Big N

Update on my the absurdity of my departure flights from Gatwick and arrival flights into Heathrow: In response to being asked about a more sensible routing for our flights, my TA was offered flights to and from Birmingham to Rome at a supplement of £235 each, which - taking into account what we had already paid - would mean paying Cunard £868 (£434 each) for return flights to and from Rome! I have politely declined and now oragnised a private transfer from LHR to LGW on our return for £85. The lesson for me is, don't finalise your booking based on "London" being the flight departure and arrival point. On that basis, you could be leaving from Gatwick and coming back possibly to Luton or Stansted - both 72 miles away! That would make the 40 odd mile distance between my deparfture and arrival points on thios ocassion look positively acceptable!

Thank you for this. You have worked hard on this rog747 and I am very grateful. I have now been in touch with Cunard Flight Department and I’m waiting for a response. (I’m travelling back from Spain today so communication with them may be a little disjointed!)

Oh it gets better! I chased him to contact Cunard earlier this afternoon, only to get an out of office until 30th June! Apparently, colleagues will pick it up but I’ve now gone direct to Cunard. “Can’t be doing with this messing around!”

Thanks rog747 - perhaps Cunard could change us to that ? I’ll ask.

No - it never crossed my mind they would entertain it! I told my TA and made my displeasure known but he never replied! Perhaps I should ask him to check with Cunard and see if this is possible. (I won’t hold my breath but many thanks for the suggestion. Why didn’t I think of that?!)

I booked through a TA about three months ago, but at the time details of the flights were not available; just “London”. First the outbound flight with TUI from LGW appeared about three weeks later and then the inbound leg with BA to LHR about three weeks after that. Obviously, I understood that “London” meant some travelling for us in Warwickshire, and I duly booked a room at the Sofitel for the day before our 7:30am flight on 8th July from LGW, never dreaming Cunard would be returning us to a different airport some 40 miles away! Either Gatwick to Gatwick or Heathrow to Heathrow would have been fine; but one to the other is irritating to say the least and has caused some logistical problems, as one might imagine.

I'm sure they can/could, but why would they, given catering costs money and if you're too penny pinching to even fly your passengers back to the same airport they started from, you're certainly not going to pay for them to have some sort of light meal on board the aircraft?

This is for QV from and to “Rome” on 8th to 22nd July. I appreciate Poole Boy’s reasoning for the departure and arrival airports being different but I expect an organisation the size of Cunard to be able to organise these things rather better. There are a number of flights from Rome to Gatwick after 11:00am on 22nd July ( at least 15). I suspect the reason they have not been used is cost pure and simple. So, lesson learned for those of us who don’t live near London (I’m in Warwickshire) - never again; I’ll make my own flight arrangements next time.

.....and the outbound flight is from Gatwick (TUI) and the return flight is to Heathrow (BA). Thanks a bunch Cunard! So don't plan on using your car to get to and from the airport for the flights.