RubyRose

Hugs and best wishes.

Jay Bird

Hi Ruby - I've sent you a PM. Our thoughts are with you, love.

YYZlover

Hugs and best wishes from me too.

RodRos&Co.

Our sincere sympathies, hope you get your passport back in time.

Alberta_Rose

Sincerely sympathies from here too!!

Tell you what though, it's given me a jolt. I've been humming and haa-ing over sending a renewal back via the UK and trying to avoid the overseas fees. I was going to do it after Christmas, and now it's mid January and I still haven't.

Now I think maybe I'll just get them done at Ottawa as I should and stop mithering!

Otherwise I could find myself in the same situtaion or worse!

NovaBoy

Sorry to hear of your sad news.

Hope everything works out for you.

Ruby Murray

Such kind words from all of you....I am sincerely and truly touched xxxx
I certainly didn't expect me and my OH to be hit with this so soon after Piff Poff's bad news, especially when I had her over on Saturday and we were offering her our condolences for her MIL. Like someone said earlier, 2008 seems to be setting off on a bad footing for a few people.

Here's to those of you who have lost a loved one recently, and also to my wonderful dad-in-law - Bill

burton bunch

Rube

So very sorry - virtual hugs to you all
xxx

From another former Tamesider
xx

Novocastrian

Best Ruby.

Novo

Ruby Murray

Ta Gay....want owt picking up from Morrisons? I'd get something in for you and you could pick it up next time you're passing through?

Ruby Murray

Sorry to drag this post up again folks, but just another update on what appears to be a really stressful chapter in our lives right now.........

Received a call from the British High Commission in Ottawa early this morning and they had at last received the application and she told me she would make a start on making the passport up, but without the fax of the death certificate, she could not send it out. Several frantic phone calls later enquiring as to what the hold up was with faxing the document, and it was finally received in Ottawa at 2.30pm EST!! I got the good news that my son's passport and resident card, along with my passport were finally off by priority mail and should be received by tomorrow lunchtime. I am still advised NOT to book the tickets until we have all documentation in our hands. Our next dilemma are the flights - MY GAWD are they expensive!!! The cheapest we've seen so far, and I think we will go for them are Calgary to Manchester this Saturday for $3,736 and that is only for 6 days!! We tried the bereavement discount with Air Canada but they were $1,360 each due to the fact that they allow you to make changes to the ticket without further cost. In a nutshell, it is still $3,700 we haven't got and it's going to whack the mastercard up to, well, quite a lot actually! We are in a situation where we are going to have to reconsider whether to keep in this house and perhaps sell the truck.....not only because of this incident, but we might also face the same again if his mum does down hill (which I am sincerely hoping she will not - she has ALS). I am so stressed, I've been to the Dr's today for a sick note and some "little helpers" to get me through what I've been experiencing these past few months of homesickness and now this bereavement. I'm sure it will all come good soon but this is one of life's sad hurdles.

acer rose

Very sorry to read your news.

There are a couple of websites you could try, especially if you can be flexible about your UK arrival location. There'll be more flights to London instead of Manchester so they could be cheaper. Select London (all) for flights to any London airport (usually comes up with Gatwick or Heathrow arrivals).

www.kayak.com
www.expedia.ca

I have booked flights through both of these before but noted that Air Canada is always cheaper on their own website than either of these. Try to make sure you stay over a Saturday night for the cheapest tickets. If you are leaving on Saturday and arriving Sunday for example, you might find it cheaper to fly back the following Sunday.

roanin

Rotten luck I must say! and damn the eyes of the airlines who's predatory pricing practices are adding insult to your grief! They only do this because they can!

Good luck.

mkmurrays

Sorry if I've missed something and you've been through the 'bereavement flights' option, but aren't BA and Air Canada supposed to offer discounts in these circumstances?

I do feel for you - could be any of us - and it's an awful situation.

Sending hugs and karma. Hope you get one of the airlines to behave decently in the end. Keep us posted. x

Ruby Murray

Hi, yes we tried to get quotes with Air Canada using the bereavement discount, but it really isn't "cheaper" than their seat sales.....the prices are more ($1,350 as opposed to $1,000.97) but they do offer flexibility as to free changes to the ticket and you have up to 30 days to use the return part. BA.....good old British Airways......you have to pay the full fare up front, provide a copy of the death certificate and they will reimburse the discount, but if it's anything like the Air Canada, then forget it! Oh and by the way, would you believe their quote for flying out this Saturday...3 adults and 1 child.....drum roll.......over $10,000!! I kid you not!! Our hopes lie with the Zoom on Saturday, but we STILL have not been able to book those seats as we should've received the passports today by Priority mail, only to be told on the phone by Canada Post that the Ottawa sorting office, which happens to be literally across the street from the British High Commission, held onto our letter for too long (2 hours) in order to get it out on the plane to Edmonton!! Oh and the best part was that I should expect it by Monday!! The woman at the BHC was absolutely livid when I told her that and she phoned up Canada Post herself and reemed them out, told them to track the letter and get it to me by Friday. I could not thank that woman enough....talk about empathy. Of all the applications they must receive and she really made our situation top priority. I hope and pray so much that we receive the passports by tomorrow so that we can finally place the booking for 4 seats on the Zoom and we will be there by Sunday. If we don't get them, then we will have to decide not to go, or pay approx $1,000 more on the Air Canada on Tuesday to Heathrow, paying about 400 GBP on a connection to M'cr.........It sounds like a comical farce, but believe me, we are utter nervous wrecks about it all.

Oh acer rose.....thanks but we've tried all the expedia/travelocity type websites but they only offer scheduled airlines and most of them mean going via the US, which we really would prefer not to...its just too much hassle and the last time we went via there, they made us feel like total criminals and snapped open all our little padlocks on our cases and left the contents in a total disgrace. Thanks, but I would prefer to stay within Canadian airspace

Mkmurrays and everyone else...thanks for the karma and lovely words xx

I should know by tomorrow (Friday) if we made it on Saturday's flight....I'll let you know.

Thanks for listening,
Jaycee xxxx