Episode 15 Rip Off Britain

JULIA SOMERVILLE: We asked you who's left you feeling ripped off

when it comes to your holidays,

and you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.

I thought it was a joke, I really did.

You know, I started laughing.

I said, you cannot be serious.

They were saying it was not their fault.

It was unbelievable. I can't even explain.

-ANGELA RIPPON:

-So whether it's a deliberate rip-off,

a simple mistake, or a catch in the small print,

we'll find out why you're out of pocket,

and what you can do about it.

-GLORIA HUNNIFORD:

-Your stories, your money,

this is Rip-off Britain.

Hello, and welcome to a particularly jet-set edition of Rip-off Britain.

Not just because we've come all the way to sunny Tenerife

to investigate your stories,

but because today we are focusing on

the problems many of you have had with airlines.

And our investigations have revealed some surprising secrets

about the way they do business.

We're also going to be finding out the answers to questions

that anyone booking a flight has probably wondered about

at some stage or another.

Such as, when is the right time to bag the best fare?

Is it by booking early or last-minute?

And should we really be swayed

by what looks like to be the cheapest deal in the first place?

That's the dilemma.

Well, on top of uncovering some surprising new facts,

we'll also be resolving some real old chestnuts.

So, as we prepare for takeoff,

fasten your seat belts and stand by for some especially useful advice,

because, after all, spending time with us

could mean that you end up spending less on a flight

that just wasn't what you'd hoped for.

How you could end up with fewer rights,

not to mention hundreds of pounds out of pocket,

if your flight turns out not to be with the airline

you thought it was.

We had to pay for our own hotel,

the food in the hotel.

Just more expense on top of the holiday -

more expense we didn't expect to pay,

and I would expect the airline who made us late to pay for that.

And are the airlines really snooping on your online searches

so they can hike up the fares?

There must be something that ties in that you've looked for that

-flight before.

-Yeah.

-So when you eventually do go in to book them...

-They're hiking it up.

-..it's dearer.

Booking a cheap flight has never been easier.

Instant access to the internet means that, frankly, any of us can

straightaway compare prices right across the entire market.

But while, understandably, it is the fare that most of us focus on,

there may be other details that you'll want to look for, as well,

particularly if it turns out that the airline with which you've booked

is not the actual one with which you're going to be flying.

Now, that could make a difference in all sorts of smaller ways

from the legroom and seat pitch to whether or not you get a snack.

But more fundamentally, if something goes wrong,

then you may find that you simply have not got the rights

that you would have expected,

which could leave you hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Jeff and his wife, Karen, from Wakefield

have been taking their granddaughter Paige on holiday with them

since she was three years old.

And after ticking off over a dozen destinations across Europe,

the then 11-year-old Paige wanted to spread her wings

and go a little further for their 2015 holiday.

We'd taken Paige away, but never to America.

This was the big thing. This was the thing she'd always spoke about.

"Can we go to America? Can we go to Orlando?"

Jeff and Karen didn't take much persuading

and had soon booked a two-week trip to the Sunshine State.

A few weeks before we went, everyone was really excited.

Paige was telling her football coach,

telling everybody at school.

The family flew with Virgin Atlantic,

and to make their trip even more memorable, Jeff paid a bit extra,

£25 each,

to make sure that their seats would be reserved

on the top deck of the plane.

The flight from Manchester to Orlando was brilliant.

I mean, on the top deck, we felt like royalty.

Climbing up the steps, the three of us.

And it was a fantastic flight.

It was what we expected from Virgin.

The family touched down in Orlando

and enjoyed the holiday that they'd always dreamed of.

Paige even managed to get her grandma, Karen, on the big rides.

But all too quickly the holiday was over.

And it was time for the family to head back home to Manchester.

Their return, unlike the outbound flight, wasn't direct.

Instead, it involved a connection in Atlanta, and the family noticed

that the internal leg of the journey wasn't with Virgin

but the American airline Delta.

Virgin had said that it were their sister company in America.

So, if it's their sister company in America,

we expect the same kind of service from Delta as from Virgin.

Timings with the connection were tight,

but providing there were no hold-ups,

they would have just enough time

to make the onward flight to Manchester.

Mother Nature, however, had other ideas,

and as a hurricane swept into Orlando,

the family's flight was delayed.

When they finally touched down in Atlanta,

there were only ten minutes to spare,

but the family hoped they might just make it.

We made good time on the flight, I think we saved half an hour,

and people were still saying, "If you rush, and you run,

"you can get that flight."

But Jeff, Karen and Paige weren't the only ones hurrying

to try and catch that Manchester flight.

Everybody were up, out of their seats, ready for rushing.

We went up to the guy that was telling people what to do

and he just said, "Don't ask me, just go to the gate.

"If you've got the gate number, just go.

"Don't bother checking in,

"you've still a chance of catching that plane, it is there."

The family was moments away from reaching the gates,

and their plane was in sight.

As we got to the gate, we were told it had been closed,

we couldn't get on the plane.

We asked them why, we said, "The plane's still there."

They said, "International rules." Heart sank.

So Jeff joined the queue of other disgruntled passengers

waiting for advice on what to do next.

After three hours, we eventually got to speak to a customer service rep.

She tried to find us flights for that day, that night,

couldn't do it, couldn't do it for the next day.

The best they could offer us was the Saturday,

which was in a couple of days' time.

At that time, we started to panic,

not knowing if we'd get back on time for school or work.

Jeff and Karen had no option but to accept the flight two days later,

which involved another connection, this time in New York.

We just wanted to go home.

Instead we had to go to a small motel,

we were just shattered,

in the same clothes we'd been in all day,

and I guessed we would be for the next two days.

They weren't able to change their clothes

because their luggage was kept at the airport.

Check-in staff told them it would be forwarded on

to their connecting flight,

whichever that turned out to be.

But for Jeff, what was most concerning about all of this,

was that instead of a rep from Virgin Atlantic

dealing with his queries,

it was Delta that he was now having to deal with.

It turned out that was because

he'd booked what's known as a codeshare flight,

which means the journey he'd bought through one airline

was actually operated by another, in this case, Delta.

It wasn't something he'd really been aware of,

and he certainly hadn't realised

what significance it would come to have.

This is the Virgin Atlantic booking.

This shows that it's a VS number,

which is a Virgin code,

from Manchester to Orlando.

Then coming back, Orlando to Atlanta,

and then Atlanta back to Manchester.

These are all VS codes.

Even though that was a Delta airline that we ended up catching.

When all goes well,

codeshare agreements can mean more choice for customers,

allowing airlines to coordinate luggage handling, for example,

leading to a smoother onward journey.

But if anything goes wrong,

don't assume the airline with which you booked

has any obligation to sort it out.

And the other company

may not have any responsibilities to do that either.

In Jeff's case, the Delta representative told the family

that it wouldn't cover the extra costs

involved in staying those additional two days.

Instead, all it offered was a discount voucher for a nearby hotel.

To be told that we'd have the pay for everything ourselves,

they wouldn't help us at all with nothing,

we were really frustrated.

The least we expected was to be put up in a hotel.

The family spent an extra £340 over the two days

whilst they were waiting for their flight home.

After arriving back two days later than planned,

Jeff put in a complaint to Virgin.

I wrote to Virgin, I complained,

and asked them to do something about our delay.

They wrote back to me,

and basically said I should get in touch with Delta.

At this, I was incredulous.

I'd booked with Virgin,

and expected them to do something about it.

And when, as instructed, Jeff did get in touch with Delta,

the news was no better.

Delta told us at the time that they had no responsibility

as it was due to bad weather,

and they are not covered for bad weather.

But in any case, as far as Jeff is concerned

it should be Virgin that's liable for all this,

because that's the company with whom he booked.

But as our travel expert Simon Calder explains,

it's not that simple.

And the nationality of the airlines involved can have a major impact

on the treatment you receive.

Codesharing was invented to enable airlines to pretend

they flew to more places, more often than they actually do.

The worst case is when things go wrong with a flight,

and if you are on a codeshare flight with an airline from

outside the European Union,

then if you are flying from outside the European Union,

your rights are effectively wiped out.

So, if Jeff's delay had been on the outward leg of the trip

on Virgin, based, at least for now, in the EU,

the airline would have been required by law to pay compensation.

But because it occurred on his flight with Delta,

based in the US, no such laws apply.

It's really frustrating that Virgin being an EU carrier,

if we'd have gone with another EU carrier,

we'd have got some compensation,

but with them passing it on to Delta,

which is an American airlines,

we're not getting any compensation at all,

either from Delta or Virgin.

With Jeff frustrated at the response that he's had from both airlines,

we tried them again on his behalf.

But in a joint response,

while apologising to the family for the inconvenience

on their journey home,

the airlines stuck to what they'd previously said,

telling us that "with safety always the number one priority,

"if there's bad weather,

"such as hurricanes, snow or thunderstorms,

"flights may have to be delayed or cancelled.

"And in such cases, airlines are not obliged to offer compensation."

They went on to say that

"alternative flight options were looked into,

"and hotel discount vouchers were issued for a local hotel."

The companies also pointed out that

because the customers didn't request their bags back in Atlanta,

they remained in the system,

and were placed on the customer's flight home.

And they stressed that while a number of airlines

have codeshare agreements in place,

it's always made clear during the booking process

who the operating carrier is.

Oh, I'm useless at these.

But after this experience,

Jeff is going to try and avoid codesharing flights in the future

by asking whoever he books with

exactly who will be operating his flight,

and therefore, who will be looking after him should things go wrong.

I try and ensure I knew about the codeshare flight thing.

Didn't mean anything to me at the time,

now I know exactly what it means,

I would definitely want to know if it was a codeshare,

and if there was any problems, would we get compensated?

Our travel expert Simon Calder has all the secrets

to save you money on your travels.

He's full of tips on everything from how to avoid the crowds,

to the best way to steer clear of those tourist traps.

This time, seven-star hotels,

eight-lane highways and the world's tallest building.

It could only be Dubai -

destination for more than a million Brits this year.

To me, it can feel like Las Vegas on sea.

But unlike that desert city,

Dubai has a long and distinctive history.

And if you follow my advice,

I hope you'll agree it's a place with both spice and soul.

Simon says that to make contact with the real exotic Middle East,

you need to leave the air-conditioned shopping malls

behind and head to the large waterway of Dubai Creek.

From there, you can get a shuttle back and forth to the souks

for about one dirham, the equivalent of around 20p.

The souks - big, chaotic markets -

are full of noise, colour and commerce, and very few fixed prices.

When you're haggling, you'll never outsmart a merchant,

but don't feel pressurised to buy unless the price is right.

Keep smiling and don't hesitate to walk away.

The United Arab Emirates is a deeply Islamic nation,

and visiting the vast Jumeirah Mosque provides

a fascinating insight into the religion's philosophy and rituals.

Tours take place every day at 10am except Fridays

and cost 20 dirham, around £4,

which includes water, dates, tea and pastries.

Close to Dubai Creek,

you can escape from the heat and clamour of the city.

Simon recommends heading into the Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood,

filled with art galleries, cafes and hotels.

They don't have seven stars,

but they do boast plenty of character.

And finally, as ever, Simon recommends local transport

to get the real feel for the old Dubai.

You won't be in town for long before someone tries to sell you a tour

to the mountain fortress town of Hatta,

but just catch local bus number E16 instead and you'll save a fortune.

Now one of the complaints we hear time and again

involves the apparently sneaky way that airlines are said to keep tabs

on the visits you make to their websites

as you search for fares.

The theory goes that if you're using the same computer or tablet

to check back to see if the price has changed,

the site will recognise it's you and bump up the cost

so you feel under pressure to book right away

in case the cost goes up even more.

Now, it might sound like some far-fetched conspiracy theory,

but so many of you have now come to us with the same suspicion,

we were curious to find out whether this really is what's going on

or if it's just an urban myth.

So, we've done our own test to discover the truth once and for all.

For many of us, the days of walking into our local travel agent

to book a simple flight are a thing of the past.

More often than not, we just open up a laptop and do it ourselves online.

Like millions of us, frequent flyer Margaret Durnin from Glasgow

has become a dab hand at searching out the best bargains.

I think because we fly quite often, I think I'm quite savvy

around how to book flights and how to get the best deals.

So, when Margaret received an invitation to her friend's wedding

on the Amalfi Coast in Italy,

she got straight on to her trusty laptop

to check out the flights.

We had looked to see who flew from Scotland directly to Naples,

and the only flight we could find was from Edinburgh direct to Naples.

But with the wedding still over a year away,

flights for the dates she needed hadn't yet been released,

so Margaret kept checking back on the airlines website

to see if they'd become available,

hoping that by booking as early as possible,

she'd get the lowest price.

On the morning that we found out they were released,

we were so excited

because we were desperate to go and enjoy the wedding,

and we knew that as soon as the flights were released that

that would be the cheapest time.

And we went on the laptops as quickly as we could.

Margaret selected return flights for herself and her husband.

Happy with the price, she proceeded with the booking.

But when she clicked onto the payment page

her bargain fare no longer seemed quite such a good deal.

I keyed in the card details and pressed send,

and at that point, a screen popped up to say, "Do you wish to continue?

"Just to advise you that the flight prices have changed."

And at that point, I noticed that the flight had gone up

in a total of £100.

In just the few minutes in which she'd been making the booking,

the two seats she'd chosen had each gone up by £50,

and Margaret wasn't impressed.

More than a little miffed that the price had changed mid-booking,

Margaret contacted the airline to ask them why.

She was told that only a limited number of seats had been available

at the original price,

and as prices aren't locked during payment,

on this occasion once those had run out, the cost went up.

But Margaret has her own theory as to what had gone on.

I think their website has some kind of knowledge,

that it knows that you've gone through this booking procedure,

and it knows that you are definitely wanting to buy this,

and you're not just browsing.

They definitely know that you want this flight,

and I feel that they just automatically increase the flight

behind the scenes.

And Margaret wasn't the only wedding guest to share those suspicions.

Her daughter, Lisa, and family friend, John,

both also found that during the course of booking their flights,

the seats increased in price.

There must be something that ties in,

that you've looked for that flight before.

-Yeah.

-They must have some kind of system on their website,

so when you eventually do go in to book them...

-They hike it up.

-..it becomes dearer.

For it to jump 50...

Well, in my case it was £60, for me and Kate, it was just...

-In a matter of a couple of minutes, is...

-No.

-It's ridiculous.

Aye, it's ridiculous.

Margaret, Lisa and John are all convinced

it's more than just coincidence that the flight prices went up

just before they were about to pay.

They firmly believe that the airline had been monitoring

their previous interest in those flights,

so that knowing they were set on that particular journey,

it could bump up the price just as they were about to book.

And their suspicions are shared by plenty more of you, too.

The concern is that your online activity is being somehow tracked

in order to squeeze more money out of you.

It's a theory we've now heard so many times

that we thought it was about time we put it to the test.

So we set up an experiment,

monitoring the price of two specific return flights

with airlines we've heard this allegation levelled against

at regular intervals over the course of the month.

Crucially, each time we checked the prices,

we did so on two different computers.

One of them was wiped clean of all our browsing history,

searches and stored information before we looked at the fares,

so in effect, each time we checked, we were starting afresh.

But on the other computer,

we didn't get rid of any of our previous search details,

so all our online activity

and the digital footprint we'd left behind remained.

The theory goes that if airlines really are watching

your movements online,

tracking your behaviour so they can sneak up prices accordingly,

then this second computer would carry all the information

they'd need to help them do it.

However, our results suggest

we can knock this particular conspiracy theory on the head

once and for all.

We found that though prices did fluctuate,

they did so entirely consistently across both computers.

We were quoted the same fares on each device,

and it made not a jot of difference

whether the airline could tell from our browsing history

that we'd made the same search before.

And though just a small snapshot of what may or may not be going on

across the wider industry,

our findings certainly ring true with pricing expert Oliver Ranson,

who's worked with some of the world's leading airlines

as a revenue specialist.

It's a bit of an urban myth that airlines put up the prices of seats

just because you've looked at one before.

It doesn't make good business sense to put up prices

when passengers come to your website for the second time.

If you do that, you'll make them angry,

you'll make them upset, and people will fly with your competitor.

Interestingly though,

while Oliver says it just isn't in the airlines' interest

to behave in this way,

it is entirely possible for them to do it.

The technology to watch passengers' online activity exists.

There are rumours that some airlines in the UK

have trialled this unsuccessfully.

So, Oliver has a much simpler explanation

as to why Margaret's fare went up

within moments of starting to book it.

I think Margaret's been a bit unlucky.

Airlines only have a limited number of seats to sell at the lower fares,

and on the busier flights, sometimes they close out those fares entirely.

It's all worked on the basis of something called demand to come.

If the airline's expecting a lot of passengers to buy,

the price is probably going to be a bit higher.

Margaret could even have been competing against

her own friends and family going to the same wedding,

who might have been able to snap up the seats

just in the minute or two before

she had the chance to press the buy button.

So, come on, Oliver, you're the expert -

how do we beat the system and get the best bargains?

Would you stay up a little bit late at night

to save a couple of hundred pounds on your airfare?

-He would.

-I would.

-THEY LAUGH

Airlines often release their cheapest seats late at night.

12 o'clock midnight, or one o'clock in the morning.

If you stay up to catch this,

then you'll be buying the cheapest seats on the flight.

OK, that means I'm going to have a late night.

If you...

..they'll be able to get the special offer straight to you.

That's very interesting. I shall try that next time.

Don't always book a year ahead of travel,

wait and see if the airline has a sale.

And Oliver's final tip to get the very best deal,

regardless of whether or not the airlines are watching you,

make sure you're always keeping a close eye on them.

Spend just five minutes a week looking at their website

and seeing when they have their sales,

recording it in a document on your computer.

You'll then be able to know in the future

whether or not you're getting good value for money

on flights that you're buying.

And for just five minutes a week of effort,

you can potentially save £1,000 a year for the rest of your life.

Meanwhile, back in Glasgow,

even if they're not being watched,

Margaret, Lisa and John still don't think a price should change

once you've clicked to buy it.

It's definitely made me, like, more wary

about booking things like plane tickets and trains.

Why and how do they put up the prices?

It's not transparent.

The price that you start with doesn't finish.

It's just not right.

Once again, we took Rip-Off Britain on the road,

setting up our pop-up advice clinic

in one of the UK's biggest shopping centres,

the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

It's a great way to meet as many of you as we can,

and give on the spot advice on all your consumer troubles.

We've been watching you for many, many years!

-Oh, that's kind of you to say so.

-And you look amazing!

-Thank you!

Holiday questions have been top of the agenda here at our pop-up shop,

and so many people have been coming to see our lovely travel expert,

Simon Calder.

Yours is the kind of story

that I know Simon likes to get his teeth into.

In January 2015,

Christine and John Davies from Crewe booked a big trip to Turkey

with 11 members of their family.

But after paying a deposit of £2,200,

some unexpected news meant they'd no choice but to cancel.

How come you didn't go, what happened?

Unfortunately, in the March, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I had to have surgery,

followed by chemotherapy,

followed by radiotherapy.

Christine was too poorly to go on holiday,

and even though the travel firm had offered to delay the trip

by six months,

Christine didn't think she would be well enough by that time, either,

so they cancelled the whole thing.

But Christine's travel insurance company made clear

they wouldn't be getting back all of the deposit.

-What happened?

-Well, they e-mailed and said,

the only people that were covered was myself and my husband.

-Not all 11 of you?

-Not all 11 of us.

They said that the others would have to claim under their insurance,

on their travel insurance.

-Oh...

-Had they booked travel insurance?

One had, one hadn't.

But the one that had, they wouldn't pay him out

because he hadn't paid the holiday.

Plus, they said there was no reason why he couldn't go

on the holiday, anyway.

So how much did you finally get back?

We got back £295.

-Instead of 2,200?

-Yes.

-Ooh.

-That sounds like a really bum deal, Simon.

-Right.

Well, especially since there you were,

going through this awful treatment with all the health worries,

you know, really alarming time for the whole family,

and suddenly, you're told, "Oh, by the way,

"we're hanging onto your money

"and you can't claim it back on insurance."

Had you asked me before you made that booking,

I would have told you two things.

First of all, if you're going to buy a £12,000 holiday

and put down, what, a £2,000 deposit,

then take out travel insurance for the whole thing at the same time.

As we've said before,

taking out travel insurance

to cover you from the point of booking your holiday,

and not just for the period while you're way,

means that in the event you have to cancel,

you won't lose any money you've already paid.

And Simon has another tip for avoiding losing out

should you need to change your travel plans.

To avoid all of that pain,

I would have said, "When are you going?

"September? Don't even think about booking it yet."

I would've said, "Maybe have a look in June, July."

You'll still be able to get a great place to go on holiday,

you just won't have that risk exposure,

for so much money over such a long time.

Well, I'm pleased to say that Christine is making a full recovery.

But instead of rebooking the same holiday, the couple decided

to take their four grandchildren to Cyprus instead.

And there's one more bit of advice

that's key to protecting themselves in the future.

Pay part of your deposit with a credit card,

even if it's only £1 or a fiver.

The fact that you've paid £1 or £5 on your credit card

means that the whole sum is covered.

-Are you doing my job for me?

-No, I'm not!

It's what I've learnt by listening to you, Simon!

I'm just sorry,

and I do hope you get to have a holiday with the family.

But get in touch, tell me when you're travelling,

and I will tell you the best time to book.

You couldn't ask better.

Don't go to your travel agent, go to Simon Calder.

He'll sort it out, then you write the cheque or pay.

THEY LAUGH

If you've got a story you'd like us to investigate,

you can join in the conversation on our Facebook page,

just look for BBC Rip Off Britain.

Or you can log onto our website, bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain.

If you'd like to send us an e-mail, then our address is...

Or if you want to send us a letter, then our new address is...

Well, I'm afraid we've reached the end of the journey for today,

but on the way, with any luck,

you've learned a few tricks of the airline trade

that even if they don't save you any money,

could well save you a bit of time the next time you go abroad.

I was particularly interested in hearing how airline pricing works.

And while we might think that there's

a touch of the dark arts about it,

in fact, it seems that the secret really is

just to use your common sense!

And if you can, keep an eye on the ups and downs in pricing

over the months before you book.

And that way, you will get

a sense of what is likely to be the lowest price.

Well, with the huge number of airlines we have these days,

it's very hard to believe that once there were so very few of them.

But while things may have seemed a lot simpler back then,

it was also a lot more expensive to fly.

So in the end, all of that choice is really good for consumers.

But at that point, that's where we have to leave it for today.

Hope you've enjoyed the programme.

And we'll be back with more of your stories very soon.

So until then, from all of us, happy landings and bye-bye.

-Goodbye.

-Goodbye.