Jet2: Airline forced to pay Bridgend couple back £1,000 after changing its cancellation policy

Chris said he was left £959 out of pocket when he was told he was unable to cancel the holiday Credit: PA/ITV

A holiday company has paid a couple back after a change in its terms and conditions left them almost £1,000 out of pocket.

On 12 May, Chris Jones and his wife were due to fly to Crete with Jet2holidays but when his wife became unwell, he went to the travel agent to change the date of their getaway.

When Chris booked his holiday last October, the company's terms and conditions stated that a passenger could changed the date of  their holiday by paying £50 per person.

Chris and his wife were due to fly to Crete on Friday

However at the end of March, after Chris’s wife had been admitted to hospital, he was told that Jet2holidays had changed their policy in January. 

The holiday company had done so without notifying Chris or the travel agent through which he had booked the holiday. 

Jet2holidays' new terms and conditions meant that instead of paying £50 each, Chris would lose almost £1,000.

The agent told him that according to Jet2's new terms and conditions, there was no longer any possibility of moving the date of the holiday and had he left it another 24 hours, which would have meant he was 29 days from departure, he would have stood to lose 90% of his money.

Chris said the situation has left him feeling "very angry"

Chris, who is a taxi driver and unable to work much due to him having to care for his wife, was left feeling "very angry".

He told ITV Wales that it’s not just the money but the principle of the matter. 

Chris believes the fact that Jet2holidays were able to "move the goalposts" after he had made the booking was simply "unfair".

"Angry, very angry, it's the principle you know so wrong they shouldn't be allowed to treat people like this."

When ITV first contacted Jet2 Holidays, they said, "There are charges for particular amendments and we make this clear on our website. We are in direct contact with the travel agent in question as any amendments will need to be made through them."

However, within 24 hours of issuing this statement Jet2holidays contacted the travel agent to say they would in fact be refunding Chris £920.

Consumer expert Martyn James said companies changing terms and conditions this way raises a question of "fairness"

Consumer expert, Martyn James, explains whilst what Jet2holidays has done by changing its terms and conditions is not illegal, it does raise questions of fairness. 

"This all comes down to the murky world of contracts. Many companies will have terms and conditions within their contracts that will say they can make changes at certain times but the fact of the matter is just because they  might have those clauses in there doesn't mean they are being applied fairly.

"So, whilst it's likely Jet2 haven't broken the law it's possible their contracts might be unfair."

Martyn also give the following advice to anyone booking a holiday saying, "The airline industry is regulated, the Civil Aviation Authority is the regulator, and each airline has what's known as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme (ADR Scheme).

"You can find that by just typing it into the terms and conditions on the website. That's usually a free service you can go to if there's a dispute with a business and they will sort things out."