It was a vacation you will never forget.
One disgruntled traveler said a 30th wedding anniversary trip with Tui almost always went wrong.
John Salter, a 56-year-old who lives in Merseyside, recently traveled from Manchester with his wife in the hope of enjoying a sunny package holiday in Lanzarote.
But the couple arrived in the country 14 hours later than planned and suffered significant delays on their way home. And had to wait six days for their luggage to return.
The first Tui traveler said the company “ruined” his trip.
One disgruntled traveler said a 30th wedding anniversary trip with Tui almost always went wrong
In a letter shared with MailOnline Travel, John explained the ordeal in September, saying Tui only emailed her at 3.41am informing her of changes to her 7.10am flight, revealing that her flight was canceled on Tui’s behalf and carried out by SmartLynx.
The couple said they arrived at the airport at 4.25am “with plenty of time to spare” and were told the original flight had split into two separate planes. By 8:20 a.m., John said passengers had boarded his plane, but there would be delays “due to a problem with the toilets on board.”
At around 10am, John said they were “notified that anyone needing to use the toilet will be escorted back to the gate”.
After “one of the worst flights” he’s ever taken, operated by GetJet, Tui customer John arrived in Lanzarote 14 hours later than planned (pictured). He said he and his wife spent most of their second day “recovering”.
John and his wife got out to use the toilets, but then learned that his plane had been taken out of service “due to problems on board”.
They were then asked to wait for further updates.
After several delays and changes in flight times throughout the day, John said they flagged down a Tui employee who “looked confused” and asked him if they could go home.
John continued: “He said we could leave the airport and go home but because we had broken our contract with Tui we would not be entitled to a refund of our holiday costs.” He also told us that at 16:00 another Update will be sent.”
The couple finally boarded a GetJet flight at 8.55pm.
John said: “The plane looked quite old and I have to say it was probably one of the worst flights we’ve ever done.” “There was very little space between the seats and the ride was very uncomfortable.”
He continued: “Given that this was supposed to be a Tui flight, there was no evidence whatsoever that Tui personnel were present anywhere on the aircraft.”
After completely missing their first day of vacation, the couple arrived at the hotel at 2:40 a.m. the next morning and said they spent most of the second day “recovering” from the trip.
After spending just under a week at the all-inclusive hotel, John claimed his last night was “ruined” by a Tui email about their flight home.
He explained: “Due to operational problems, our return flight has now been split between two aircraft. “Our last night was instantly ruined because we were worried about our flight home and what could go wrong.”
The couple arrived at the airport at 12:41 for their Tui flight, again operated by SmartLynx.
John said everything seemed to be going well and boarding started at 1pm.
Two hours later, however, the captain announced that Tui would take all luggage from the plane and transport it at a later date to “reduce fuel consumption”.
At this point, John claimed that some passengers had left the flight because they “refused to leave their luggage behind”.
Meanwhile, John and his wife remained on board the flight as they were told that Tui staff would be on site to “assist” upon their arrival.
Three hours later than planned, he said the plane “finally took off”.
The couple arrived in Manchester at 7.40pm and claim there was no sign of Tui staff so they ended up leaving the airport without their luggage.
It was eventually returned to them six days later, with the couple having to purchase several items packed in their suitcases.
Speaking to MailOnline Travel, John said he received compensation from Tui, including £1,400 for both flight delays, £48 for seat changes, £150 for the six-day delay in returning their luggage and £88 for not returning their luggage on time did not return. . Baggage charges caused by the delay of baggage.
It came after Tui offered them £24 for the 14-hour delay, which he “refused to accept”.
Despite the compensation, John criticized Tui for its “terrible” customer service and said he would never fly with the company again.
Tui also sent the couple £200 worth of gift vouchers, which John said they “wouldn’t use”.
In his letter, John said: “I cannot put into words the disappointment and frustration we have experienced at the hands of Tui,” adding that he and his wife were “disgusted by the dishonorable service” and a “leave “got. ‘.
Tui declined MailOnline’s request for comment.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
