A mum of two from Bradford has told how her family holiday in Cyprus turned into a three-day travel nightmare.
Kirsty Murch, who went abroad with her husband and children, had spent the week in the sun as part of a Tui package holiday in Paphos.
But minutes before they were due to leave the hotel on Sunday, Tui cancelled the flight. Families were told their £5,000-a-week hotel and other options within the resort were fully booked.
The Murch family, along with other passengers, said they were sent to accommodation outside the usual tourist spots - with some arriving at 3am.
“I had to take matters into my own hands and organise a taxi to take us to the hotel,” Kirsty said.
On arrival, Kirsty said they encountered disgusting conditions, including dead lizards and dirty bedding.
“My children were forced out of the hotel which we paid over £5,000 to stay in for a week with nowhere to stay.”
Tui said the sudden cancellation was caused by knock-on operational disruption which saw crews working outside of their mandatory working hours.
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The rescheduled flight was delayed overnight and departed on Monday.
But things got worse. Mid-flight, a disruptive passenger with “erratic behaviour” gave the pilot no choice but to divert the plane to Zagreb Airport, Croatia.
Upon landing, the man was taken away by police and interviewed by security.
“It was really erratic behaviour,” hairdresser and business owner Kirsty said.
Another passenger, who did not wish to be named, told the T&A: “Other guys had to restrain him.
“It’s a family holiday, the plane was full of little ones. They were having to sit little ones on the inside of the window in fear.”
As the crew had reached their maximum working hours, the aircraft had to remain in Zagreb overnight.
Passengers were compensated with food and drink vouchers before facing another 24-hour delay.
Kirsty said: “I cannot express the emotional rollercoaster we as a family have faced.
“Whilst the flight attendants and pilot jetted off to their hotel we are left abandoned with children laying on the floor.”
Statement from Tui
Since the Telegraph & Argus approached Tui, passengers have now been provided with accommodation, food vouchers and communication from staff.
Their flight back to Manchester Airport departed from Zagreb on Tuesday evening.
The holiday company said the situation had been caused by “ongoing disruption with the aviation ecosystem”.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Tui said: “We’re very sorry to all customers impacted by the delay to TOM2731 and subsequent diversion due to a disruptive passenger.
“Unfortunately due to ongoing disruption with the aviation ecosystem, the original flight was delayed overnight as crew had reached their regulated hours.
“Our Tui reps supported customers throughout and the airport and the flight departed on Monday, August 15, in the evening.
“The health and safety of our customers and crew is always our highest priority and due to a disruptive passenger the flight was forced to divert to Zagreb, Croatia."
Tui said the passenger was "offloaded and was met by Police" and would not travel with Tui when the flight departed again.
The company added: "We take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive behaviour on our flights.
“We understand how frustrating this additional delay will be for our customers and apologise for the ongoing delay they now face.
“We have a Tui team supporting customers in Croatia, we have kept them updated with regular communication, have sourced accommodation and provided meals and refreshments.
“We thank customers for their understanding and patience and would like to reassure customers that instances like this are extremely rare.”
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