Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Travel and Accommodation => Flights and Travel => Topic started by: alantj on September 12, 2008, 12:19:16 AM
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The BBC is reporting that XL is about to go into administration. It seems likely that flights will be suspended in the next few hours, although it is still flying and accepting bookings at the moment.
If you have flights booked it would be a good idea to start loking for alternatives, as the moment flights are suspended there will be a rush to find and book alternative flights.
Regards
Alan
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Confirmed this morning, everything has been grounded.
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The XL group also have several other subsidiaries, such as, spire Holidays Limited, Freedom Flights Limited, Freedom Flights (Aviation) Limited, so worth checking if your flights are handled through any of these companies, all are in administration.
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For how to proceed now that they are in administration - check http://www.xl.com/ - I was THAT close to booking flights with them..!! :o
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Another bit of bad news from their website - "Unfortunately, customers who booked either through xl.com or xl call centres are not ATOL protected. Consequently, you will be ineligible for a refund from ATOL in respect of your flight."
Not sure how this can be possible >:(- but for anybody who has booked direct - hopefully you have paid with your credit card and NOT debit card and therefore maybe able to claim direct from your credit card company... >:(
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If you booked through the XL website and paid by credit card, you ARE protected by the credit card company.
People who have booked with Onur should also check. Our daughter booked an Onur flight from Kalkan to UK at end of September. She was switched by Onur to an XL flight, without being informed, that flight now does not exist, so if you have Onur bookings, check that they are actually your carrier.
lantana
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My Sister had booked her flight for early october through xl.com with credit card and has been told this morning that she will get a full refund, claiming through the card company.
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I''m not sure who to thank, there was an earlier thread on the forum warning of excel financial difficulties. As a result of this warning I steered clear of booking through excel for our 2009 flights, even though in some cases it was the cheaper option. I think that really proves the value of this forum - thank you to all.
Tony
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B***ger - wish I''d been in Kalkan today & my flight home cancelled.....any excuse to stay that bit longer!!
Note to self - try booking with Credit Card with dodgy airlines 8)
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I was thinking exactly the same szimmer!
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Hi Lantana I too booked with aegean flights and my flight was changed to an xl flight by them on 6th october from dalaman to gatwick. I telephoned this morning and they informed me that i would be put on another flight and they will let me know sometime next week as they are dealing with more urgent business over the weekend. Hopefully it is so. Pauline
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Was booked with XL through Custom Flights and got a new flight for Monday for £240
They were great and I could not find cheaper flight - it''s with easyjet but beggars can''t be chppsers! I would recommend then 08700 626 000 and I spoke to Irena.
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I feel very sorry for the guys at XL and all those people waiting to see what will happen next, stranded, some not even set off!! and no chances of getting a holiday! stuck in Blighty, even the news have quoted that many more airlines will follow! in the next few months.
Not Thomas Cook though - yesterday flights for Dalaman early October were £850 for four today guess what £1900!! well B........ Me what a surprise.
A well Kalkan guess what its started raining again!!
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Interestingly, XL Germany & XL France are still trading & flying!
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thats because the Germans put towels on the runway..and the French do as they like anyway :D ;D
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I think we are seeing the move towards the big guys taking over and we will soon be at the mercy of Virgin B.A etc..........
My heart goes out to those people who didn''t know until arriving at the airport, only then to be told no holiday !! Even some of the XL employees'' only found out on the car radio on their way to work.
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I see that Willie Walsh of BA is saying that there is a fair chance that about another 30 Airlines are likely to go out of business in the next three to four months. I don''t know if he meant worldwide or more locally in Europe.
I think that at the end of this ''corporate culling period'', we will have seen the end of cheap air travel.
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B.A sold the Dalaman timetable to Easyjet last year ..
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Thats right BL.
BA actually sold GB Airways to Easy Jet. Easy Jet are already cutting back timetables by reducing the number of flights and even looking at pulling out of some less profitable routes.
Looks like BA, made the right financial decision with GB Airways.
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Thanks to Em
I too was looking to book with them for next year and decided to hold back to see what would happen. Glad I did
Joan
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they are now also asking for voluntary redundancys amongst managers and ground staff...think i''ll hang on a while before i book any flight to anywhere!! :o
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What we have to remember is the XL were a major player in the travel industry...third largest company in the UK, so it looks as though you''re not assured your holiday or flights no matter who you book with in these difficult times. We have to watch and wait now and see who goes to the all next. Shame on Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson who all saw fit to double the cost of the air fares for the next few weeks...I will never travel with any of them again as a point of principal.
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Kalkan4eva - a very bold statement to make about your future travel plans - you''ll be leaving yourself with a very limited choice going forward! Let''s hope Easyjet don''t go under.
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All the main airlines use automatic booking systems that price according to demand and the number of seatsavailable. So as soon as large numbers of people started looking for altenative flights the prices went up, if over the next few days demand goes down the prices will fall back. How far they come down will depend on how many, if any, seats are left.
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I know Kalkanfan.....I am probably limiting my ability to fly to Dalaman by declaring I will NEVER travel with the companies who appeared to be the worst offenders - the easyjet flights work off the same principal alantj states but theirs went up by £50, not double and in some cases more (this was particularly the case with flights from Dalaman for those stranded out there who purchased flight only with XL) it was profiteering on a grand scale.
Easyjet only go from Gatwick to Dalaman so we have to keep our fingers crossed that Onur, Turkish Airlines, Exclusive Escapes and the like can hold up over the credit crunch or we''ll be driving to Kalkan next year ;D ;D...or perhaps just to Gatwick as that would be nearer ;)
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perhaps if people are holding off booking and do so for long enough, prices willl come back down to a more reasonable level? we won''t be booking for a while till we see how things pan out..
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Kalkan4ever,
Depending on what airlines survive the winter, you might catch me heading in the opposite direction trying to avoid Easyjet. We always used BA for flights to Kalkan - excellent service and reasonable prices. Since Easyjet took over and introduced its usual basic service prices have rocketed (e.g Sept/Oct is around £450, or around £120 more than a BA flight to New york).
Regards
Alan
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Hi
We have flown with Easyjet twice this year to Dalaman and back. They were very good, if you don''t mind the non-allocation of seat initial push and shove!
Em
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Em
We travelled earlier this year to Kalkan with Easyjet (originally booked on BA), the service is ok, although not as good as BA, however prices do seem to have shot up. Last year we flew out for the Oct half term with BA for about £160 each this year its £500. Of course oil has gone up but even so!
Regards
Alan