Friends who had waited four years to see Elton John were left heartbroken when they were forced to miss the concert.
Susan Stoker and Christine Pickard, from Newcastle, decided to splash out on Platinum tickets for the 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour to celebrate a milestone birthday. They forked out £170 each for their ticket to Thursday's Aberdeen show, plus an additional £35 each for the VIP bar, as well as £200 each on flights and £85 for a hotel.
But their "once in a lifetime" trip to see the 76-year-old singer was ruined when they became stranded at Newcastle International Airport because their flight "encountered technical issues before departure", meaning the pair missed out on the show and lost the money they spent on tickets and the hotel. They're hopeful that they will get a refund for the flight.
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Susan, from Denton Burn, said: "We're so utterly gutted to have missed the show. I'm so annoyed and my friend is heartbroken.
"It was a special birthday treat and we've been totally and utterly let down by LoganAir. If they had just said that the flight wasn't going to go ahead until so and so time at night we might have been able to make other arrangements, but there was no communication at all."
Susan explained that their flight was due to leave Newcastle at 2.35pm on Thursday but it was repeatedly delayed and by the time Elton John was due on stage they were yet to depart. She added that the pair also had to wait an hour for their bags to be returned which had been checked in ahead of the flight.
The 63-year-old said: "With all of the rail strikes and problems with the rails lately we didn't want to risk getting the train so we thought it would be a better option to fly there.
"We've had tickets for so long it's been a standing joke that we might not get there."
Since booking the tickets for the tour which started back in 2018, the UK leg of the tour has had to be rescheduled due to Covid and once again due to the signer needing an operation following a fall. But despite the long wait and the bad luck Susan and Christine were not willing to give up on a chance to see Elton John.
And on Saturday the friends, who met at school aged 10, finally got to see the show after booking tickets to see Elton in Glasgow. Once again they paid £170 each for their ticket and £99 for the hotel. But this time they decided to travel by train rather than a plane.
Susan said: "We know we're never going to get another chance to see him. We love concerts and music and we've loved Elton since we were at school."
The pair were seven rows from the front and said they had an amazing night. Susan added: "We couldn't have got better seats if we tried and the show was fantastic. So were the people of Glasgow."
A spokesperson for Loganair said: "We apologise to our customers affected by Thursday's delay after our afternoon flight from Newcastle to Aberdeen encountered technical issues before departure.
"Customers were informed of the delay and provided vouchers for complementary refreshments, with updates provided through text message or email from the contact details provided to us.
"We appreciate this will have disrupted customers’ plans but the safety and well-being of our passengers and staff is our utmost priority."
