A family claim they are £10,000 out of pocket after being blocked from boarding a flight because their names were the wrong way round.
Tina Cribb and her relatives insist the clerical error was not made by them and that they had no way of knowing about the gaff until they collected their tickets at Manchester Airport.
Tears were spilled by the nine-person party, who had booked their flights via Trip.com, as an Aer Lingus worker blocked them from the flight to Orlando, Tina claims.
The Cribbs bought a new set of tickets for the following day in a bid to salvage the holiday, but now they're thousands of pounds out of pocket.
Their efforts to claim a refund have so far failed, with Aer Lingus refusing to make changes to a booking through a third party.
Tina, told the Mirror she's "shocked and appalled at how we've been treated".
She added: "It took the shine off the holiday. I just think it's wrong. I think it could've been put right."
The Cribbs had turned up at Manchester Airport on November 5 several hours ahead of their flight to Florida for what they hoped would be a "holiday of a lifetime".
Three and a half hours before take-off they went to the check-in desk to get their tickets.
It was at this point that they discovered that their first names were mixed up with their surnames, meaning they didn't match their passports.
Tina, who praised the Aer Lingus staff at the airport for keeping check-in open as long as possible and being kind, said the family spent hours frantically trying to correct the problem.
The 56-year-old from Norfolk claims they were unable to speak to the groups booking department at Trip.com - where they bought the tickets - because it was closed.
An email sent from Trip.com to the family shows their forenames listed before their surnames, leading Tina to believe that they had entered their details correctly.
According to Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of independent travel agents Advantage Travel Partnership, it's the responsibility of "whoever books to key in the information correctly".
She said there aren't general rules dictating how names must be entered on a ticket, but that "it's up to the airline, a lot of the time it's the discretion of the staff".
"Most people would just see the same names and not even notice it," Julia continued.
"It's a bit like a spelling mistake, but your passport and ticket have to match. If there is a mistake it's down to the airline's discretion.
"It seems very very unfair doesn't it? These are not random names. It does unreasonable, but the rules are it's down to the airline."
A spokesperson for Aer LIngus said: "We’re sorry to learn of Ms Cribb’s experience. Unfortunately, we are not able to make changes to bookings made via third parties such as Trip.com.
"While we do allow names on bookings made directly with Aer Lingus, terms and conditions may vary between online travel agents.
"In order to be accepted for travel the name on a booking must match that of the passport."
Trip.com was contacted for comment.
