Fuming TUI couple told to leave plane to Corfu an hour after boarding
A couple have spoken of their TUI holiday nightmare after they faced two cancelled flights and a 30-hour delay. Wendy and Mark Wilson were due to fly from Leeds Bradford to the Greek island of Corfu at 3.05pm on July 14.
They boarded the plane at 2.40pm but one hour later they were asked to disembark due to a technical fault, reports Hull Live. They were due to go to Manchester to catch a flight from there that evening but were later told that also that had been cancelled.
Eventually, they were booked into a Leeds hotel at 10pm, while others on the flight had to go home as the delay meant they had missed a cruise in Greece. Wendy, 54, said TUI were "useless" and added that passengers were getting frustrated due to the lack of communication.
They enjoyed their shortened stay in Corfu despite the delays they faced (HullLive/MEN)
Passengers facing delays at Leeds Airport (HullLive/MEN)She said: "At one point, the police came to where we were at the airport because people were getting so cross although nothing actually happened.
"There were no reps and all the information was coming by email. Some of the more elderly passengers didn’t have access to emails and there were issues with connectivity.
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"TUI were useless. At no point while we were waiting in the airport did anyone supply us with water or food vouchers. Elderly people were forced to stand or sit on the floor for more than three hours.
"It was the lack of communication that has been the worst part of all this. There should have been three or four reps looking after people. We should have been able to speak to someone face to face."
Even when the stricken passengers got to their hotel, they were unable to get something to eat because it was so late, said Wendy.
She added: "When we got to the hotel in Leeds it was 10pm so we did not get any food. We just had to eat the packet of crisps we had with us.
"At the hotel, no one knew when the flight would be so could not sleep as it may have been first thing in the morning. We eventually got an email at 3am to say it would be at 5pm on Saturday."
The next day at 1pm the passengers got a coach to Manchester for a flight at 5pm, which was also delayed by a further five hours. Eventually, they left Manchester for Corfu and only arrived at their hotel at 4.30am on Sunday morning when they should have been there on Friday evening.
Wendy said: "Even the 5pm flight was delayed by five hours so we did not arrive at our hotel in Corfu until 4.30am on the Sunday. That meant we missed all day Saturday and we had to sleep until the afternoon on Sunday so we missed half of that too. It is a third of our holiday more or less.
"But we were lucky compared to some. Those due to go on a cruise missed their ship so their holiday was gone. We were all just left in limbo."
Thankfully, the couple have enjoyed their rather shortened stay in Corfu although the heatwave has seen temperatures reach a rather uncomfortable 40C at times. They were due to return home on Friday.
Wendy said: "The hotel has been fine and they remained open to handle our arrival which was very good of them. It is really nice and we have had plenty of sun even if it has been a bit too hot at times."
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The couple said they will seek compensation from the airline and, while TUI apologised and said all customers will be entitled to claim EU261 flight delay compensation, Wendy said the airline has not been in contact yet.
A company spokeswoman said: "We'd like to apologise to Mr and Mrs Wilson for the disruption to their flight from Leeds Bradford to Corfu on the 14th July.
"The aircraft they were meant to travel on developed a technical issue while at Leeds Bradford and as a result we provided customers with overnight accommodation until their new flight time from Manchester the following day. Unfortunately, this flight was also delayed.
"We understand how frustrating this is for customers, and would once again like to apologise for the inconvenience caused. All customers will be entitled to claim EU261 flight delay compensation. Mr and Mrs Wilson have not yet claimed flight delay compensation but our teams will be raising the payment on their behalf."
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