Kentish Express Ashford & District
Dream holiday ends in nightmare flight back home
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A mum has described how her family trip to paradise turned into a holiday hell when her disabled son fell ill on the flight home.
Rachel Thomas was travelling with British Airways to Cancun, Mexico, with her husband Luke, their then 18-month-old son Pierce and their then seven-yearold son Hugo, who has Down’s Syndrome.
She was also travelling with father Timothy and mother Kim Davison, who is disabled with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and also suffers from diabetes.
It was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime but it descended into chaos on the return flight, when they realised that Hugo was listed to be sat on his own for the 10-hour flight, where he suffered severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
Mrs Thomas, 35, says she had been planning the £10,000 trip with a travel company for months in advance, and was told the family would be sat together, only to find out otherwise at the airport.
She said: “We had some problems on the first flight, which they said would be sorted for the return flight, but it wasn’t.
“My son has Down’s syndrome and sensory problems. As a mother there was no way I could allow him to sit on his own. He could be a danger on his own and go and open the door.”
Mrs Thomas said she received no help from British Airways ground staff at Cancun to resolve the problem, and was left trying to sort out the issue on board.
She said: “One man got a bit short with Hugo because he was grabbing the tray up and down. I was worried that if my temper went that I would get thrown off the flight. I was frightened and stressed.
“This was my nightmare. I thought that all our seats were done and sorted before we left. If I had known otherwise I would have cancelled the holiday.”
A man in a neighbouring seat to Hugo agreed to move elsewhere on the flight so she could sit with him, while her husband looked after Pierce.
Mrs Thomas added: “Hugo started vomiting on the flight and had diarrhoea. It was so bad I had to put him in a sleeping bag. He was out cold. It was just horrendous.
“It turned into a holiday from hell, and the last straw was him sitting on his own, I thought this is diabolical.”
Hugo’s saturation levels plummeted and when he arrived back there was an ambulance crew awaiting him on the ground.
She raised a complaint to British Airways customer relations over the trip, which took place in September 2015, but has been told that she won’t receive compensation.