Is it best to steer clear of ‘bargain’ all-inclusives?

Simon Calder on cheaper flights to Australia, compensation, and Brighton Pride

Back for seconds? Cut-price meals and drinks are an incentive (Getty)

Q In your experience, do bargain all-inclusive holidays involve dismal food and entertainment? I am used to Club Med, but with prices rising in euroland I am inclined to economise.

Sharon Z

A I am not the best person to ask about all-inclusive holidays since I do my best to avoid them. I believe the travel experience is richer if you go out and find interesting places to eat and drink rather than being confined to one particular complex – where, having paid in advance for everything you might want to eat and drink, you have a strong disincentive to explore.

I recognise, though, all-inclusive holidays can offer significant cost advantages. Catering is industrialised, cutting the cost of providing meals and drinks and that is reflected in the price you pay.

“Industrialised” doesn’t necessarily mean unappealing. At the start of the year, I stayed at an all-inclusive property in Hurghada in Egypt to report on a £500-for-a-month holiday deal. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. For those who are happy, like me, with a few beers in an evening, the drinks were fine and the service extremely attentive (the understanding was that you modestly tip with each refill).

I would not characterise the entertainment on offer in Hurghada as being of West End standards. But, aimed as it was at the substantial Russian clientele, it was a fascinating cultural experience.

Finally, were I seeking a bargain holiday, I would choose a low-cost destination. In August, that would be Poland’s Baltic Coast – anywhere from the German border to Sopot outside Gdansk. In September or October this year, the Greek Island of Rhodes would be my choice; prices are lower due to a certain reluctance to visit. The island is safe and the tourism industry needs support. In either location, I would book a self-catering trip knowing that there are many great places to eat and drink in the facility at reasonable prices.

London to Sydney flights are coming down in price (Destination NSW)

Q I am desperate to visit family in Australia. Will there be cheaper flight prices soon?

Joan S

A Yes, and indeed I am glad to say I am looking at them right now. For years until the Covid pandemic, the reliable option for cut-price fares to Australia was aboard a Chinese airline via one of the hubs in the People’s Republic. From the start of the Covid shutdown early in 2020 until very recently, overseas leisure visitors were not welcome into China, even for a connecting flight.

Meanwhile, fares soared way above pre-pandemic levels: I paid a shade over £1,200 return (out to Sydney, back from Melbourne) last year, at least 50 per cent more than my previous trip, and fares have been even higher this year.

The situation has now changed and carriers such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern are back in the game. Looking ahead to a departure on 15 September from London to Sydney, returning two weeks later, China Southern is selling through online travel agents for as little as £730 via Guangzhou. This is a long journey, extended still further coming back by the need to change again in Amsterdam. But the presence of Chinese carriers means fares on other airlines will fall due to the increased competition. Vietnam Airlines – which I rate above the Chinese airlines – has a deal for just over £903 via Ho Chi Minh City.

Personally, I do not recommend buying until shortly before you are due to depart because I think deals could become even keener from September onwards. Various authorities are predicting that the surge in demand for long-haul flights is dwindling fast, partly because people have made up for missed trips and partly because of the cost of living crisis. I may be wrong, but I find booking a day before travel to Australia is convenient.

Ostuni in the Italian province of Brindisi (Getty/iStockphoto)

Q Back in October 2022, my flight to Brindisi was cancelled 24 hours before departure due to a strike in Italy by ground staff. They did not have any other flights until a few days later, which was no good to us as the break itself was just for four days. We ended up searching for an alternative airline and paid through the nose to fly us out the same day. Aside from refunding our outward flight costs, we have received no assistance. Am I entitled to any compensation?

Jen KA

A I was sorry to read your question because this should have been sorted out swiftly after your return. For flights starting anywhere in the UK or Europe, an airline that grounds a flight is required to help you get there as soon as possible, if that is what you want. The cause of the cancellation is immaterial. Airlines are supposed to make it quite clear that if they do not have a suitable flight on the same day as you were originally due to travel, they must pay for an alternative on a rival carrier.

This rule, which has applied for many years, is the most valuable of all the rights that passengers have when a flight is cancelled. It is probably also the least known. The spirit of the law is clear, and I believe any notification of cancellation should say upfront: “We will pay for you to get there as soon as possible.”

In practice, because this obligation can expose airlines to hundreds or even thousands of pounds in extra costs for each passenger, it is generally buried deep in the message cancelling your flight. Many airlines, in my opinion, do the minimum they can to stay within the law: just enough to be able to say to the regulator that they mention the option, while keeping many affected passengers (like you) in the dark.

Fortunately, you are still able to claim (for flights from England and Wales, you have six years from the date of the flight). Go online and begin a claim (which may be marked “welfare”); if there are obstacles, you will need to contact the customer service team and explain what you need.

Don’t be deterred if you are told you are unable to claim because you have already accepted a refund; the airline owes you the money you spent on new tickets, minus your original outbound fare. Make it clear that you are seeking recompense for the costs caused by the cancellation, rather than cash compensation – which is due only when the airline is at fault.

Thousands will be unable to attend Brighton Pride this weekend because of rail cancellations (PA)

Q What is your view of the cancellation of all trains to Brighton today for Pride because of the rail dispute? It has ruined what has always been a great day for me and many other LGBT+ people who live in London. Lots of us have no access to cars. Where should we direct our anger?

Jennifer R

A Brighton has a better claim than anywhere else to be the gay capital of Britain – which makes its annual Pride event extra special. This year, as you say, is going to be very different. While trains are running normally to and from the city on Friday and Sunday, on Saturday there are no trains to anywhere within 20 miles of Brighton. The closest stations with any services are Arundel, Horsham, Three Bridges (in Crawley), East Grinstead and Uckfield. The aim of the draconian closure: to ensure that no one attempts to get to or from Brighton by rail during Pride.

Given that many tens of thousands of people normally travel by train, particularly from London, to attend the event, how could this possibly happen? The root of the mass cancellation of trains is the overtime ban currently being imposed by Aslef, the train drivers’ union. As part of the long and bitter dispute with English rail firms, drivers are exercising their right not to work on rest days. On “normal” overtime-ban days, GTR – the company that runs Southern and Thameslink trains to and from Brighton – cuts just a few services. So why doesn’t that happen on Pride Day too?

Public safety, GTR says. “Every year, we run a significantly enhanced service for Pride with additional late-night trains on Saturday evening.” Normally this is covered by drivers working overtime. That cannot happen this year, and without them “there is a clear risk of stranding tens of thousands of people overnight without accommodation”. GTR says: “We are bitterly disappointed and know this will be incredibly frustrating for everyone who will be impacted, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community.”

Aslef has a different view. The general secretary, Mick Whelan, says: “The fact that GTR Thameslink has chosen not to run services for passengers on Saturday reveals that this is a clear, conscious, and deliberate decision to disrupt – and ruin – Brighton Pride.”

This is all very sad, and an accidental consequence of a dispute that has dragged on far too long – with no credit to the government, the train operators or the unions.