Martinair (Thomas Cook Belgium) AOG in Varadero

Air2D2 · Post by **Air2D2** » 05 May 2007, 12:18

+- 250 Belgian Thomas Cook / Neckermann holidaymakers stuck in Varadero, because of their Martinair B767 being AOG. Will take 3 days to repair.
This flight (MP 907) is currently delayed 12h15 => 14h00 at Brussels Airport website.

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 05 May 2007, 20:25

This afternoon, the flight was delayed till 20h00.

And now, it's delayed till 23h59.

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 05 May 2007, 22:10

Flight is now delayed till 08h00 Sunday morning.

If there's somebody from THC online: are you sure about that??? Because since Saturday morning, you are really playing with the feet from those who have to go to BRU to pick up family / friends.

Air2D2 tells us the plane is grounded for several days (removed by author: "because of bird strike") and yet the airport's website announced ongoing short (what's in a name) delays: to 16h00, to 20h00, to 23h59, to 08h00.

Please be fair and announce it's becoming a major delay: this will allow them to do something else on a Sunday then getting up at 06h00 to find out the flight is delayed once again till...

Air2D2 · Post by **Air2D2** » 06 May 2007, 09:22

Flight currently delayed until 15h00 sunday afternoon, according to Brussels Airport website. Looks like this is a creeping delay, that they encountered difficulties finding a replacement aircraft.
By the way : if they arrive at 15h00 => means they should already be airborne now.

LX-LGX wrote: Air2D2 tells us the plane is grounded for several days bacause a bird strike.

Sorry, LX-LGX : I didn't mention a bird strike.

Don't know what the technical problem is.

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 09:28

Flight is delayed for the 5th time, now till 15h00.

If ETA indeed is 15h00, the plane should be on his way to AMS/BRU at this very moment.

THC, is that correct? Is the plane in the air? Or is your plan to let wait the pax in Varadero till the plane is fixed (like you did few weeks ago, with a Lanzarote flight?

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 14:09

45 minutes to go, and the flight remains announced for 15h00.

So arrival indeed will be 15h00 ?

Moon · Post by **Moon** » 06 May 2007, 14:41

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 15:14

Imagine you are a travel agent, and you have a note in your agenda: collect clients on Saturday, 12h15: arr MP907. Or imagine that you have collect your parents who come back from Varadero.

The lack on decent information from THC makes impossible fo you to do something else then sitting and waiting at home.

Just take the latest delay: only around 14h30, the ETA of 15h00 was amended into 23h59. That's even a lie if the plane is at this very moment not on his way to Brussels.

ETA : Sat 12h15

1st delay: Sat 14h00
2nd delay: Sat 16h00
3th delay : Sat 20h00
4th delay : Sat 23h59
5th delay : Sun 08h00
6th delay : Sun 15h00
7th delay : Sun 23h59

glabbi · Post by **glabbi** » 06 May 2007, 15:45

I can understand that this is making people very mad.
They handle it the same way as jetair.
Very bad.
And it is the end of the mai holliday in holland.
Martinair had maby 4 or 5 aircraft flying for them today.
So I think this is the reason why they didn't send an other aircraft to pick up the stranded passengers.
It is a big risk to fly to the carraiben these days.

Greetz

gliding-glider · Post by **gliding-glider** » 06 May 2007, 19:24

Hoi,

what's the latest news on this delay?

Greetz,

Homo Aeroportus · Post by **Homo Aeroportus** » 06 May 2007, 20:33

Is it me or what?

I don't see it anymore on BRU arrivals.

Problem solved?

I shouldn't be so light though. Just figure those in real need of factual info !

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 20:51

Technical = landing gear problem.

Believe it or not: the flight is postponed till ... Tuesday. Pax are booked in a hotel.

The excuse from Thomas Cook is one of the best airline jokes of the year. Make a guess!

Homo Aeroportus · Post by **Homo Aeroportus** » 06 May 2007, 20:59

LX-LGX wrote:
The excuse from Thomas Cook is one of the best airline jokes of the year. Make a guess!

Tires eaten by ..... rabbits?

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » 06 May 2007, 21:36

It took a while but the media picked it up. Who was the one that sent VTM a message?

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 22:00

It took a while but the media picked it up. Who was the one that sent VTM a message?

VTM has a passenger on the phone, so I assume it's that one who has sent a sms to VTM 4040. For those who haven't seen the story on VTM: the passenger said he and the others were extremely unhappy and angry, both because of the delay itself and because of the way there were (not) informed by THC.

Tires eaten by ..... rabbits?

Almost! This is what Claude Pérignon, THC's quality manager said on VTM:

the missing piece for the landing gear is available in Miami and Denmark. But because of the American embargo to Cuba, it's not possible fur THC to fly it from Miami to Varadero. So, on Monday, the VIP (very important ... yes) will be flown from Denmark to Brussels, and will then be put on a outgoing flight to Varadero where it will be installed.

Question from LX-LGX: why was this not done (through UPS or DHL) on Saturday? There was a MP-flight from Amsterdam to Varadero today. Or it could be transferred on Monday morning's OO-TUC (I'm sure JAF would have made a good cargo-quote for it).

Remark from LX-LGX: blaming Bush (and the previous presidents) for the ongoing delay: we could laugh with it, if there was'nt that huge damage to both passengers and our industry.

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 22:27

Latest developments:

Seems the 141 tourists who are blocked in Cuba will leave there tonight, with the MP-plane that has arrived from AMS today.

The pax who are stranded on the Dominican Republic will leave on Monday.

More details on VTM tonight...

Dude320 · Post by **Dude320** » 06 May 2007, 22:29

Maybe I am missing something, but if Martinair is the carrier, then they
need to find replacement a/c, parts etc and not the TO.

THC is the tour operator, but Martinair is and stays the carrier.

Just my thoughts

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 May 2007, 23:08

Dude320 wrote:Maybe I am missing something, but if Martinair is the carrier, then they need to find replacement a/c, parts etc and not the TO. THC is the tour operator, but Martinair is and stays the carrier.

THC indeed is the touroperator and Martinair the carrier. But the Belgian travel law states that the touroperator is responsible if something goes wrong, including if it's one of his subcontractors who has the problem:

check Article 17:

Dutch version:
http://mineco.fgov.be/protection_consum ... ges_nl.pdf

French version:
http://mineco.fgov.be/protection_consum ... ges_fr.pdf

English version:
Sorry guys, English is no official language in Belgium.

Novastar · Post by **Novastar** » 07 May 2007, 10:51

blackhawk wrote:It took a while but the media picked it up. Who was the one that sent VTM a message?

I sent an email to [email protected]

I should have been on that flight actually if we hadn't canceled our trip to PUJ.

Hi everyone btw. Been reading these nice forums for a while now and I finally registered

TAF · Post by **TAF** » 07 May 2007, 11:29

Dear all,

I'd like to add following info to this conversation. I cannot give details, but I was contacted to search an aircraft for ACMI regarding this flight. Thias was about saturday noon and shortly after we had a solution ready for this operation. The TO and carrier have chosen not to go for this option as they planned to put all pax on regular flights.
As what I see now, they didn't succeed in this and so another extra delay for the pax...