A family have been left devastated as their dream holiday was ruined by a ticketing error, costing them £10k. Tina Cribb, 56, and her family were stopped from boarding an Aer Lingus flight due to a small error with their tickets.
Tina claims that the mistake was not on their end and they had no way of knowing about the issue until they picked up their tickets at Manchester Airport. The 56-year-old claims that tears were shed after the nine-person party were blocked from getting on their flight to Orlando.
She says the family splashed the cash on a fresh set of tickets the following day in a last gasp bid to save the trip. However, she claims in doing so that the family are now thousands of pounds out of pocket, reports the Mirror.
The group's efforts to claim a refund have so far been unfruitful, with Aer Lingus refusing to make changes to a booking through a third party. Tina says that their initial flights, which they were unable to board, were booked via Trip.com.
She said: "[I am] shocked and appalled at how we've been treated. It took the shine off the holiday. I just think it's wrong. I think it could've been put right."
The Cribbs arrived at Manchester Airport last month, several hours ahead of their flight, looking forward to a "holiday of a lifetime". However, they were given a nasty surprise when they went to collect their tickets from the check-in desk.
Upon reviewing the tickets, they discovered that their first names were mixed up with their surnames, meaning they didn't match their passports. Tina says the family spent hours frantically trying to correct the problem with Aer Lingus staff at the airport.
The 56-year-old claims they were unable to speak to the group booking department at Trip.com - where they purchased the tickets - because it was closed. An email sent from Trip.com to the family shows their forenames listed before their surnames, which Tina believed meant that they had entered their details correctly.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of independent travel agents Advantage Travel Partnership, says it's the responsibility of "whoever books to key in the information correctly". She said there aren't rules on 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".
Julia 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. 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."
The Mirror have contacted Trip.com for comment on the incident.
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