TUI Belgium apologises to travellers for incorrect information and will quickly rectify the situation with all concerned

In response to the confusion over the last few days about reservations from customers who had planned to fly this summer, TUI would like to explain what went wrong and what it is doing to rectify things quickly.

After the announcement by the National Security Council last Wednesday of the reopening of European borders, TUI was able to draw up a realistic flight plan for the high season (July-August) and guarantee European travel on this basis. Since 3 months of reservations were lost, TUI was forced to reduce the initial flight programme until there would be a concrete demand. TUI wishing to continue to offer its different destinations as widely as possible, it was decided to reduce frequencies on a series of existing destinations. The travellers concerned were informed of this recently by e-mail.

This had to be done quickly because customers rightly wanted more information on the actual impact on their booking. The operation, which normally takes months to prepare, had to be set up in a few days.

An error in the use of automatic processes caused the cancellation of the records of a number of clients. They could see that their flight was maintained on the website but at a higher price. The high demand and the occupancy of the flight caused a normal rise in prices while customers who had booked earlier had obtained a better price. This unjustified cancellation is currently being rectified for the travellers concerned.

TUI’s intention has never been to charge more for a trip whose departure or return date would be modified against the client’s wishes. The fact that this has been communicated to some holidaymakers is a deplorable mistake that should not have happened.

In recent days, an unprecedented number of travellers have attempted to contact TUI customer service for information. This caused an extremely long and frustrating wait time. To remedy this, TUI takes the initiative to proactively call customers and will proceed according to departure dates. Holidaymakers who leave in early July will be contacted individually in the coming days. Travellers departing later in the season will be contacted as soon as possible thereafter.

TUI will offer the most flexible solution to each traveller. Respect for the initial price of the reservation is an important point. The traveller can, in any case, leave for the same price if the new departure date falls a maximum of 3 days before or after the initial date.

TUI acknowledges having underestimated the situation and will do everything in its power to satisfy its holidaymakers. The company apologises to customers for the bad communication of the past few days and guarantees a rectification for the travellers concerned.

The flight plan adapted for the period from September will be implemented by the end of June. For the moment, all flights can be booked subject to a possible modification of the flight plan.

June 11, 2020