Passengers on a TUI flight were diverted at the last minute to an airport 225 miles away from their expected destination. Leon Kearney and his partner Lucie McKeown had enjoyed a delayed holiday to Turkey with TUI, which they had originally booked in 2020.
Having seen their trip away pushed back due to Covid, they finally flew out from Manchester on June 17. Despite a few delays, they enjoyed a "great holiday".
Unfortunately their journey home on June 25 was not so great. Leon told the LiverpoolECHO that their flight back from Antalya to Manchester was delayed by more than three hours.
That wasn't the biggest issue, though, as less than an hour before they were due to land, a "random" announcement came from the pilot informing passengers that they would now be landing at London Gatwick - around 225 miles away - due to issues with crew hours, Leon, from the Wirral, said.
He said: "This came out of nowhere. We weren't told about this beforehand, if we had we would have been prepared. We were told there would be coaches to get us back to Manchester, but when we'd got our luggage, the reps told us there were no coaches and we had to make our own way home and claim it back.
"We didn't get any help. It was a shambles, there was no communication. I feel sorry for the staff, but it felt premeditated. We had to rush around getting trains, but there were strikes in London. We managed to get a train from Gatwick to London Victoria, to Euston and then to Manchester and then to Lime Street.
"We had our transfer ready to meet us at Manchester Airport, which cost us another £80 to get him to change it so we could get home. Me and my partner were due in work on the Saturday, but we couldn't make our shifts so lost out money there. It's appalling."
Leon added that despite trying to claim back compensation, he has not managed to do so. He added: "We got a taxi quote for £400 that would only take us to Crewe, so our only option was the train. I know some people paid £500 to get home. It put a massive dampener on the holiday.
"No one has been away for two years and it just causes unnecessary stress. We'd had virtually no sleep for 24 hours after the delayed flight and then getting home. You can't have a go at the staff. I've worked in the hospitality industry.
"The pandemic has nailed the travel industry, and now we are trying to get it back. People were forced to get other jobs, but these trades are now needed. The staff need to be looked after more.
"What's bothering me is the technique, we got off the plane and were told to make our own way home. We are flying with TUI to Tenerife in August and I'm worried.
"A normal person wouldn't know what channels to go down for compensation. We paid out £120, which isn't a lot of money in the scheme of things, but what if you had no money? The form you fill out is very basic and you can't get hold of anyone."
A spokesperson for TUI said due to local events in the area and transport links, taxis and shuttles were fully booked and so passengers were advised to arrange their own transport where possible, but for those unable to, taxis were arranged by the team. They added: "We’d like to apologise to customers travelling on TOM857 from Antalya to Manchester Airport on June 25, which was diverted to London Gatwick Airport due to an earlier delayed flight.
"We communicate with customers as quickly as we can if there are any changes to their holiday and offer transport, overnight accommodation, meals and refreshments as needed. Our teams worked hard to secure transport back to Manchester for all customers, however events in the area and rail strikes in London meant this took longer than usual.
"We’ll be directly contacting customers shortly to explain how they’ll be reimbursed for any additional expenses incurred in relation to the diversion. We understand that last minute delays and diversions are incredibly disappointing and would like to reassure customers that we do everything we can to get them home as planned. We’d like to apologise again for the inconvenience and we thank customers for their understanding."
