[Kristin P]

My 15 year old daughter and her 15 year old friend traveled to the U.K from Toronto last month to visit friends. When they were returning from the U.K. back to Canada, they checked Air Transat's website and it stated their flight was 3 hours delayed, they confirmed this on the phone. When they arrived at Gatwick, 3 hours before the revised departure time, they were told their flight had left and tough luck, no offer to assist with a new flight or phone home. When our British friend came to their rescue an hour later, they were told that yes, the flight was delayed and still hadn't left but the girls were not allowed to board because they had to arrive 3 hours before the time on the ticket, not the acutal departure time...a policy that doesn't appear on their website but is obviously a way of weeding out passsengers when they overbook a flight without compesnation. We had to buy a ticket ($1000 each) the following day form Air India, leaving from Heathrow. Air Transat and Thomas Cook are sleazy...they lied and left two minors to fend for themselves and they don't return complaints. I hope the go bankrupt.