[susanwoolley]

Monarch Airlines have recently ceased operating their route Murcia(Spain) to Manchester (UK) from 10 January. At the end of September I booked a return flight on this route 14 - 28 January. I found out about the cessation of this route by checking the website to book another flight - as yet I have received no notification from Monarch about my flight - this after two telephone calls and an email when I was told they had not yet reached a decision. Today I received an email saying

"Thank you for your email.

Monarch will not be operating this route for the winter months.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused."

NOTHING ABOUT MY BOOKED FLIGHT!!

[jimworcs]

Book your replacement tickets quick before the refund... the other rip off loco's will immediately bump up prices to exploit your misery..

[susanwoolley]

There are no other airlines flying from anywhere near to here to where I want to go so the trip I have been counting of the days for is now off altogether but I know what you mean

[PHXFlyer]

If Monarch isn't forthcoming with a refund then contact your credit or debit card issuer. They can do a charge-back and Monarch will be forced to eat the additional processing charges as well. I believe under EU law the airline has at most 2 weeks to process and issue your refund.

[jimworcs]

I can't believe I am saying this, but Ryanair have flights from Liverpool to Murcia departing at 3:15pm on Wed 13 Jan and returning on Mon 18 Jan. Return fare is £60 per person plus luggage and visa card fees. I hate Ryanair, but sometimes needs must... and if you get to keep your holiday it might be worth travelling with the lowest class airline in the world.

Liverpool Airport is 30 miles from Manchester.

[justme]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Book your replacement tickets quick before the refund... the other rip off loco's will immediately bump up prices to exploit your misery..

Wait a minute, I thought it was just the monopolies in the US that did things like that!

There have been many discussions about how the rail services across the pond are far superior to ours in the US, would that be an option? If you could get a sleeper or first class cabin ticket for around the same price it would probably be far more comfortable anyway!

[PHXFlyer]

Just the trip from Madrid to London would require an overnight and a change of train station in Paris. Total travel time of about 18 hours and the least expensive economy class ticket would be about $215 USD one-way. That doesn't even include Murcia to Madrid or London to Manchester on either end! To make the evening train from Madrid to Paris the OP would most likely need to leave Murcia the afternoon or evening beforehand so it would now be a three-day trip and probably require an overnight hotel stay in Madrid. In this case I don't think rail is really an option from both a time and money standpoint.

And in case certain anti-sympathizers are scrutinizing this post I did indeed carefully research this information. I didn't simply pull it out of my nether-regions as has been suggested before. I would post links to various rail schedules and booking engines but you seem to have enough time on your hands so do the research yourself!

[jimworcs]

The train to Murcia... my god, it would be a nightmare, although comparing it to Ryanair.. maybe!!