Inghams clients fly home over 50 hours late
Over 80 holidaymakers on an Inghams holiday to Austria had to wait for three days to return to Birmingham when their flight was cancelled due to a technical issue.
The passengers had been due to fly home at 11am on Saturday with CityJet but the aircraft suffered a technical issue just before take off and those on board were sent to a hotel and told to return the next day.
The flight was re-scheduled for the following morning, but it did not take off and it was decided to transport passengers to Munich, three hours away, to board another flight, according to a passenger who spoke to the Independent.
The Independent said: "Innsbruck airport is one of the most challenging in Europe, and requires special training, so a replacement flight was planned for Munich."
At 2.30pm they were taken on a three-hour bus ride to Munich airport, where they had been promised a flight at 9pm that evening.
The 9pm flight did not arrive and at midnight passengers were taken to another hotel and told to be ready at 5am on Monday morning.
"After 48 hours, they were only 21 miles closer to Birmingham than they were on Saturday evening," the Independent said.
The passengers finally departed at 3.46pm and arrived 90 minutes later in Birmingham. CityJet said: "The aircraft due to operate Innsbruck to Birmingham developed a technical problem which prevented it being used on the flight on Saturday. We were unable to secure a replacement aircraft on Saturday.
"A flight from Munich was planned for Sunday and we coached customers to Munich on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately the aircraft due to operate this encountered delays on its earlier operations on Sunday with the result that it could not arrive in Munich ahead of the airport curfew.
"We regret the inconvenience to passengers."
Paul Carter, chief executive of Hotelplan, the holding company for Inghams, said: "The guests affected have been informed of their entitlement to €250 per person in compensation under the EU denied boarding regulations with advice on how they can process this and we have liaised closely with CityJet to ensure they are prepared for subsequent claims."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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