‘BA cancelled my flights and refuses to refund me — help'
There are few things more infuriating than robotic and irrelevant customer service replies and I think you would have had to wait a very long time to get a sensible response from BA. It told you that 'as with any large organisation, it can sometimes take time for us to fix problems, but nothing is forgotten'. After I sent details of your case it quickly contacted you to offer a refund of £491 for the extra flights you had to buy from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, and gave you an unusually generous £700 voucher because your experience didn't meet its 'usual standards'.
✉ I travelled to Jersey in May with my partner and her elderly mum. Our flights were booked with the Channel Islands airline Blue Islands. The trip itself was lovely but the return was chaotic. At 12.30pm on the day we were scheduled to fly home, we got a text saying our 4.40pm flight was cancelled. The next option was 6.25pm the following day and the flight didn't actually take off until after 10pm. The airline was unreachable and we racked up more than £400 in extra costs, including accommodation, car hire and parking, as well as missing out on our plans at home. To make matters worse, Blue Islands says it's not subject to UK/EU rules and won't compensate us. Can you help us recover our outlay?Jon Roberts
Blue Islands has had to remove 28 flights from its summer schedule because one of its aircraft was damaged and a new plane has been delayed; as a result there have been many cancellations and delays. But unfortunately you can't claim for your extra costs because, as the airline happily explains on its website: 'As Guernsey and Jersey are non-EU jurisdictions, are not within the UK, and Blue Islands is a non-EU/UK air carrier, EU261/2004 and UK261 does not apply to Blue Islands flights departing the Channel Islands.' So you'll have to get in touch with your travel insurance company to see if you can claw any money back. Blue Islands was contacted for comment.
✉ My late husband and I had always dreamt of visiting Barbados, and now I'd like to make the trip in his memory. I'm in my late seventies, in good health, and a fairly confident traveller, but I do feel a little anxious about going alone. I'd prefer to fly with Virgin Atlantic because we'd built up some air miles, and I'm working with a modest but reasonable budget. Ideally, I'd like to travel in February. Could you suggest a suitable itinerary or accommodation?Pauline Purnell
I'm sorry to hear about your husband and obviously this will be an emotional trip for you. I'd suggest you stay in one of the smaller boutique hotels on the island where staff will quickly get to know you and can arrange for you to be picked up from the airport as well as suggest excursions and activities. But you may have to rethink your travel dates: February isn't the ideal month if you're on a moderate budget because it's peak season and prices at beachfront hotels are eye-watering. Rates drop after Easter and the weather is still great. Try Little Arches, a relaxed and friendly ten-bedroom adults-only hotel next to a white sand beach on the south coast. It has a highly rated rooftop restaurant. A garden room costs £274 including B&B in mid-April (littlearches.com). If you weren't able to use your Virgin air miles and decided you'd rather book a package, a week's B&B plus flights would cost £2,496 in mid-April (kenwoodtravel.com).
✉ Next year, my wife and I will be flying to Rome for the Italy v England rugby international on March 7 and will then travel on to Paris for the France v England match on March 14. We'd like to take the train from Rome to Paris with a couple of two-night stops, possibly including Annecy, but are struggling to choose the best/most picturesque routes. Our budget for hotels is about £200 a night. Could you suggest an itinerary?Dave Toogood
Fingers crossed you'll be celebrating an England win as you hop on the train in Rome. One option with spectacular views would be to travel via Milan and Tirano to Chur on the famous narrow-gauge Bernina Express, one of the world's most scenic train rides (the route is Unesco listed). Stay at the Central Hotel Post, near the station and the cable car, where doubles start at £135 in March (hotelpostchur.ch). Then make your way to lakeside Annecy via Zurich and Geneva. Stay at Allobroges Park Hôtel, near the station and on the edge of the old town; room-only doubles start at £195 in March (allobroges.com). From Annecy it's about four hours to Paris and the first part of the journey is along the shore of the spectacular Lac du Bourget, north of Aix Les Bains.
✉ We're celebrating a milestone anniversary next year and would like to spend a week away in a villa with the kids and grandkids during the summer holidays. There will be eight adults and eight children, including three babies. None of us wants to have to rely on cars and therefore walking to a beach and shops would be ideal. A pool and not too long a flight would also be great and we have a budget of up to £15,000. Any ideas? Jeremy Lewis
Family-friendly Casa do Conde is a sunny eight-bedroom villa in underrated Galicia, northern Spain, which escapes the country's punishing summer heat. It will sleep your party of 16 easily (it also has three cots) and sits in lovely large gardens. There is a pool (with Roman steps), plus a swing and slide for your gang. A two-minute stroll will take you to the restaurants, shops and beach of O Grove, a pretty port town and an excellent spot for a seafood supper. In August next year, a seven-night self-catering stay will cost from £5,150, which will leave you a lot of leeway for flights (into Porto, Vigo or Santiago de Compostela) and car hire. Some of Galicia's best attractions, including the spa island of La Toja, are an easy drive away (vintagetravel.co.uk).
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