Will we get compensation after our flight was cancelled due to the global IT meltdown?

Q We have had our flight cancelled from Prague to Birmingham with Eurowings, following the global IT chaos. We were told to make our own arrangements to return to Birmingham, as all Eurowings’ systems were down. It was very disconcerting. We eventually managed to book a flight from Prague – via Frankfurt – the following day back to Birmingham. We’re now scheduled to be on a one-way flight costing £570 with Lufthansa. Will Eurowings reimburse us for the costs of the Lufthansa flight? Are we able to claim for expenses in relation to meals, a hotel, and transportation to and from the airport? Finally, are we eligible for any actual compensation, above and beyond any costs incurred?

Debi W

A You are among an estimated 30,000-50,000 passengers who were intending to travel to or from the UK on Friday but who woke up in a different country to the one they expected. The IT failure was particularly severe for Eurowings, which grounded dozens of flights between Germany and UK airports, as well as elsewhere in Europe.

European air passengers’ rights rules specify that any airline cancelling a flight must provide stranded passengers with an alternative means of reaching their destination as soon as possible, plus a hotel and meals while they wait. In practice, though, at times of severe disruption they simply say to passengers: you get on with it.

You will certainly be able to claim the cost of your new flight; the fact that Eurowings is a subsidiary of Lufthansa should help (though it would have been much more useful for you to have been rebooked on the new flights without payment, as the rules require).

Meals (but not alcohol), accommodation and transportation (but not by stretched limo) should be refunded on production of itemised receipts. But the airline will refuse any request for cash compensation on top, saying the issue was beyond its control. A lawyer might argue otherwise, but I do not recommend you enter into a long legal battle. Your travel insurance may possibly provide a token payment for the delay.

open image in gallery

Q For some reason I have never been to Malaga. That is changing next week. What do you recommend?

Tony W

A Far too many people fly into Malaga airport but never visit the city, even though it is a short and cheap bus or train ride away. The city centre (Centro Historico) is a maze of lanes, filled with great places to eat and drink. The rooftop bar at La Terraza de Alcazaba provides an excellent view of the urban chaos and the castle. Los Gatos on the Plaza de Uncibay is officially a tapas bar and cerveceria, but I have dined well and inexpensively there.

In terms of specific sights, the marvellous Picasso Museum is best visited first thing (opens 10am daily except Monday) or later in the day: the two final hours from 6 to 8pm see most visitors vanish. The location itself – the 16th-century Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista – is a treat. Compared with the cramped and overcrowded Picasso Museum in Barcelona, the one in the city of his birth is magnificent and has more than 200 of his works.

I also like the Centre Pompidou Malaga, an outpost of the Parisian original. It’s housed in a colourful cube on the waterfront, with most of the modern art action taking place in subterranean galleries. Close by, the city’s beach, La Malagueta, is fringed with a string of chiringuitos. These are fairly rudimentary outdoor cafes where you can watch your fish being grilled or your paella perfected while you sip a beer.

There’s the mandatory cathedral, built on the remains of a mosque. Apparently, the reason the facade looks unbalanced, with a single tower, is because funds for the other one were diverted to fight the 19th-century revolutionary movements in Latin America.

Lots of Roman and Moorish history, too; the amphitheatre is impressive, and after that I recommend the ascent to the Gibralfaro castle. Next door, the state-run Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro is great for a coffee (and even better if you stay there).

The Atarazanas market on the southwestern edge of the city centre occupies a building once used by the Moors for repairing their ships – as commemorated in a stained-glass panel in the market hall.

Finally, if you have any spare time before your flight home, the Museo Aeronautico de Malaga out near the (modern) airport is free and fun, with the original 1948 control tower. But the hours are annoyingly short: Tuesday 10am-8pm, Wednesday to Saturday 10am-2pm, closed Sunday and Monday

open image in gallery

Q Where was your best free stay during your 30 years as a travel correspondent?

Brendan McH

A As I pay for all my travel, including accommodation, I have a limited number of free nights from which to choose. Late one summer night in Vichy, central France, when all the hotels were full, I “tailgated” a couple into an unstaffed hotel reception, found a comfortable armchair and set my alarm for 5.45am, predicting the staff would be in at six. I dozed reasonably, and scarpered before anyone appeared. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not recommend such a practice and fear it may have transgressed French law.

I have also enjoyed – if that is the right word – free accommodation in some of the shepherds’ huts that punctuate the French side of the Pyrenees; these very basic refuges, many with holes in the roof and recent evidence of livestock occupation, are free on a first-come, first-served basis. I have also stayed in otherwise unoccupied huts in the Darien jungle of Panama, and “wild camped” in a large number of locations including Scotland and France.

In terms of actual beds booked in real hotels, I can recall only a couple of freebies. One was a night at a hotel near Cosford in Shropshire. The place was overbooked, so they put me on a folding bed in the conference suite and did not charge me.

Best of all was in December 2019 at a hotel near Dublin airport. Again, I arrived very late at night. My room turned out to be mid-renovation, complete with workers’ tools and a door with no lock. With no other rooms available, I said I would take my chances. The night passed just fine, and in the morning the manager said she would not charge me for the stay. Assuming the room is finished by now, I will certainly return there and happily pay this time.

open image in gallery

Q I am travelling to Buenos Aires in September and have heard conflicting advice on how to manage my spending money. What do you recommend?

Mark P

A In brief: take clean US dollars in a range of denominations; one or more credit cards with no fees on international transactions; and on arrival seek local advice – typically from your hotel front desk – because in two months much can change.

Unlike most nations around the world, Argentina has more than one exchange rate. The official rate is currently around 900 Argentinian pesos to US$1 (77p). But you should avoid any transactions at this rate because you will end up spending much more than you need. More favourable exchange rates are available, and – unlike the parallel markets in some countries – it is safe and legal to avail of them.

Foreign tourists benefit from an advantageous exchange rate known as MEP, which is about 15-20 per cent better than the official rate. That is handy for credit card transactions. But to be sure of getting the best deal, I much prefer to rely on cash.

Alongside the MEP is the “blue dollar” rate which currently hovers around 50 per cent better than the official rate. This is what you should expect to get in casas de cambio (exchange houses), which are prevalent across Buenos Aires. Ask staff at your hotel for the current rate, and to recommend a good place to change money; hotels themselves are generally not interested in foreign exchange transactions.

Change little and often is the best policy. Higher US dollar note denominations – $50 and $100 – are preferred, and anything lower may get a slightly worse exchange rate. I typically change $100 at a time. But I also take single dollars, as well as fives, tens and twenties, which I can use as tips or for paying for stuff if and when I run temporarily out of pesos.

Argentina used to be outstanding value, but Laura Rendell-Dunn of long-standing specialist tour operator Journey Latin America reports: “Prices have gone up a lot in Argentina since December. It’s still not expensive by UK standards, but no longer the bargain it was.” She says price levels are now similar to Brazil – which, if you can, is well worth combining with Argentina, and for that matter Uruguay.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder