Two children were left heartbroken after their £5,200 family holiday was cancelled while they queued.
Anna Saunders, 41, booked a week's getaway to Cyprus with her husband Matthew, 44, and two kids from Stansted Airport on Saturday.
It was the first time they'd been able to get away since the Covid-19 pandemic, but they were dealt a bitter blow as TUI announced their holiday was cancelled via a crushing text.
The family were initially told their flight had been delayed, but they soon discovered the whole trip had been axed due to "operational reasons".
Anna said her kids Eva and Jack, aged 13 and 10, were left devastated as they lost out on a holiday that had already been postponed once before.
Instead, they are now staying in a friend's caravan in Cromer, Norfolk this half-term. Anna, a property worker, told Wales Online : "My kids were heartbroken.
"Explaining to a child that they're not going on holiday after going through the airport is pretty tough. I would be wary to book with TUI again.
"It wasn't what we expected. They must have known they couldn't do the holiday. To not tell us the flight was cancelled until we got to the airport is just disgusting."
In a text message, TUI offered Anna's family a full refund, compensation worth £350 per person and a holiday voucher worth £200 per person.
Anna, from Bedfordshire, said the family had travelled on several holidays with TUI with no major problems.
But she said that TUI's handling of her flight on Saturday had damaged her trust in the travel firm.
"We booked a week of hard-earned leave but you can't compensate for that. You can't compensate for heartbroken children," Anna added.
"We haven't heard anything from TUI and there's been no refund yet."
The family's all-inclusive holiday to Paphos, Cyprus had initially been planned for October 2021, but it had to be postponed due to Eva catching Covid in the run-up. Anna said she was aware of queuing delays at Stansted Airport and the family arrived almost four hours before their departure on Saturday.
Travel chaos has struck Britain's major airports over the past few days, with some holidaymakers missing flights due to long waiting times.
"We turned up at Stansted at 12.30pm, our flight was 4.10pm and there was no indication of any problems," Anna said.
"We had received text messages from TUI in the run-up saying 'looking forward to seeing you'. At the check-in desk there was a bit of chaos. There were a few flights checking in but not enough staff.
"We were there for a good two hours. The queue was moving very slowly. After that we went through security and had to run to the gate.
"There was no indication of a problem with the flight. People were queuing to board. As we were waiting we got a text saying it was delayed for an hour. We asked the staff and they didn't have a clue, which was a bit strange."
She added: "Then two hours later they made an announcement that the flight was completely cancelled. Everyone was devastated but we thought we might get a flight the next day.
"We went to get our luggage and then went back to the gate again. We spent another hour and a half waiting in the queue.
"Then we got a text saying the entire holiday was cancelled. The other passengers were calm but we were all shocked."
A spokesperson from TUI said: “We’d like to apologise to customers travelling on flight TOM5658 from London Stansted to Paphos on Saturday 28 May which was unfortunately cancelled due to operational issues. Customers affected by flight cancellations will receive a full refund for their holiday within 14 days.
"The May half-term holidays are always an incredibly busy period with many customers looking to get away, and we understand that they will have been looking forward to these holidays for a long time.
"While flight delays and cancellations with us are rare, unfortunately the sudden increase in people going on holidays combined with various operational and supply chain issues, has meant that a small number of our flights have been impacted. Our teams have been working tirelessly to support affected customers, through direct communications and providing overnight accommodation and transfers where needed, as well as meals and refreshments.
"We continue to work closely with our airport partners to monitor the situation and provide the best possible holiday experience for our customers. We’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding at this time.”
