We thought our flight was nonstop – should we cancel?

Q In April 2018 we booked a package through an Abta travel agent with a far east cruise departing in October 2019. Last month were we told that the inbound flight from Singapore to Heathrow is via Beijing rather than nonstop. Although flight times on the original booking show “to be confirmed”, it states “depart Singapore arrive London Heathrow”. We took this as a direct flight not via Beijing.

Furthermore we disembark the cruise ship at 8am but the flight is not until shortly before midnight. So we have 16 hours in Singapore with luggage, followed by 19 hours flying back to the UK. This is totally unacceptable to us. After numerous communications with the travel agent, we have decided to cancel our booking. Had we been aware of this information at the time of booking we wouldn’t have booked this holiday. We are in a position now where they are refusing to return our deposit. What are our options?

Maggie P

A The first line of the Abta code of conduct says that members must “make every effort to ensure that accurate information is provided to enable clients to exercise an informed judgement in making their choice of travel arrangements”. I think you can make a reasonable case that if you were told “depart Singapore arrive London Heathrow” then, in the absence of any caveat about a possible change of plane, you could reasonably expect the flights to be nonstop. On a trip like this, having connecting flights via Beijing is a relevant element to your final decision. There are, after all, three airlines (British Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines) competing nonstop on the route.

Before you cancel, see if you can persuade the agent that it is obliged to offer a nonstop flight. It might be that you reach a compromise and agree to pay some of the extra cost. Most agents offer the option to pay more for better flights, and indeed on my way to a cruise in Argentina I paid £200 extra for a nonstop departure from Heathrow on British Airways rather than the “basic” option of travelling via Madrid on Iberia.

Another good reason for not cancelling: the opportunity to have an extra day in Singapore, as presented by an early morning arrival and late-night departure. I would relish such an opportunity. And I would simply take a taxi to a city-centre hotel and negotiate baggage storage in return for paying for breakfast. You can then enjoy a day exploring the city-state unencumbered.

Finally, for future bookings I would never advise committing 18 months in advance. Were I to take an off-peak cruise in the far east, I would book no more than a couple of months ahead – in the hope that I would secure the best possible price and air fare, with nonstop flights if possible.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder