Air Travel Experts - www.airtravelexperts.co.uk

AVOID!

I booked flights through Air Travel Experts (ATE) 12 days ago. Upon checking with the airline, I discovered that my flights were on hold, awaiting payment from ATE. Four days on, and the flights were no longer on hold, but cancelled. I emailed ATE, and a day later received a reply with a fresh booking reference. The flights re-appeared, but on hold, awaiting payment. The same occurred a few days later, by which time, the airline were charging over twice as much, and ATE were not going to be paying the airline.

9 days after booking, I phoned ATE and requested a refund. They said I had to email them. This I did, and they said I must email accounts, which they copied in to their email. Since then, I have had no replies to any emails. I have phoned every day, and been given different excuses each day as to why I cannot speak to accounts.

First day: 'They had gone home for the day, but would be in the following day from 9:30am.'

Second day: 'We are short staffed and nobody is in accounts.'

Third day: 'The person who deals with accounts is off work ill.'

Fourth day: 'They do not have a telephone in accounts, so you must email.'

Absolutely awful company, I made a flight reservation online and payment of over £500 was taken from my bank account, then I received an email a couple of days later saying they were unable to make the booking as seats had sold out. They didn't bother calling me about this so I didn't even find out the booking hadn't completed until I checked my emails a few days later.

Then when I phoned them to sort out an alternative booking they gave me a choice of either paying another £80 for different (less suitable) flights or having a refund. At this point they'd already had my money for a week. I made a booking elsewhere and emailed them asking for the refund.

Two weeks later and I'm still waiting for the refund! I've had to call up multiple times, all they will say is that it's with their accounts department. Be extremely wary of them.

We had to wait 6 days to get the e-tickets, but it was the longest 6 days.

Usually the agencies provide the tickets in 2 days, but this agesncy provides the tickets 14 days earlier your flight which is rough.

So we were lucky, but wont buy tickets from this company again.

Too much headache.

booked a ticket on thaai airways when checked all ok few days later i checked cancelled called them up after 1 hour got a guy in india no good

after e mail telling them my bank fraud deperment was involved i got a new refence number when checked on thai all ok 3 hours later cancelled again tried calling all day no response when finaly got threw you guessed it india again said my ticket wasnt cancelled who im i going trust thai airways or them offered me another refrence number which i refused as would be cancelled few hours later asked me why i kept looking on thai airways web site dont do it trust them? totaly unproffesinial company ok leeaving it to my bank and the caa passenger complaint deparment awaiting now my e ticket or refund like i told the indian other companys send e tickets with in minutes or hours not 2 weeks before travel if i hadnt checked thai airways web site i wouldnt know it was cancelled never use these people be warned

I made a reservation (2 business class tickets from Exeter to Johannesburg) through Air Travel Experts (ATE) on the 1/8/2017 and £4625.66 went out of my account the following day. I was not sent Etickets or an ATOL certificate, but I was sent an online booking acknowledgment with an Air France booking reference number. Using this on the Airlines website I was able to see the reservation. Over several days I tried to book specific seats, but was not able to, the screen said the reservations were on hold, so I emailed Air France to ask why I couldn’t reserve specific seats.

On the 7th of August I received a response from Air France saying this reservation was cancelled. I tried to contact Air Travel Experts on the number supplied by them but the phone just rang and rang, and there was not the facility to leave a message. I emailed them, but no reply. Air Travel Experts were uncontactable but still had my money, my reservation was cancelled, but I still needed to be on that flight. I therefore went on line and booked directly with Air France and was immediately sent my etickets and a reservation confirmation which enabled me to instantly book specific seats.

I was still unable to contact Air travel experts by phone and still had no response to my query by email. About 2 hours later without any further communication, although they had my phone number and email address, an email arrived with a new reservation number and an attachment described as etickets (I cannot say if these were genuine or not but they bore no resemblance to the ones sent to me by Air France). Air Travel experts could have contacted me at any time but did not, they just went ahead and made a second reservation without consultation or permission.

I eventually managed to get through to Air Travel Experts to ask why they firstly cancelled my reservation (“there was a glitch in our system”) and secondly to say I had already made my own arrangements so why had they gone ahead and made a further reservation without my involvement. I have since been informed by Air France that the 2nd reservation made by Air Travel Experts made on the 7th of August was cancelled “by the system” on the 14th of August and a refund was made.

I have since made dozens of phone calls and sent many emails. It is very difficult to speak to anyone. If you get a name the next time you ring they claim there is no one by that name. I have twice been cut off in the middle of a conversation (I believe the phone was put down on me) although I was talking quite reasonably. I have asked for the complaints procedure several times both in writing and verbally, I have still not been given it.

The situation is now

During one telephone conversation, they offered me a partial refund but were going to withhold £1300 cancellation fee. They said this was what Air France had charged them.

I have told them that I want a full refund but if not the partial refund plus evidence that Air France charged a cancellation fee of over £1300 so that I can pursue Air France for the balance of my money. Air travel Experts said they would not do this I accept the partial refund or I get nothing.

Air travel experts still have all of my money, £4625.66 ! Do not use them from my experience I consider them to be untrustworthy and I am now forced to go down the legal route to retrieve my money. I would advise anyone thinking of using them to read other reviews as well as mine.

They are also the same company as Holiday Mood - googling reviews for either on other review sites will show you just how bad they are. This review is on that page too so people can see they are related and just how terrible they are.

After 8 months of being promised our e-tickets the culmination of which was to be finally told that they could not fulfill the tickets purchased 8 months prior due to an airline error (which according to both the airline and 3 separate travel agents confirmed was utter BS, as if we had to confirm he was making excuses anyway), we finally received a refund days later.

The customer service team who changed their names every time you call them back will pass you from pillar to post and never call you back or fob you off advising that "they will be sent next week" and the only supervisor we managed to to get through to was constantly "busy" when we rang up the 3rd time onwards.

If you want months of uncertainty as to whether they are actually going to pay the airline and a good chance of turning up at the airport to be told the agent cancelled your tickets, then they are ideal for you.

If you would like the security of knowing your flight is fully paid for and that you won't turn up at the airport to be told the flight possibly doesn't' even exist (see their other reviews) then go somewhere else.

I booked on line, had same problem others have mentioned. Had to send proof of ID, wanted bank statement. I have called and emailed asking where is confirmation avout my ticket. They repkied they have sent it, look in the junk mail and trash. I did look , nothing. I will get my etickets maybe in two weeks, fly in four weeks. I said I want proof that I have a vooked ticket, nothing. I am going to take this further, contacting bank fraud department.

I could kick myself for not looking at their reviews. They are taking money and then you wait, panic, stress as you now know what others have gone through.

I had a real bad experience with air travel I didn't get any paper work although a week had pass. The only thing they did was take my money. I sent emails out and didn't get any response, nobody answered the phone. They are absolutely disgusting. I decided to dig a little deeper so to speak and found they had a sister company namely holiday mood, Ruislip greater London, near to where I live thank god. So I took myself down there in an angry state only to be greeted by friendly staff which sorted me out there and then. There is much more to tell but all I can do is urge you to STAY AWAY from them.

WARNING:

Looked up on Skyscanner and booked tickets for long haul flight in August with Air Travel Experts (ATE).

E-tickets didn't arrive 2 weeks before flight as promised.

I spoke to airline (as couldn't get through to ATE) and was told tickets were cancelled by ATE on 25th August (the date I booked them). Eventually spoke to ATE and was reassured that e-tickets would be emailed that day, as they "could see them on their system". No email. Called again next day and was told tickets were cancelled on 25th August. Interestingly they had my money for my tickets for a month.

Said I had to email to get my money back. I have asked the bank to retrieve the money.

I declined the offer of alternative flights, they weren't suitable and I had no confidence there would actually be any tickets at all.

I booked direct with KLM and it cost me an extra £500 for the tickets I wanted as a month had passed by.

Make your own mind up if you want to book with the 'Experts'.

A search with Momondo gave me Air Travel Experts for the flights I wanted. I filled in my details and made payment, wait and wait and wait but nothing. Tried the site many times but the page only ever displays

Server Error in '/' Application.

The resource cannot be found.

Description: HTTP 404.

Money has been removed from my account. Airline said that a booking was on hold but now there is no booking. All of my emails are ignored. I have tried phoning them but with no success and I am in Asia so that doesn't help.

What I don't understand is there could be a BIG business here but that's obviously not what they want. I spent a 4 figure sum to get nothing but a mess that needs clearing up. I am starting a Visa dispute and booked with another OTA that gave me an E-ticket within minutes. I would recommend using an OTA that has good reviews or book direct with the airline.