Tui bans couple from flight home after major error: 'It ruined our holiday!'
A young couple were left shocked at false accusations which saw them kicked off a Tui flight home from Lanzarote
PA
A young couple were left shocked at false accusations which saw them kicked off a Tui flight home from Lanzarote.
Lois Light and her partner Dexter were banned from their flight after being wrongly accused of vaping.
The couple, from Norwich, Norfolk enjoyed their week-long holiday and were due to fly back with the airline on July 9.
However, they were told by a Tui representative two hours before their flight they were banned because they were accused of vaping on the outward flight.
The couple were told by a Tui representative two hours before their flight they were banned because they were accused of vaping on the outward flight
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The incident had been a case of mistaken identity as the two other passengers who did vape were both female.
In order to return home, they spent £500 on a new flight with easyJet, as well as on transfers and luggage.
"It ruined our holiday and has caused a huge amount of stress since," Light said.
"It is shocking that a mistake like this can happen and Tui said there was nothing they could do to help and seemed to not believe us."
When the couple tried to complain to the airline, they were told the holiday company stood by its decision.
Light added: "We tried saying there was a mix-up but initially, everyone we spoke to said there was nothing they could do. You’d think they would be able to look at the CCTV on the plane or see we did not match the description from staff.
"I was even asleep at the time with headphones on so I didn’t even know it had happened."
After posting the ordeal on Facebook, TUI eventually apologised, offered the couple compensation and has paid for the cost of their travel.
Light now wants more from the holiday company and said: "They’ve paid our expenses and offered £500 compensation each – but that’s not enough.
After posting the ordeal on Facebook, TUI eventually apologised, offered the couple compensation and has paid for the cost of their travel
PA
"It’s not like the air con was broken in our hotel, or the food made us ill – they’ve wrongly accused us of something which is a horrible feeling. The whole experience was extremely upsetting."
A Tui spokesperson, said: "We are sincerely sorry for the ordeal they experienced on their journey home from Lanzarote.
"Unfortunately, a human error meant that the couple were falsely identified as disruptive passengers following their flight.
"We have since apologised to the couple and offered them compensation and have paid for the travel costs as well as offering them a goodwill gesture.
"Instances like this are extremely rare, and we take security matters very seriously.
"We can only continue to apologise for this error, and we hope that the couple were still able to enjoy their holiday before this unfortunate mix up."