Families have been devastated after travel agency TUI abruptly canceled an entire holiday package to Tenerife from Cardiff Airport after passengers had already boarded the plane. Summerers on the flight, which was due to take off at 1:25 p.m., say it was delayed an hour, and then waited another hour after boarding the plane because they were told it had a piece that was malfunctioning.
But just as it was being repaired, they received text messages and emails from the German holiday giant informing them that their holiday had been canceled. TUI said the cancellation was due to “operational and supply chain problems” in combination with the influx of people leaving on holiday at this time of year. He assured that all affected customers are entitled to compensation and will receive an “additional gesture of goodwill” from the company.
Porthcawl’s Huw Davies boarded the flight with 11 more family members for a “special holiday” for his terminally ill daughter. He said the sudden news of the cancellation left them “absolutely devastated” and their children and grandchildren were crying.
“This was a family outing for my daughter who has terminal cancer. It would be her last family vacation, and we just got off this flight,” the 59-year-old said. “I think it’s a lot of b ****** who have said that the engine has crashed, because that plane had flown from Alicante. If this part was obviously malfunctioning on the way to the airport “Why the hell did they do it? Do they charge us? Why did they move? They knew that plane wasn’t going to take off.”
He learned of the cancellation of the flight through other passengers on the plane who had received emails, but said he had not yet received any. “I called the TUI headquarters and a message came directly to the line that they are dealing with this and we would get in touch. So they knew they were going to cancel this flight and several flights around the country,” he said.
He recalled that passengers were told to disembark, before being taken to the airport terminal and told him that someone from TUI would show up. “But she wasn’t. She was a woman of [another] travel agency, “Huw said, adding that the representative told them that the cancellation was due to the part not working.
He recalled that police were present at the terminal in case the passengers “had thrown themselves”. He said, “[TUI’s policy] is that they are supposed to provide another flight. We had it in black and white and we showed them. “
When asked how important the holidays were to his family, he said his son had booked the trip as a surprise for his daughter. “It was a special holiday, and to make matters worse, we asked my daughter where she wanted to go, because she recently lost her mother. I wanted to go back to where I took my wife on vacation for the first time.”
He estimates the family has paid up to £ 9,000 to TUI, not including all taxes for other travel-related costs. “We’re all out of pocket,” he said. “We have put our good faith in these people who should have transported us to our destination by other means and have not had the decency to do so.”
Last week, frustrated tourists waited more than 40 hours to board a TUI flight from Cardiff Airport to the Greek island of Zakynthos. (Image: sent)
Another passenger, James Dewitt, recalled that staff were still trying to fix the plane when the bad news was announced. “They didn’t even know it had happened,” he said. “The plane’s staff knew no more than we did.”
“Even after getting off the plane, we all had to wait at least an hour and a half more to retrieve our bags as well. It was quite annoying,” he continued. He added that it was “incredibly” disappointing for his family, as they had to meet other relatives from Sweden at the destination.
“My wife’s mother will be there alone,” he said. The 38-year-old man and his wife were due to spend a week with their one- and six-year-old son, who he says is “very disappointed”. He had considered booking a connecting flight to Tenerife, but said it would be difficult with young children. “I think we’ll just try to find something to do.”
The cancellation comes after aviation data firm Cirium said 291 departures from major UK airports had been canceled between May 25 and Tuesday. TUI has announced that it will cancel around six flights a day at Manchester Airport until the end of June. Police were even called in to tell angry TUI tourists at the airport to return home after a flight that had already been waiting for eight hours had been canceled. Meanwhile, last week, frustrated tourists waited more than 40 hours to board a TUI flight from Cardiff Airport to the Greek island of Zakynthos.
A TUI UK spokesperson said: “We would like to apologize to customers traveling today on flight TOM6286 from Cardiff to Tenerife, which has unfortunately been canceled due to operational issues. Customers affected by flight cancellations will receive a refund complete your vacation within 14 days.
“The mid – quarter May holidays are always an incredibly busy period with many customers wanting to escape, and we understand that they will be waiting for these holidays for a long time.
“Although flight delays and cancellations with us are rare, unfortunately the increase in people going on holiday combined with various operational and supply chain problems has resulted in a small number of our flights being Our teams have been working tirelessly to support affected customers, through direct communications and providing accommodation and transfers when 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 to our customers. We would like to thank them for their patience and understanding at this time.”
Cardiff Airport has also been contacted for comments.
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