'TUI treatment was abysmal after storm grounded Corfu flight' claims former Dudley mayor - caught in airport chaos
A former Dudley mayor has accused a holiday company of abandoning passengers at Corfu's airport after their flight was delayed by storms.
Alderman Steve Waltho, his wife Jayne and two friends, were returning from a cruise break with TUI when the Birmingham bound flight missed its take off slot on Fridayevening due to the severe weather, followed by the crew's shift ending.
TUI has since written letters of apology and offered the upset passengers compensation payments for the inconvenience endured.
The two couples were among more than 200 passengers including families with children and wheelchair users left to fend for themselves after two failed attempts to board the plane.
Mr Waltho, aged 67, of Kingswinsford, said: “The way we were treated was abysmal. We were led to believe that the flight was simply delayed by nearly three hours. We were then called and passed through the departure gate twice and were called back twice for ‘operational difficulties’.
"With no TUI rep around we then learnt the truth that the pilot had overrun his hours and there was no contingency plan with the plane loaded with luggage just 200 yards away.
"They told us they had tried to find hotels but none were available so could we try to make our own arrangements at nearly 2am in the morning.
"I rang TUI’s main customer services number since a rep at that point couldn’t be found. They were no use at all but sent me an email asking about their quality of service.
"Meanwhile nearly 300 exhausted passengers bound for Birmingham were simply left in the airport including several in wheelchairs. A wonderfully impersonal email was then sent stating a flight should be available at 14.10. We will then have been in the airport for nearly 20 hours which is utterly appalling service."
The couple and their friends John and Wendy Penlington, from Belbroughton, flew out to join the TUI ship in Corfu on September 20, enjoying a cruise to Croatia, Itlay, Sicily and Malta before being transported back to the airport on Friday.
"When the TUI rep left, the airport staff were concerned because they had to deal with wrath of a couple of hundred angry people stuck in the terminal's boarding area. In the end the majority of passengers bedded down anywhere they could, on benches, on luggage or on the floor.
"It was like a refugee camp.
"It was absolutely unacceptable for us to be treated this way. Flight tickets are dear enough as it is. Passengers should really be treated better.
"There was simply no contingency crew available or plan for when things go wrong.
"There no further word from the company until about 4.00 on Saturday there were emails stating that a flight was departing at 14.10 that afternoon.
"The other issue was that by then all the food counters had closed for the night. We got bottles of water from the TUI desk, but that was it.
"Those passengers who were relying on the hot flight meal didn't eat at all until our new boarding cards came at 11.30 with a pre-boarding food concession attached. And when we eventually got on the plane home, there was no food served on the flight."
Mr Waltho, a former councillor served as mayor in 2015.
TUI has written to apologise to the holidaymakers stating: ’First and foremost we apologise for the disruption to your flight TOM7525 from Corfu to Birmingham. This is not the ending to your holiday that we want for any of our customers."
