A couple ended up missing their flight and the start of their holiday after they were 'forgotten about' by airport staff and left at the wheelchair access point.
Colin and Sandra Jarvis had arranged special assistance for their Ryanair flight to Faro, Portugal, however the plane ended up leaving without the pair when no one came to get them. They had arrived at two and a half hours early for their flight from Birmingham Airport on Friday, July 8, and were escorted through security.
They were then taken to the wheelchair access point as Sandra, 71, suffers from arthritis and requires a stairlift when boarding. However, time past and no one came to assist them, with the couple soon starting to panic when they realised that their flight was on 'last call'.
After flagging down an airport employee, the couple were reportedly told it was 'too late' to get them onto the flight, and that they would have to come back the following morning. Husband Colin, 56, told Birmingham Live: "We had a flight booked for 6pm to Faro and we got there at about 3.30pm. We went through with special assistance through security and went to the usual departure point for wheelchair access.
Special Assistance travel is available at BHX for passenger who need help getting through the terminal and to their flight. The service must be pre-booked ahead of time.
"Whenever we've used it in the past, someone has come to collect us to board, so we were just sat there nattering away. Then we realised it was the last call for passengers onto our flight and no one had turned up to pick us up.
"It was myself, my wife and another lady left sat there. By the time someone came over, it was to tell us we had missed the flight. They radioed through to somebody to tell them we hadn't boarded yet but by that time, it was too late."
Colin said they were rebooked onto a flight for the following morning, before the airport ordered them a taxi home. The two had booked to stay in a hotel in Portugal on the Friday night before checking into their villa the following afternoon, but said they have lost the money they paid for the room - as well as missing out on the first day of their holiday.
"We only had three hours sleep by the time we had to get up again for our taxi back to the airport, but because of the flight times, we ended up with four hours to kill before we were allowed to check in to our villa," said Colin. "We were absolutely shattered.
"It's the third time this year we've used Birmingham Airport and normally the staff are really good and courteous. On our new flight the next morning, we were treated like royalty. I think they knew they'd let us down the day before.
"We were upset about being forgotten about, but they tried to sort it as best they could. It was just a very stressful experience and it effectively took an entire day off our holiday. It certainly hasn't put us off travelling again in future but it was still an inconvenience which needs highlighting."
Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for letting Mrs Jarvis down. In recognition of our mistake we arranged taxis home, and back again, and rebooked Mrs Jarvis at our cost on a flight the next day.”
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