MYSTERY SHOPPER WIN MY BOOKING


CARLISLE


WANTED: Two parents want to take their autistic 10-year-old daughter on an overseas holiday. They are looking for autism-friendly facilities and advice on coping at airports. BUDGET: £4,000


WINNING AGENT


ASSISTANT MANAGER LYNDSEY CAMPBELL CASSON


‘ VERDICT


Dawson & Sanderson was the only agency to offer an option from a company that specialises in holidays for disabled travellers – and sourced a cheaper holiday too. Thomas Cook and Cumbria Travel offered holidays from mainstream operators that were well under budget.


We get quite a few enquiries


about holidays for disabled people, such as wheelchair users, and we’re getting more for


those with special needs. There are more options than there used to be, and the airports and airlines have more facilities too.


Dawson & Sanderson 31 LOWTHER STREET


There was a good selection of brochures and the staff looked professional. The agent asked about my daughter’s needs and spoke to an advisor at Enable Holidays. She knew about airport


assistance for hidden disabilities, and her recommendations had a play area for arts and crafts. I was given two quotes for a


seven-night holiday at THB Tropical Island, Lanzarote, flying from Newcastle in April: £3,077 with Enable Holidays, including private transfers and airport assistance; and £2,076 with Jet2holidays, including coach transfers and airport assistance. She was interested in finding out about autism-friendly holidays, and sourced a better deal when she realised the hotel was available from different providers.


91%


THIS WEEK’S WINNER


55%


Thomas Cook 13-15 ENGLISH STREET


SCORING SYSTEM


10% Appearance/first impressions


25% Customer service


25% Advice and product knowledge


25% Holiday details 15% Overall experience


The agent offered me a range of options and emailed quotes later that day. Both were for seven-night Thomas Cook


holidays, flying from Manchester in April, including private taxi transfers. The first


was for £2,121 at the Suite Hotel Atlantis, Fuerteventura. The second was for £2,657 at the Sunwing Resort Fanabe, Tenerife. They were not the hotels I had viewed in the shop and offered only one bedroom, with a partitioned area for my child.


53%


Cumbria Travel 31-33 FISHER STREET


I was shown options on a screen, but had no time to study them. The agent didn’t seem confident about my requirements and didn’t ask any open questions about my daughter’s needs. Both quotes were for seven nights in Lanzarote in April, flying from Newcastle: for £2,293 at the


GF Gran Costa Adeje, with Thomas Cook; and for £2,247 at the Caybeach Sun, with Jet2holidays. But I expected my budget to have been better used.


32travelweekly.co.uk2 May 2019


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