Funjets Cancels Charter Flight into Coz till Oct 1 2005

[DallasNewbie]

Finally got an email from Funjet here it is..
Please remember that Funjet Vacations charters these airlines and if the carrier decides that they will not fly to a certain destination, then Funjet Vacations must adhere to the airline policies. Funjet Vacations is doing everything that they can do to stop any trip interruptions to our customers.
Evidence of this is in the decision that Funjet Vacations made to offer to charter customers to Cancun Mexico and provide ferry transfers to the destination of Cozumel at no additional cost to our clients.

Again, she failed to mention that these free transfers are only being made available to land inclusive customers. They don't give a **** about those with just plane tickets.

 

[d56nut]

They used to fly direct from Chicago on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays. Funjet used to charter seats from them.

Oh well, it won't stop me, there are plenty of other options from here... none of the are direct flights though. At least they go straight to Coz.

I'm really worried about my flight! I'm booked on a non stop flight with United...Chicago to Cozumel direct. We depart on November 12th. I made the reservations on July 20th. On July 21st when I did a search on United's site the flight is no longer available. I called customer service and they assured me that my flight still exists...it's just sold out. I think our total price per person was about 420.00 round trip. Anyone know how I can find out if my flight truly does still exist? I don't have a lot of faith in the customer service people right now with what's been going on with FunJet, etc. I'm a little afraid that they have been told to lie! Oh, we booked this flight direct through United...not FunJet!

Michelle

 

[Moodiejeff]

I'm really worried about my flight! I'm booked on a non stop flight with United...Chicago to Cozumel direct. We depart on November 12th. I made the reservations on July 20th. On July 21st when I did a search on United's site the flight is no longer available. I called customer service and they assured me that my flight still exists...it's just sold out. I think our total price per person was about 420.00 round trip. Anyone know how I can find out if my flight truly does still exist? I don't have a lot of faith in the customer service people right now with what's been going on with FunJet, etc. I'm a little afraid that they have been told to lie! Oh, we booked this flight direct through United...not FunJet!

Michelle

From what I was told, United is resuming flights down to Coz from Chicago on or near Nov. 1st.

 

[StSomewhere]

(and by the way I was advised as has been mentioned elsewhere it would be up to two billing cycles before my credit card was credited with the cancellation ... )

Call your credit card company and challenge the charges. You'll temporarily get credit back (especially important if you carry a balance on that card), then its up to FJ to justify why the reversal shouldn't stand (and since the credit is due you, it will). If they can't perform, you ought to have the money back sooner than "as soon as they get around to it".

One suggestion for the future would be trip cancellation insurance, esp. in the Caribbean during hurricane season.

 

[ggunn]

I must point out that that one takes on a larger element of risk when one books with a cut-rate outfit like Funjet. They run short margins on high volume and they don't spend a lot of money on customer service; that's how they can afford to charge so little. Such operators are fine when all is going well, but they have a low tolerance for pertubation. They don't spend money on keeping people happy (and raise their rates to make up for it); they rely on their low prices to fill up the planes again when the dust has settled, and present disgruntlement notwithstanding, that's exactly what will happen.

It's not that they are malicious, or that the individuals working at Funjet may not be personally sympathetic, it's just that their cheap prices and their apparent abandonment of a segment of their customer base when things get dicey are flip sides of the same thing. That's their business model, and it works for them. To the individual caught in the middle it sucks, that's for sure, but a business plan like theirs is based on taking care of not the individual but the masses.

A refund is the most you can expect in this case (be glad they didn't go belly up and keep your money), and depending on how significant their deals with the southern resorts are to their bottom line and how well the reconstruction of those resorts goes, it could be even later than 10/1 before things stabilize. At their margins, they cannot afford to run at a loss in any segment of their market.

It's kinda like buying a knockoff Rolex and being upset if you drop it and it breaks. As my dad used to tell me, "You pays your money and you takes your chances."

 

[DallasNewbie]

I must point out that that one takes on a larger element of risk when one books with a cut-rate outfit like Funjet. They run short margins on high volume and they don't spend a lot of money on customer service; that's how they can afford to charge so little. Such operators are fine when all is going well, but they have a low tolerance for pertubation. They don't spend money on keeping people happy (and raise their rates to make up for it); they rely on their low prices to fill up the planes again when the dust has settled, and present disgruntlement notwithstanding, that's exactly what will happen.

Gordon, your explanation would be fine and reasonable if we were talking about the cancelation of a few half-empty flights here and there. But Funjet was running several flights a day in some cases, and many of them were sold out. Their cancelation of all flights for the next two months has affected literally thousands of passengers in one fell swoop and their explanations are less than satisfactory. Yes, they reserve the right to cancel trips in case of certain circumstances, but for some, those circumstances do not exist.

For the passengers traveling to hotels not affected by Emily, and the proprieters of those hotels, this is devastating. According to Christi, Funjet was bringing 60% of the travelers to CZM, and the island will not well tolerate that type of drop in the rate of visitors. More likely, other airlines will step up and see the opportunity to make $$ where Mark Travel sees only the opportunity to CYA, and when Funjet is ready to play again, the hotels will not be so likely to make concessions for those who have been so willing to screw them. Not to mention the travel agents who spent days on the phone to Funjet trying to fulfill their duty to their customers. In the short term, the market will adapt to the loss of Funjet's business, and in the long term that will hurt Funjet even more.

I don't think that Mark Travel will be forced out of the market, but I do think that their "business partners" and customers will tug at opposite ends of their margins in the future to "punish" this bad behavior, and to protect themselves. So while this may have been a smart short term decision, it will be very costly in terms of goodwill.

 

[StSomewhere]

A refund is the most you can expect in this case (be glad they didn't go belly up and keep your money)

If you paid with an actual credit card (not necessarily applicable for debit cards) you can still get your money back from your credit card company if FJ, etc. go under or otherwise crap out on your flight. Always pay for air travel with a credit card. Always, always, always!

:14:

 

[ggunn]

Gordon, your explanation would be fine and reasonable if we were talking about the cancelation of a few half-empty flights here and there. But Funjet was running several flights a day in some cases, and many of them were sold out. Their cancelation of all flights for the next two months has affected literally thousands of passengers in one fell swoop and their explanations are less than satisfactory. Yes, they reserve the right to cancel trips in case of certain circumstances, but for some, those circumstances do not exist.

For the passengers traveling to hotels not affected by Emily, and the proprieters of those hotels, this is devastating. According to Christi, Funjet was bringing 60% of the travelers to CZM, and the island will not well tolerate that type of drop in the rate of visitors. More likely, other airlines will step up and see the opportunity to make $$ where Mark Travel sees only the opportunity to CYA, and when Funjet is ready to play again, the hotels will not be so likely to make concessions for those who have been so willing to screw them. Not to mention the travel agents who spent days on the phone to Funjet trying to fulfill their duty to their customers. In the short term, the market will adapt to the loss of Funjet's business, and in the long term that will hurt Funjet even more.

I don't think that Mark Travel will be forced out of the market, but I do think that their "business partners" and customers will tug at opposite ends of their margins in the future to "punish" this bad behavior, and to protect themselves. So while this may have been a smart short term decision, it will be very costly in terms of goodwill.

I did not see Christi's post where she said that 60% of the visitors to Cozumel get there via Funjet (of course she'd have meant visitors by air, and not counting by cruise ships and the ferry), but that number seems a bit high. She lives there, though.

But I am not an apologist for Funjet; I merely point out that they do what their business model directs them to do, and that same business model is also what keeps their prices low. As to the long range effects on their customer base of what they do now, I think if you stack up goodwill against bargain basement airfares, the low prices will always win out. As to their relationships with the hotels on Cozumel, I have no knowledge and will not comment, other than to say that money talks. If the hotels make more over the long haul with Funjet than without them, then they will deal. I predict that barring the unforeseen, by the time the high season gets rolling Funjet's service to Cozumel will be business as usual. Time does tell.

But still, this is not the first time I have heard horror stories about Funjet's customer relations; I had my own probs with them and I have never been back. Sometimes low price does not in and of itself define a bargain, and it is for the customer to decide whether to spend the extra money to avoid the potential probs. I made my decision; I fly Continental.

 

[Christi]

I did not see Christi's post where she said that 60% of the visitors to Cozumel get there via Funjet (of course she'd have meant visitors by air, and not counting by cruise ships and the ferry), but that number seems a bit high. She lives there, though.

That 60% number is not necessarily substantiated, but a Funjet rep on the island told me that 60% of the air passengers arrive by charter service. It's actually a very believable number, especially in the summertime from Texas, and in the winter time from the midwest.

I have had 16 cancellations this week alone...and I'm just a small operator! Imagine the cancellations for places like Dive Paradise, Papa Hogs, Aqua Safari, etc....all thanks to Mark Travel Company.

 

[DallasNewbie]

But still, this is not the first time I have heard horror stories about Funjet's customer relations; I had my own probs with them and I have never been back. Sometimes low price does not in and of itself define a bargain, and it is for the customer to decide whether to spend the extra money to avoid the potential probs. I made my decision; I fly Continental.

We definitely agree on that.