TUI holiday horror as plane takes off without any luggage leaving dad without vital meds
David Barnes, 49, was due to fly to Menorca with his wife Debbie Barnes, 48, and their son Riley but says that his holiday has been nothing but a challenge.
A father's milestone 50th birthday getaway turned into a nightmare when the family were left without their luggage, which contained vital medication. David Barnes set off for a celebratory trip to Menorca from Manchester Airport alongside his wife Debbie Barnes and their son Riley, only to be met with a series of setbacks beginning right at the airport on Sunday, 23 June.
A power outage at the airport led to widespread cancellations and delays across Terminals 1 and 2. The family, anticipating a joyous occasion, faced delays at the airport but eventually boarded their flight. However, they were informed by the pilot that not all luggage had made it onto the aircraft.
To their dismay, upon arrival in Spain, they discovered that only prams and buggies were onboard. TUI has stated that passengers were given the option to disembark if they preferred, but David, from Kirkby, insists he was never made aware of any such alternative, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He said: "They have sent us on our holidays with 97 other people on the plane and no luggage. On the plane the pilot told us that there's some luggage on the plane but when we rang they told us our luggage is still in Manchester.
"We had no option to get off the plane."
David said the situation also impacted their son who is autistic. He added: "My son is autistic and he's been having a meltdown. The TUI staff don't know anything over here. My son can't wear certain fabrics or textures, he hates it."
"This is my 50th birthday holiday and it's been ruined. The experience at Manchester Airport was horrendous and now we don't have our luggage or medication that my son needs.
"I'm devastated. I feel like crying my eyes out but I have to stay strong. It's ruined my whole experience of going away. No-one knows what's going on, the TUI reps are clueless."
TUI confirmed to the Liverpool Echo that David and his family will be handed £150 per person in compensation due to the chaos of his baggage inconvenience.
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The airline declined to comment on accusations suggesting passengers were not given a choice to stay at Manchester Airport, pointing the finger at Manchester Airport's "inoperable baggage system".
A spokesperson for TUI said: "We would like to apologise to our customers impacted by the disruption caused by the power outage at Manchester airport on Sunday 23rd June. We understand how disappointing it is for customers when a delay of this nature takes place and it's not the way we wanted their holiday to start.
"Unfortunately, some customers had to embark on holidays without their bags due to the inoperable baggage system at Manchester Airport. We want to reassure customers that the vast majority of bags have arrived at their destinations, and we aim to reunite customers with their luggage within the next 24 hours. We appreciate our customers' patience during this time."
