Flight change, no notification, 7 hour layover!
 

In January I booked 5 tickets. For 4 of us the flight left at 7:30 pm with a 2 hr layover leaving Newark at 10pm for Shannon Ireland. Perfect, work that day and fly that night.
One of our travel companion was flying from a different airport, and decided to leave with us, on July 5 I called to change his reservation and found out that our original flight did not exsist. We never received notification. We were all changed to a 10 am flight with a 7 HOUR LAYOVER. If that didn't p*** me off, now 5 people had to get out of work an additional day, spend 7 hours at an airport. Plus I had to pay a change fee for the one traveler.
I emailed customer complaints and have not heard anything. I asked for reimbursement for lost wages for the 5 travelers, for meal expenses while we sit for 7 hours on layover and for reimbursement for the flight I had to change, just for the incovenience of it all! I think this is only fair. I didn't spend $6500 on flights to sit in an airport for 7hours.
We should have an option of refund for the flight to find one that we chose, not them choosing for us. Why do they bother putting the flight itineraries on the website if they are going to change them.

I may be wrong, but if the airline makes a substantial change to your itinerary, you can ask for a full refund. The risk you take is that you will find it hard to find an alternative flight at a cheaper rate closer to the date of departure.

Thanks, but maybe that is why they aren't sending email notifications of flight changes. Just let us find out at the last minute so we are 'stuck' with their changes. If I'd known back in Feb Mar or April I may have had better options to change flights. As it is, I've been looking and haven't found anything to accomodate my travel plans, unless I drive 4 hrs to the next airport, which means we still have to have an extra day off, or 2 to cover the return flight/drive.