Don't know Mark Warner so not sure if they are a Tour Op. or a Travel Agent. Looking at their website I see no ATOL or ABTA membership numbers.

Excel probably only feature as the carrier - your contract will not be with them.

Check the paperwork and look for the phrase "Principal".

Mark Warner is a tour operator ATOL number 1176 and they will be ultimately responsible if you booked a complete package with them.

Kind Regards
Stewart

Thanks for looking into this. There are the booking conditions http://www.markwarner.co.uk/book_your_holiday/booking_conditions/summer from what I understand (10.6) it looks like they have the same responsibility as the air carrier?

Are excel really bad ?my friend has just booked a flight with them to tenerife on the 16th june from cardiff, shes beginning to be a bit worried they only going for a week.

Cathryn,
I've just read through their T&C's thanks for the link.

Force Majeure is a wonder - it's used to protect the guilty via the defence of ignorance

Mark Warner seeks to limit their compensation to that applicable to an airline - it any. EC261/2004 provides compensation only when you are "bumped" off a flight or the flight is cancelled. Delays do not merit compensation - only the provision of certain services during the delay period.

The Warsaw pact requires a carrier to get you from A to B then A again, and doesn't even require that transportation to be by air. That's why coaching you to/from another airport is OK providing you get to and from the desired airports eventually.

Nonnielane, Excel can be unbelievably bad, and as you've read here, often are. However, they can also often get you there and back with no hassle. But that's what you pay for isn't it.

You friend shouldn't worry - there's little she can do about it now. She SHOULD have researched a little more before booking. The good news, if she has problems she knows where to look for advice

Mike

Nonnielane

When the are good they are ok, but when they are bad they are terrible...

I think someone has written before on this forum that they have only recently started flying from Cardiff. If this is the case, hopefully they bought some new fleet and there will be less chance of your friend encountering 'technical difficulties'

She should not worry, but perhaps she should pack a good book (just in case she endures a long wait...)

I thought the legislation also covered delays of 5 hours plus? Do you think we're not entitled to any compensation then?!

Nonnielane, I've read some positive stories as well as many negative ones. However, if your friend starts being told of 'technical problems' I would suggest she gets on the first flight out of there, even if she can't get the money back. Once things start to go wrong with Excel they just don't have the resource to turn it around and it can be a very long wait!

Compensation usually starts after being delayed 12 hours - therefore you get about £80 out of your insurance (based on 2 adults)

Excel were a very good airline who started life as an independant with high quality aircraft.The problems started when they were taken over by Air Atlanta Icelandic who engaged in massive expansion using a load of less than new aircraft that they provided!!
They have ordered quite a lot of new boeing 737-800`s for delivery later this year and so for 2007 this should improve but for this summer it looks like....read last summer..
They have finally realised that the 747`s (which I think was the cause of this latest problem) are past it and there is a rumour 2 newer versions are on the way.If they do things might improve...on the other hand...

Just so you know - Excel's Customer Service (pre flight) dept has just moved from Crawley to Swansea - so there will probably be a few extra hiccups in the pipeline - took me 3 days to get anyone to even respond to my problem - got to say that when they did they did it very satisfactorily....

I would double check that... I don't know what your pre-flight problem was - mine was that they had not sent my tickets. When I phoned to check they assured me that it was ok and that they would arrange for them to be collected at the airport... but they didn't!!! Luckily I checked - took 3 phone calls before anyone sorted it properly

I haven't checked the site for at least 24 hours and yet again it's all kicked off!

excel are amazingly bad when they're bad!!
Elenitsa, what was your issue?

2nd year running my tickets haven't got to me! Last year they sorted out TOD really quickly.

This year took a bit of stress trying to find someone who would confirm in writing my flight times and ticketting arrangements - 6 e-mails, 1 fax and 2 phone calls!. In the end I got an apology, e-mailed tickets (and the possibility of some tuning up special delivery tomorrow), plus meals and seats together (not really bothered about the goodwill gestures!)

It really is luck of the draw.

Hi, just a little update on Excel flights. Flight from Faro due yesterday is now 24hours and 10 mins late according to Gatwick site. Tonyt

Thanks for your replies and advice. I can't believe many more posts have appeared since my last visit.
I have since spoken to Ros Fernihough's office and sent a letter of complaint off to my tour operator. One thing, I thought it would be worth mentioning is that I was advised not to state a specific amount of compensation in the letter as this may limit the amount that you end up being paid. I know that the majority of us are not 'gold-diggers' and probably have a figure they we would be satisfied with, but best not to let them know that from the start. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Booked Excel to Egypt for son & girlfriend. Tickets arrived yesterday for flight on 10 June - so far so, good. I hope their flight will be trouble free too.

Cic

Tickets arrived special delivery today as promised!

Fingers crossed for the flight - hoping that as it's Air Malta rather than Excel themselves......

Just been reading up on the Sanford disaster on the net... really awful! However, what interested me most is that if disasters like this happen with BA or Virgin they give customers half price flights anywhere in the world upon their return not that I wouldn't tell Excel where to stick their tickets if they offered them to me....

MrsJ - I think you will find that Excel Airways actually belong to the Avion Group, not to Libra Holidays. The Avion Group also own the tour operator Travel City Direct.