- Author, Dan Moffat
- Role, BBC news
A couple were placed on the wrong flight for a family vacation 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 group arrived at Barcelona airport, Andrew and wife Victoria found themselves in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas.
A Rhondda Cynon Taf couple from Mountain Ash said they were left feeling “upset” after discovering they had been put on the wrong Ryanair flight.
Bristol Airport said it was working to investigate what happened and make improvements, while Ryanair said crews would make several announcements before departure to inform passengers of the flight’s destination.
The couple were shown to the boarding gates at the airport and made sure the rest of their group was on board.
“We were told they were definitely on the plane and they said ‘just relax’ so we slept because we were getting up early,” Mr Gore said.
“When I woke up, it didn’t look like Spain from the window, I turned on the phone and it said ‘Welcome to Lithuania’.”
The couple described it as a “nightmare” which began when they arrived at Bristol Airport on Saturday 25 May in 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 aircraft stairs where the ground staff checked our boarding passes,” Mr Gore said.
“When we boarded the plane, the flight attendant checked our IDs again.
There was no indication that anything could be wrong until they landed in the Eastern European Baltic country.
At first they thought it was a raid.
image source, Family photo
After getting off and alerting Ryanair officials to the fact that they were in the wrong country, they were booked onto the next available flight to Barcelona.
However, it was only the next morning and from Riga – the capital of neighboring Latvia.
The couple’s airline booked overnight accommodation and a 150-mile (241 km) Uber ride to the airport.
After landing in Barcelona, ​​they finally made it to their hotel on the Costa Brava.
But because they didn’t get on the original flight from Bristol, their luggage didn’t arrive until two days later.
“It was surreal and an experience I never want to have again, our family was sick and we were exhausted when we finally arrived,” Mr Gore said.
“Even though they eventually took us to the right place, the experience has already happened, the damage has been done and we can’t forget those disturbing moments.”
A Ryanair spokesman said: “These passengers booked special assistance on this flight from Bristol to Barcelona, ​​but the special assistance provider at Bristol Airport put them on the wrong flight to Kaunas, despite the flight destination being clearly marked at the gate.
“Before departure, the crew will make several announcements advising passengers of the flight’s destination.
“We sincerely apologize to these passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of the error by the special assistance provider at Bristol Airport.”
A Bristol Airport spokesman said: “We have been working with our business partners to investigate this incident. All customers will have their travel documents checked by the airline or its ground handling agent before boarding the aircraft.
“Since being made aware of the issue, Bristol Airport has been working with our airline handling agent and special assistance provider to investigate the circumstances and implement improvements going forward.
“We will contact the customer with information to direct their complaint to the correct business partner for resolution.”