Anyone Ever Done a Late Deal Flight Out Of Gatwick With Thomson - Little Help? (API)

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Little help from the great and the good of NSC por favor?

Booked a Thomson late deal flight last weekend to fly out from Gatwick 7am tomorrow morning.

Usually do a booking much early with Thomson and can enter API (advance Passenger Information), check-in online etc.

With a late booking, all these useful options have the buttons greyed out. So I'm looking at joining the check-in queue from hell at Gatwick earlydoors in the morning. I'm hand luggage only.

My question is: if I arrive at the front of that queue, say, 3 hours before my flight time, will check-in person be able to enter my API there and then? Thomson website is annoyingly inconsistent and ambiguous, it says in some places API must be entered up to 24 hours before the flight, and in other places at least 6 hours before the flight. In yet another place it says if I am flying with another airline (doh!) it can be entered for me at the check-in desk. If I turn up at a Thomson check-in desk 3 hours before my flight, will I be told I can't fly as I haven't entered API?

What gives?

Cheers

 

[whitelion]

What gives? seems to be in vogue.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

TelephoneThomson?

 

[Bry Nylon]

Have you tried checking in and checking out again?

 

[seagully]

I used to work for TUI (owners of Thomson) and as such used to get lots of last minute flights due to them selling unbooked seats last minute to staff. I never had a problem at check in, no-one even asked about API.

 

[Gazwag]

I always thought it was NSC law that when posting about this sort of thing you have to put where you are going and you haven't asked where you can watch Germany v Mexico tomorrow night either.

sorry can't help with the answer

 

[Colonel Angus]

What gives?

My trousers, after a large meal.

Sorry, I can't help with your problem

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

TelephoneThomson?

Did that first. The call centre person had patently no idea and was just winging it to get me off the line. Also sent them an email using their email form to which they have yet to reply. It's just a a bit rubbish that Thomson/TUI can't provide a clear and concise here's-exactly-what-you-do-if you-book-a-late-deal that even a paranoid IT-savvy customer can understand. Ah well, I'm sure sure all will be well. And if it's not I'll be sure to get medieval on their sorry asses in the small claims court.

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

Where are you off to? If it's Europe only Spain requires API.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

My trousers, after a large meal.

Sorry, I can't help with your problem

Au contraire Colonel, your feedback has been most helpful.

 

[seagully]

Did that first. The call centre person had patently no idea and was just winging it to get me off the line. Also sent them an email using their email form to which they have yet to reply. It's just a a bit rubbish that Thomson/TUI can't provide a clear and concise here's-exactly-what-you-do-if you-book-a-late-deal that even a paranoid IT-savvy customer can understand. Ah well, I'm sure sure all will be well. And if it's not I'll be sure to get medieval on their sorry asses in the small claims court.

I've seen first hand how inept their call centre staff are-both onshore and offshore. I wouldn't worry about it, I'm certain it will be fine

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Where are you off to? If it's Europe only Spain requires API.

Greece.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have you tried checking in and checking out again?

Don't START...

 

[Westdene Seagull]

What gives? seems to be in vogue.

You need to be in the nose to understand why

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

Greece.

You should be ok sans API then I think.

http://www.flightcentre.co.uk/before-you-fly/travel-advice/apis

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Did that first. The call centre person had patently no idea and was just winging it to get me off the line. Also sent them an email using their email form to which they have yet to reply. It's just a a bit rubbish that Thomson/TUI can't provide a clear and concise here's-exactly-what-you-do-if you-book-a-late-deal that even a paranoid IT-savvy customer can understand. Ah well, I'm sure sure all will be well. And if it's not I'll be sure to get medieval on their sorry asses in the small claims court.

It doesn't surprise me with Thomson/Tui. One of my family had a job with them three years ago.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I've seen first hand how inept their call centre staff are-both onshore and offshore. I wouldn't worry about it, I'm certain it will be fine

Cheers mate. If all goes well, you'll all be spared me whining and bitching like a whiny bitch on here, about Tories, Rail Companies and Baldock contract renewals, for the next week. After which normal service will be resumed. Obviously

 

[JCL - the new kid in town]

Did that first. The call centre person had patently no idea and was just winging it to get me off the line. Also sent them an email using their email form to which they have yet to reply. It's just a a bit rubbish that Thomson/TUI can't provide a clear and concise here's-exactly-what-you-do-if you-book-a-late-deal that even a paranoid IT-savvy customer can understand. Ah well, I'm sure sure all will be well. And if it's not I'll be sure to get medieval on their sorry asses in the small claims court.

Thomson are rubbish. We flew with a them to Dominican republic (4 adults, 4 kids). They allocated us seats next to each other for outward journey but on the return we were spread out completely, no 2 seats together despite the kids being aged 6, 4, 3 and 2 which airline guidelines say should be seated with an adult. (yes i know we didn't pay extra to choose seats but i'll not go into that now). Anyway we got these allocations about 2-4 weeks before we left and we rang customer services who said they'd sort it. Every few days we contacted them and they said they would sort it until a few days before we left they said don't worry speak to the person at the desk in the airport. We did this and were fobbed off to the thomson rep at the resort who spent the next 2 weeks saying they would sort it and it would be fine. We got to the airport to leave and they hadn't done anything, we were then checked in with no seats and sent through to the gate where they eventually sorted it just as we got on the plane which meant we got glares from the people who they'd moved from the seats at such a late stage. No apology really and even complaining to them after the event meant they grudgingly gave us a £100 voucher off our next trip with them. A voucher that we haven't used and don't intend to.

 

[Easy 10]

they grudgingly gave us a £100 voucher off our next trip with them. A voucher that we haven't used and don't intend to.

Can I have it then ?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Just finally got an email back from Thomson customer service centre. My flight goes at 7.20 and check-in closes 45 minutes before then. According to them I won't be allowed to check in until 5.20. Sounds like complete BS to me. I'll be attempting to check in long before then. If they turn me away, I'll join the queue one more time, seeing as how I'll be at LGW in the middle of the night anyways with nothing much better to do. If I somehow judge it right and hit that small window of opportunity (about 75 minutes by my reckoning) and they still find a reason not to check me in then I'll be suing these ****s for the full cost of my missed holiday, not just the missed flight. Breathtakingly rubbish.