Couple ended up in wrong country thousands of miles away after 'unbelievable' Ryanair airport mistake
A British couple's holiday got off to a nightmare start after an airport mix-up saw them flown to the wrong airport thousands of miles away from their intended destination.
For most people, ending up on the wrong flight is merely something that happens in TV shows and romcoms, but nothing to actually worry about at the airport.
Unfortunately for Andrew and Victoria Gore, this nightmare turned out to be a very real situation after they jetted off on a family trip to Spain - only to land on the other side of Europe.
The couple - from Mountain Ash in South Wales - were part of a 12-person group heading to Spain's Costa Brava as a treat for Andrew's 47th birthday.
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Andrew, Victoria and 10 others made their way to Bristol airport for the trip, expecting a week away in the Mediterranean sunshine.
Mr and Ms Gore had arrived at the airport early for their 8.15am flight on 25 May as they had both booked to have special assistance, as Andrew is an amputee while Victoria is autistic.
Due to the couple having special assistance, they were boarded separately from the rest of their family. After noticing they couldn't see the rest of their relatives on the flight, Victoria asked cabin crew if they had boarded and was 'assured' they were all on the same flight.
However, once their Ryanair flight landed it was very clear they were in Kaunas, Lithuania and not Barcelona - their intended destination.
The couple have used special assistance when flying from Bristol airport multiple times and didn't realise anything unusual had happened at first.
We have been away lots of times and always had special assistance, so this was nothing new to us," Victoria said in an interview with The Independent.
She went on to add that their boarding passes had been checked multiple times, both before and after getting onto the flight.
Recalling a conversation she'd had with Ryanair cabin crew about moving seats to be next to her husband, Victoria added: "I asked the air hostess if we could sit together as I’m scared of flying. She checked our boarding pass again and put us in the second row."
The couple then enjoyed a couple of drinks before falling asleep on the flight to Kaunas.
"I was distraught, and scared. I didn’t stop crying," Victoria added of the experience. "It was my worst nightmare."
Distraught, the couple alerted the flight's captain, who was 'furious' to learn about the mix-up and demanded airport staff make sure the Gores made it to Barcelona.
However, their ordeal didn't end there, with Andrew and Victoria then being sent on an 150-mile Uber trip to Riga in neighbouring Latvia, before boarding a 1,400-mile flight to the Spanish city.
The couple made it to their hotel in Costa Brava the next day - only to be told their luggage had been taken off the Bristol-Barcelona flight. It was later flown out and arrived two days later.
"I’ve heard of suitcases going to the wrong place‚ but not people. In this day and age, there are so many checks. How could it happen?"
A spokesperson for Ryanair has since told LADBible that special assistance support is not provided by the airline, saying: "Upon arriving at Kaunas Airport, these passengers notified the crew that they were on the wrong flight and Ryanair immediately arranged for both passengers to be reaccommodated on the next available flight to Barcelona, which was scheduled to depart Riga Airport the next morning (26 May).
"As these passengers did not board their flight to Barcelona, their bags were removed from the aircraft in line with standard safety procedures. When it was realised that these passengers had been misrouted and were rerouted to Barcelona, their bags were rushed from Bristol Airport to Barcelona.
"We sincerely apologise to these passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of ABM’s error, and have assured that they will be fully compensated by Bristol Airport."
A spokesperson for Bristol airport added: "We’ve worked with our business partners to investigate this incident. All customers have their travel documentation checked by the airline or their ground handling agent before boarding an aircraft. Since being informed of the issue, Bristol Airport has worked with our airline handling agent and special assistance provider to investigate the circumstances and to introduce improvements for the future. We will contact the customer with information to direct their complaint to the correct business partner for resolution."
Brenna Cooper