingham with them pretty much every week but haven't used them since.
Now, that wasn't their fault but I called them from abroad and gave 24 hours notice so they had a chance to resell the seats, and I would have been happy with even a partial credit against future tickets but they just weren't interested.
At one point I was flying Edinburgh-Birmingham with them pretty much every week but haven't used them since.
Used to use them a lot - my favourite carrier to get down to Portugal.
But they did a 'simplification' of their fare structure and bunged a load of stuff which you could add quite cheaply as individual extras into a 'package' of extras, which cost a lot more and gave me a load of stuff I didn't need.
But they did a 'simplification' of their fare structure and bunged a load of stuff which you could add quite cheaply as individual extras into a 'package' of extras, which cost a lot more and gave me a load of stuff I didn't need.
THIRD (AND FINAL?) UPDATE
Another week passed without response, making a total of 7 weeks since I declined FlyBe's flight schedule amendments.
Yesterday another potential business trip arose, which would require myself and a colleague booking a return flight on a sector that only FlyBe operates. On this occasion our corporate Travel Agent made the booking enquiry on our behalf.
Coincidentally, within 1 hour of the Travel Agent getting a quotation from FlyBe and passing this on to me for approval, I suddenly received an e-mail from FlyBe informing me that my refund application has now been accepted and that I will be reimbursed in full within 3 - 5 working days.
Anyway I then went ahead and re-booked the original trip from Heathrow with BA, where I will be able to use the Executive Club lounges etc.
Despite the eventual resolution of the whole saga, FlyBe's customer service has still left an unnecessary sour taste in my mouth. Not to be commended.
Another week passed without response, making a total of 7 weeks since I declined FlyBe's flight schedule amendments.
Yesterday another potential business trip arose, which would require myself and a colleague booking a return flight on a sector that only FlyBe operates. On this occasion our corporate Travel Agent made the booking enquiry on our behalf.
Coincidentally, within 1 hour of the Travel Agent getting a quotation from FlyBe and passing this on to me for approval, I suddenly received an e-mail from FlyBe informing me that my refund application has now been accepted and that I will be reimbursed in full within 3 - 5 working days.
Anyway I then went ahead and re-booked the original trip from Heathrow with BA, where I will be able to use the Executive Club lounges etc.
Despite the eventual resolution of the whole saga, FlyBe's customer service has still left an unnecessary sour taste in my mouth. Not to be commended.
I used them twice a week for 2 years..... Prices went through the roof compared to where they had been in 2009 and the services got more and more expensive (I.e. checked luggage).
Gave up eventually and flew T5 to Edinburgh with BA who gave you 4 times the baggage ( and didn't squabble over 2 kg's) a newspaper and a free drink and snack onboard......... Oh and are cheaper!!!
Gave up eventually and flew T5 to Edinburgh with BA who gave you 4 times the baggage ( and didn't squabble over 2 kg's) a newspaper and a free drink and snack onboard......... Oh and are cheaper!!!
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