Passengers delayed by 27 HOURS
GROUNDS TENERIFE RETURN FLIGHT FOR MORE THAN A DAY
PASSENGERS were stranded in Tenerife for 27 hours after their Manchester-bound plane broke down.
The TUI flight was due to take off from the Spanish island at 1pm on Tuesday – but didn’t set off until 4pm on Wednesday.
Airline bosses apologised for the frustrating delay, which they said was down to a ‘technical problem’ with the aircraft.
Passengers said they were on the plane for five hours waiting to depart for Manchester Airport, before they were taken off and bussed to hotels for the night.
Roger Pickford was one of the passengers. He claimed a lack of information and a ‘poor quality’ hotel made the situation even worse.
He said: “We boarded the plane and there was a problem with the wing flaps. We were on the plane for four or five hours before being ordered off it. There were people sitting in the airport with babies and young children.
“We were taken off the plane in coaches and put into accommodation for the night.
“Some people got five-star hotels, but ours was horrible.
“We ended up going back to the hotel we had been staying with and had to pay for an extra night.
“We didn’t have any information from anyone.”
A spokesman for TUI said all customers were provided with overnight accommodation and meals at the hotel.
He said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience to customers on the delayed flight TOM2203 from Tenerife to Manchester.
“We understand how frustrating a flight delay can be and we would like to thank affected customers for their patience and understanding.”