Sunday 29 May 2022 12:34 PM Couple's Cyprus wedding is ruined by cancelled flight and plane is stuck for ... trends now
The half-term getaway continues to be dogged by cancelled flights, with one couple's wedding plans thrown into jeopardy, planned trips to Monaco Grand Prix plans left unfulfilled and other passengers stuck for three hours on the runway.
Bristol Airport urged passengers not to arrive too early to avoid congestion, but passengers described severe waiting times this morning with few staff on the ground.
It comes shortly after a TUI flight from Bristol to Paphos, Cyprus, was delayed by eight hours yesterday and then cancelled in the evening. Among the passengers were 34 wedding guests including the bride and groom.
Seren Rounds, a primary school teacher, and her fiancé, electrician Adam Howells, are on the verge of postponing their wedding after their flight to Cyprus was scrapped.
Ms Rounds, 27, and Mr Howells, 29, of Caerleon, South Wales, have been planning their big day since 2020, but might be forced to postpone it after Tui cancelled their flight to Paphos.
Couple Seren Rounds, 27, and Adam Howells, 29, of Caerleon, south Wales, are on the verge of postponing their wedding after their flight to Cyprus was scrapped
34 guests were due to fly from Bristol on Saturday, with 11 guests already in Cyprus, but their 1.30pm outbound flight was first delayed and then cancelled.
The wedding is booked for Thursday June 2 but they have an appointment at a town hall on Monday.
Miss Rounds' mother Lisa Trenchard said there is now 'no way' they can find flights for all 34 guests, so the wedding is 'ruined'.
Ms Trenchard, 55, a health visiting manager from Caerleon, said: 'We have families with babies and a devastated bride and groom to be.'
She added: 'Absolutely I blame Tui, not necessarily for the initial problem, but their lack of visibility and compassion, and how they have taken the easy option to cancel.'
This morning, travellers made complaints about further delays at Bristol Airport.
RedChris 1964 tweeted: 'Chaos at Bristol Airport this morning, people been sat over three hours on planes waiting to take off due to luggage handler shortage. All departures [have been] taken off the website info.'
Baron Von Jasper posted: 'Over two hours stuck on the tarmac at Bristol Airport because they firstly hasn't taken off the luggage from the inbound flight and then nobody to remove the stairs and push us back. Massive delays.'
Luca Goddard added: 'I've have been sat on an aeroplane here at Bristol Airport for three hours and it hasn't moved. The captain has just told us that this is due to there only being one team on air traffic control today!'
Across the country, scores of holidaymakers faced travel chaos after Tui axed a 'small number' of flights and easyJet announced it would scrap more than 200 over the next 10 days.
Mother-of-one Sunita Ramjee, 50, of Swansea, Wales, said she spent £6,000 on tickets to take her daughter, 19, and brother to the Grand Prix in Monaco for his 40th birthday present.
They were meant to be flying from London Gatwick to Nice on Friday, but the flight was delayed and then cancelled while they were at the airport.
She says there were no alternative flights available because of the Grand Prix and the Champions League final in Paris on Saturday.
Ms Ramjee said: 'We had tickets to the Grand Prix and now easyJet has cancelled my flight and I'm not going to get a refund (for the Formula One tickets).
'I'm really disappointed in the way it was handled. Nobody helped us to try and figure out alternative flights or make hotel bookings.
'It is something my daughter has been looking forward to since we moved to the UK, it was my brother's 40th birthday present.'
Michele Farmer, 56, tweeted: 'Our easyJet flight to Naples at 5.30pm, yes, in less than an hour's time has been cancelled.
'We've been sent through baggage collection with luggage thrown on the floor now standing outside Bristol Airport.
'No help. Poor on every level.'
She was meant to be taking her daughter Madeleine for a half-term holiday they booked for the same week in 2020.
A Tui spokesman said: 'We would like to apologise for the inconvenience to customers who have experienced flight delays or a flight cancellations.
'Delays have been caused due to a combination of factors and we are doing everything we can to keep customers updated, and will provide refreshments and, where appropriate, provide hotel accommodation.
'Where we have made the difficult decision to cancel a small number of flights, customers will receive a full refund within 14 days and we will contact them directly to help them try and find another holiday.'
An easyJet spokesman said: 'We have taken the decision to make advance cancellations of around 24 Gatwick flights per day starting from May 28 until June 6.
'We are very sorry for the late notice of some of these cancellations and inconvenience caused for
