A loss of 4,900 euros. The pill is hard to swallow for Emilie. This 41-year-old mother bought plane tickets for herself, her husband and her 6 children. Direction Montreal. Vaccinated for a second time against Covid on July 8, the family could not arrive in Canada on July 12, as originally planned. Because a period of 14 days after the second dose is required by the Canadian government. Émilie therefore had to change the departure date. But Bravofly, the online travel agency from which she bought the plane tickets, never validated her flight change requests. “They made me go around in circles until the day before my trip so that I lost my money”accuses Emilie, via the orange button Alert us.
“A big sacrifice” made by the couple to afford this family trip
“I saved for a long time, I dipped into my children’s savings to be able to offer them this trip”, says Emily. With her husband, they were ready to “a big sacrifice” to visit Emilie’s brother in Montreal. The wife of the latter giving birth at the end of July, this was to be the occasion to discover the baby. Skyscanner, a flight comparator, directed Emilie to Bravofly, which offered the cheapest tickets. Price for round trips: 4932 euros for 8 people. Reservation was made on June 23. “It was afterwards, by going to the Canadian government website, that I realized that to access the territory, it takes 14 days after the 2nd dose”says Emily.
All proposed flight changes have been declined by Bravofly
Emilie and her family overcame their fears of the Covid vaccine in order to be able to make this trip. The second dose was given to them on July 8. But to meet the 14-day deadline, it was essential to postpone the trip. From June 26, Emilie did everything possible to change flights. “I have contacted the Bravofly agency X times to modify my tickets. They only answer me by email, 3 days after my request by phone each time. And it is impossible to react to these emails which tell me each time that the dates that I offer them are unavailable”says the mother.
Emilie offered Bravofly other flights from the airline Air Transat, which operated the original flight. “We were unable to validate the requested changes…”systematically answered the customer service of the online travel agency. “At the end of the day, I contact the airline Air Transat and, there, surprise, they confirm that there is plenty of room on these dates”says Emily.
Surprise, I receive yet another email telling me that the chosen date is not available
Bravofly finally sent him a quote for a rebooking on July 22. A priced modification… 2016.92 euros. With a return via Paris, whereas the previous tickets were direct flights between Brussels and Montreal. “Having no choice, I accept. But stroke of poker, while I wait for payment terms, surprise, I receive yet another email telling me that the chosen date is not available”continues Emilie.
Emilie “disgusted and disgusted” by these practices
“I was willing to change the date even to next year, as long as I didn’t lose the money”, says the mother. His exchanges with Bravofly lasted until the day before July 12, the date of the flight. “They carried me around until the last minute, without telling me my truth, she is indignant. They knew very well that by arriving 24 hours before the date of my trip, I would lose my tickets but they made me believe until the end that they were going to find tickets for me”.
“For me, they are scammers”concludes Emilie. “I am disgusted and disgusted that airlines collaborate with this kind of agency”she says.
Lastminute.com (Bravofly), on the list of “bad students” of Test-achats.be
Test-achats.be recommends not to book flights through such booking platforms. On the list of “bad students” identified by the consumer association, we find e-dreams, expedia, GoVoyages, Sunexpress, and others… like Lastminute.com. This last group is the owner of various travel agencies such as Rumbo, Volagratis and… Bravofly.
“In the event of a problem, these companies will not be easily reachable in order to reach a satisfactory solution”, notes Test-achats.be. Lastminute and Bravofly did not answer our questions about Emilie’s problem. The latter now intends to use a lawyer to obtain reimbursement.
Eventually, Emilie bought other tickets, directly from Air Transat. “I had to go into debt, because we want this trip”, she says. They will leave on July 22 for Montreal, “on the same dates when Bravofly told me there was no room”she notes.