A family claim they have been left £10,000 out of pocket after being stopped from boarding a flight as their names were the wrong way round.
Tina Cribb insists the error was not made by them, and they were not aware of it until they collected their tickets at Manchester Airport. The group of nine, who booked their flights via Trip.com, are said to have been in tears as an Aer Lingus worker blocked them from the flight to Orlando.
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, the Mirror reports.
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Tina said her efforts to claim a refund have so far failed, as Aer Lingus refuses to make changes to a booking made using a third party. She said she is "shocked and appalled at how we've been treated".
Tina 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 several hours ahead of their flight to Florida, on November 5, 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 group's booking department at Trip.com 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".
She added: "Most people would just see the same names and not even notice it. 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."
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.
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