Couple who missed flight amid airport ‘chaos’ seek £2,000 holiday compensation

A couple say they have been forced to cancel their holiday due to airport ‘chaos’. Sue and Murray Stewart were excited to go on a two week trip to Croatia.

But the pair say they were forced to cancel their £2,000 holiday due to delays at Bristol Airport, BirminghamLive reports. The couple, who live in Bristol, say they arrived at the airport in plenty of time to catch their easyJet flight to Split on May 26.

However, they missed their flight and had to go on break to a caravan site in Gloucestershire instead. Bristol Airport has issued an apology, saying the problems were caused by queues and delays at crowded terminals and a problem with the baggage sorting system.

READ MORE: Coventry ‘buried house’ auctioned for £40,000

Sue, who is an administrator at a special needs school in Bristol, claimed the couple were shocked to find the airport in “total chaos” when they arrived.

Talking to Bristol Live said: “When we got to the car park it was full of people and vehicles trying to get in.

“I could see the entrance to the Silver Zone and there were people queuing everywhere – something I’ve never experienced before. We parked and the queue to hand over the keys was pretty horrendous, as was the queue at the surrounding building. I wasn’t sure how long it would last.”

“The queue for the bus was no better – there were clearly not enough buses and no one was handling the queue.” After leaving their car keys, the couple waited for a shuttle bus to Bristol Airport with dozens of other passengers.

Anxious that they were going to miss their flight, the couple headed to the baggage check-in. But they say they then hit more delays.

“The check-in queue was massive,” added Sue. “At that point, we thought we weren’t going to make it.

“We ran upstairs and because we were late, the booking pass to enter security wouldn’t let us in. The security guard was very helpful and got us through and at this point the flight was boarding. When I went through security, it said “gate closed”.

“The number on the gate disappeared and there was no representation. We were around because we would show up for the flight and someone would pick us up. We were waiting for our bags to be returned and we weren’t sure if they were. in flight.”

Disappointed that they missed their flight, the two managed to retrieve their luggage before returning to the Silver Zone. “There were a lot of people who probably missed their flights,” Sue said.

“We hope to get compensation. I lost 2,000 pounds. I lived in Bristol and always flew from Bristol airport – I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Bristol Airport has apologized for the inconvenience caused by the delays. An airport spokesperson told the BristolLive website: “We apologize for the longer than average waiting times experienced at the airport for a short period of time on May 26.”

Sign up here for our FREE daily newsletter for all the latest news on Coventry.