- Author, Then Moffat
- Role, BBC news
A couple were placed on the wrong flight for their family holiday in the sun and instead ended up 1,500 miles away from their intended destination.
The trip to the Costa Brava was for Andrew Gore’s 47th birthday, but while the rest of the party arrived at Barcelona airport, Andrew and his wife Victoria found themselves in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas.
After discovering they had been put on the wrong Ryanair plane, Mountain Ash couple Rhondda Cynon Taf said they felt “desperate”.
Bristol Airport said it was investigating what happened and making improvements, while Ryanair said crews are making several announcements before departure to inform passengers of the flight destination.
The couple was led to the gates at the airport and assured that the rest of their party was on board.
“We were told they were definitely on the run and they said ‘just relax’ so we slept because we had been up early,” Gore said.
“When I woke up, it didn’t look like Spain from the window. I turned on my phone and it said ‘Welcome to Lithuania’.”
The couple describe it as a “nightmare” that started when they arrived at Bristol Airport on Saturday, May 25, in plenty of time for their 8:15am BST flight to Barcelona.
They always use special assistance at airports because Andrew is an amputee and Victoria has autism.
“Our flight number appeared at the gate and we were taken to the bottom of the plane stairs where the ground crew checked our boarding passes,” Gore said.
“When we got on the plane, the flight attendant checked our passes again.”
There were no indications that anything could be wrong until they landed in the Eastern European Baltic country.
At first they thought it was a wind-up.
Image source, Family photo
After disembarking and warning Ryanair officials that they were in the wrong country, they were booked on the next available flight to Barcelona.
However, it was the next morning and from Riga – the capital of neighboring Latvia.
The airline booked an overnight stay for the couple and a 150-mile Uber ride to the airport.
After landing in Barcelona they finally reached their hotel on the Costa Brava.
But because they didn’t board the original flight from Bristol, their bags didn’t arrive until two days later.
“It was surreal and an experience I never want to have again. Our family was worried and we were exhausted when we finally arrived,” Gore said.
“Even though they eventually took us to the right place, the experience had already happened, the damage had already been done and we cannot forget those worrying moments.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “These passengers booked special assistance on this flight from Bristol to Barcelona, but Bristol Airport’s special assistance provider put them on the wrong flight to Kaunas, despite signage at the gate clearly showing the destination of the flight was indicated.
“Before departing, the crew makes several announcements to inform passengers of the flight’s destination.
“We sincerely apologize to these passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of the error made by Bristol Airport’s special assistance provider.”
A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said: “We have been working with our business partners to investigate this incident. All customers have their travel documentation checked by the airline or their ground handling agent before boarding an aircraft.
“Since being made aware of the issue, Bristol Airport has been working with our aviation handler and special assistance provider to investigate the circumstances and make improvements for the future.
“We will contact the customer with information to forward their complaint to the appropriate business partner for resolution.”