Several years ago Frank and I went to Marrakech together and our flight was almost cancelled. It has never happened to write an extensive blog about Marrakech, but it is in the pipeline. However, I now want to talk about the challenges we faced during this trip to Marrakech. A double booking of the hotel room and an (almost) canceled flight. That can cause a lot of stress.
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We started our extensive city trip after the death of my mother. After a year of intensive shared informal care and the care for my own (small) children, I was kind of exhausted. Completely empty emotionally. Frank thought it was time for us to recharge. No sooner said than done, the trip to Marrakech was booked.
Luc and Lotte were able to visit my in-laws so that we had a week of rest and attention for each other. Just sniff culture and try to create a kind of internal reset. Although we enjoyed that city trip, not everything went smoothly. Arriving at our hotel there was the first hurdle, a double booking of the hotel room.
The Kenzi Farah Hotel turned out to have double-booked our room and instead of the luxury and beautiful views I had expected, we were 'tucked away' for the first few days in a much smaller hotel and a room with a view of roofs.
Normally I am quite flexible and I can get over this, but that didn't work this time. I cried in tears after arriving and I was so upset that I became angry with Frank. Afterwards I can of course laugh about it, but I was emotionally exhausted and this was apparently the last straw.
Anyway, after staying in this hotel room for a few days, we could still go to the room we originally booked, with a much better view.
I will describe the rest of the holiday in another blog, I now want to focus on the possible misery you can experience when you go on a holiday in the sun. Besides the fully booked room, it also becomes clear at the end of that holiday that the flight may be canceled due to an imminent strike by airport staff. There went my stress level again. If our flight is cancelled, Frank could get in trouble with his work. In addition, we would miss the children (then 9 and 4) even longer. And as much as I liked the city trip without children, I thought a week without them was really enough.
For us it was simply a matter of waiting. Reading the newspaper there is not an option for us and we can't really find any clear reporting online. Furthermore, the hotel was also not generous with information. So there was nothing to do but wait. Of course we still enjoyed the remaining days to the fullest, but the whole thing hung over my head like a dark cloud.
In any case, when there was a possible cancellation, we immediately inquired in our hotel about the possibilities to book a few days longer. Fortunately there was room. Imagine that the hotel would be fully booked again. But who pays for all the extra costs? Have you ever thought about that?
A new flight has to be booked and you have to pay extra costs for a few days of extra stay. In addition, you naturally incur telephone costs, and you have to eat and drink on those extra vacation days. In addition, you also lose extra vacation days that you did not ask for, your car is parked longer at the airport and so on. If you add everything together, it can cost you hundreds of euros extra. In addition to all the extra tension it produces. That is not the intention of a holiday or city trip.
If the airline cancels your flight and you are entitled to compensation, you basically have two choices. You will receive a replacement ticket or your money back. In the first case (when accepting a replacement ticket), the airline must also take care of additional costs such as food and drinks, hotel stays, telephone costs and the like.
Fortunately, nowadays there are plenty of websites where you can obtain information and that can help you with possible compensation for a canceled flight and all additional costs. Whether you are actually entitled to compensation always depends on various factors. Not every flight that is canceled is actually compensated, but sometimes the compensation can go up to € 600.00. Anyway, such a website checks that for you and if you are entitled to compensation, they can put everything into effect. On a no cure no pay basis. Always handy to do so!
Besides the fact that the airline takes responsibility, it is also possible that your travel insurance reimburses (part of) the costs. So if your flight is canceled and the airline cancels? Be sure to check your travel insurance.
Finally, I have just one more tip for you. No matter how difficult you may find it. Try to still enjoy. Don't let your entire vacation be spoiled by the fact that your flight has been canceled and you will face a lot of problems, but try to have fun the remaining days and have a real holiday. You are there after all 😉 . In our case, the strike turned out to be postponed and luckily we were able to fly home on the agreed day!
