HORRENDOUS SERVICE, POOR CUSTOMER HANDLING, FLEECING INNOCENT TRAVELLERS
HORRENDOUS SERVICE, POOR CUSTOMER HANDLING, FLEECING INNOCENT TRAVELLERS
I purchased a return flight ticket from BudgetAir.co.uk for travel on the following itinerary:
Outbound: Harare (HRE) → Addis Ababa (ADD) → London Heathrow (LHR), departing 9 March 2026 (ET872/ET700)
Return: London Heathrow (LHR) → Addis Ababa (ADD) → Harare (HRE), departing 19 March 2026 (ET701/ET873)
The booking was operated by Ethiopian Airlines and issued under E-ticket number 071-2158127439.
Prior to travel, my application for a United Kingdom Visitor Visa was delayed in approval. I contacted BudgetAir.co.uk promptly upon receiving this decision and requested a date change to the outbound flight — a reasonable and commercially proportionate request given the visa denial was through no fault of my own.
BudgetAir refused this request outright. Your company made no effort to act as a competent travel intermediary on my behalf, failed to exercise reasonable skill and care in handling my request, and took no steps to mitigate my loss. I even contacted Ethiopian Airlines who referred me to you. It sad that after countless efforts and endless waiting running into more than an hour, you refused to change my ticket. Whatever reasons for such an inefficient service is none of my business.
As a direct result of BudgetAir's refusal to assist, I was compelled to purchase for a replacement outbound ticket at an additional cost of £699 which I could not afford. I subsequently obtained my UK Visitor Visa and travelled to the United Kingdom on the replacement ticket. This was an entirely avoidable expense caused by BudgetAir's failure to act appropriately.
On 17 March 2026, I attempted to utilise the return portion of the original ticket (London Heathrow → Harare, departing 19 March 2026) by logging onto the Ethiopian Airlines website. I was presented with the following message:
"Unable to retrieve the booking. There is no itinerary associated with this booking. It may have been cancelled or intentionally removed."
The return ticket — which I paid for and did not cancel — has been cancelled or voided, whether by BudgetAir directly or as a consequence of BudgetAir's action or inaction with Ethiopian Airlines. I have not received any refund, any notice of cancellation, or any credit in respect of this ticket.
BudgetAir failed to meet this standard in two distinct ways:
Refusing to act on a reasonable date-change request following a visa approval delay — a circumstance in which a competent travel agent should have facilitated amendment requests to the airline on the customer's behalf.
Allowing or causing the return ticket to be cancelled without notice, consent, or refund — a failure that directly deprives me of a paid-for travel service.
Lastly their online customer service of real person is fake. It will just say: "More than 30 person in line". I waited for more than an hour to the extend that I slept late.
If I get no response, I am going to:
- File a formal complaint with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) — Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), CAA House, 45–59 Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE;
- Submit a complaint to the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform, as referenced in BudgetAir's own Terms and Conditions;
- Initiate proceedings in the County Court (Small Claims Track) under the Civil Procedure Rules, in which I will also seek interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and/or the County Courts Act 1984 at the rate of 8% per annum;
- Contact my card issuer to initiate a chargeback under the relevant card scheme rules, citing non-delivery of paid-for services;
- Report BudgetAir's conduct to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for potential breach of consumer protection laws.
- Claim any hotel and subsistence costs which I might incur if this is not resolved and I fail to travel
