Thomas Cook holidaymakers suffer ‘outrageous’ two-day flight delay in Mexico
Thomas Cook has apologised to 320 customers whose flight from Cancun to Manchester was delayed by two days.
Some of the holidaymakers, who finally got back to the UK this morning, complained to a national newspaper about an ‘infuriating’ lack of information and described the situation as ‘outrageous’.
They were due to leave Cancun on Sunday but due to engine problems their plane had to turn back.
Later that evening they were taken from the airport to a hotel.
Passengers then claimed they were given 15 minutes’ notice to get back to the airport for a second attempt but were eventually told, once they’d got through security, that they couldn’t fly because crew had run out of their legal operating hours.
By the time they’d got back to the hotel again, some passengers say it was 6am before they got to bed, according to Mail Online.
A Thomas Cook Airlines spokeswoman said: "Our flight from Cancun to Manchester was delayed due to a technical fault and our crew running out of their legal operating hours. The safety of our customers and crew is our first priority and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by this long delay.
"All customers were provided with accommodation, transfers, food and drink and will be compensated for the length of the delay under regulation 261."
All customers will be entitled to €600 each in compensation.
Ironically, the delays come as Thomas Cook announced a partnership with a TV hypnotist to help holidaymakers ‘fall in love with flying again’.
TUI holidaymakers took to social media last Easter when they suffered similar delays at the same airport.
They also complained about lack of information from the operator.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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