Emirates Holidays is causing confusion, as it announces a 25% cost increase for the honeymoon package. In particular, a tour operator is reacting to the cost increase, as the announcement is made one week after the booking is confirmed.
The Personal Holiday Advisor said he was told the return flight was no longer available, so his clients could either cancel with a full refund or pay £1,150 extra for a different flight. “Any other decent tour operator would have done, but Emirates just pointed to their T&Cs, which allow them to cancel. I think it’s not right, morally. There was plenty of money in that package, they could have taken the hit as a gesture of good will.”
The original cost of the two-centre honeymoon to Dubai and Bali was £4,500 for 10 nights, with a return flight to Manchester stopping in Singapore and Dubai.
Six days after the agent had received the booking confirmation, Emirates Holidays told him it couldn’t offer the return flight since it didn’t have a codeshare arrangement with the airline.
It offered the couple a faster, one-stop flight via Dubai with Emirates, but the agent said they couldn’t afford the extra £1,150.
For its part, Emirates Holidays said it was permitted to cancel the booking under its terms and conditions. It also told the agent that it was within ABTA’s ‘14 days rule’ since the change was made less than two weeks after submission of the invoice.
Following the agent’s complaint, Emirates Holidays did try to find the couple a more affordable itinerary, but the cheapest it could offer was still £900 more than the original price quoted. In the end, the agent secured a package with Hays Travel tour operator Vista, with flights operating via Jakarta and Dubai, for £5,142.
The agent said he was ‘really disappointed’ with Emirates Holidays. The problem is that they don’t seem to work with agents or support us.”
An Emirates Holidays spokesperson said: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our travel agents booking through the portal. Emirates has been in direct contact with the agent to resolve the issue.”
