✉ We arrived at Gatwick early for our easyJet flight to Mahon in Menorca, but five minutes before our gate details were due to be displayed the flight was canceled and we were told to go to the website if we wanted to rebook. We managed to get ourselves on the BA flight to Mahon two days later but had to pay £1,039 one way. No other flights had seats that day; it was horrendous. On our return we tried to claim a refund but the computer refused to accept our flight number. How on earth do we proceed? We also want a refund for long-term parking booked through easyJet: we had seven hours instead of a week. As we left the car park we were told to talk to customer services: pigs may fly!
Paul and Elizabeth Engelen
EasyJet apologized for the inconvenience you suffered and told me it followed the rules and informed passengers about their rights after the cancellation, but you insist that you weren’t told you were entitled to compensation as well as a refund. After my intervention you were contacted by the airline and because your BA flights were more expensive than the original flights that were refunded, it has refunded the difference. It has also paid you £220 each in denied-boarding compensation because the flight was canceled with less than two weeks’ notice. But you will have to make an insurance claim for your car parking fee because this counts as a “consequential loss” so the airline isn’t liable.
Lisbon, Portugal
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✉ I’m planning a three-night European city break for the family to celebrate my husband’s birthday on December 30 next year. There will be eight adults and two teenagers, we’re all foodies and we particularly enjoy fish restaurants. We’d like to stay in a hotel that could cater for an atmospheric family dinner on New Year’s Eve and we will want to fly from Manchester. Our budget is £15,000 for flights and accommodation. Where should we go?
Maria Keegan
I think you’d all enjoy Lisbon, which has some fabulous seafood restaurants, several of which are in the trendy Chiado district and belong to the celebrity chef Jose Avillez. Pateo, part of Bairro Do Avillez, is perfect for a glam night out, with must-try dishes such as salted cod with “exploding” olives and chargrilled squid with black rice (bairrodoavillez.pt). If you’d prefer a waterfront setting, the large and lively 5 Oceanos on the dockside serves local specialties, including barnacles, and has a great wine list (5oceanos.pt). Stay at the stylish Memmo Principe Real, in a prime spot overlooking the city in one of Lisbon’s loveliest neighbourhoods. Its restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows and you’ll have a fabulous view of the New Year’s Eve fireworks. Three nights’ B&B in a double from December 29 this year starts at £920 (memmohotels.com). Fly from Manchester with easyJet or TAP Air Portugal.
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✉ My husband and I plan to buy Navigo cards when we arrive at the Gare du Nord in Paris and to load ten tickets on each as this seems to reduce the cost of each journey (just as we used to buy a carnet of ten paper tickets ). However, we may not use all ten this year and I’ve been unable to find out how long the tickets bought this way are valid. Can you help?
Anne Harrison
The rechargeable Navigo Easy pass is the Parisian equivalent of London’s Oyster card and you can load up a balance that will stay on your card for up to ten years, giving you plenty of time for return journeys. It costs €2 (£1.70) from a ticket booth in any Metro or train station, no photo ID or name is required (so you could always give it to someone else) and it can be topped up at ticket machines.
The Sandia Mountains, just outside of Albuquerque
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✉ I’m interested in traveling to Albuquerque to explore the locations used in Breaking Bad. My wife has no interest in the area or the show and would prefer to sit by a hotel pool while I’m out. We’d like to stay close to the city but on the outskirts, and would need a car, preferably something sporty. What can you suggest?
Karl Grubb
Breaking Bad and its spin-offs have a cult following, and fans fill daily tours of the filming locations. The most popular is a three-hour trip in a lookalike Breaking Bad RV, which takes in all the hotspots, including Jesse’s house, Los Pollos Hermanos, Walt’s house and the car wash, and you can top off the morning at the Breaking Bad store . Meanwhile, your wife can relax at Hotel Albuquerque Old Town, which shares a pool with his sister property next door. It’s a five-minute walk from the Old Town, where the narrow streets are perfect for mooching if she’s keen on a spot of retail therapy. Route 66 runs right through the city, so there’s plenty to see and do outside Walter White highlights, and if you travel in early October (spring and autumn are the best times to do the trip) you’ll catch the Albuquerque hot-air balloon festival. A room-only week in a king room with a balcony, including flights, Ford Mustang car hire, and Breaking Bad RV tour, starts at £1,995pp with US specialist Bon Voyage, which could help you to plot other locations in the area to visit in your sporty convertible (bon-voyage.co.uk).
✉ I made an application online last year for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), the replacement for my expired European Health Insurance Card. Since then, I’ve tried on numerous occasions to re-apply because nothing arrived, but just got a message saying I’d made an application previously. I’d really like the new card but I’m at a loss to know what to do. Has anyone else reported such difficulties?
Caroline Charington
You’re not the only reader to complain about problems getting hold of the new GHIC, which entitles the holder to state healthcare in the EU; it appears the service is suffering processing delays. The NHS Business Services Authority offered no explanation for the glitch and said cards were being issued 20 working days after being approved. But the NHS Overseas Healthcare Services told an applicant via Twitter that it’s unable to confirm a timescale for cards to arrive, due to the volume of applications. You could ring 0300 330 1350 or use the contact form on nhsbsa.nhs.uk to check on your application and if you travel abroad without your card you can still apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate if you need emergency treatment while you’re away ( you can’t get one in advance). Call 0044 191 218 1999 (from outside the UK) or email nhsbsa.ohsregistrations1@nhs.net.
If you have a gripe, suggestion or question relating to your holidays, please email traveldoctor@thetimes.co.uk
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