Ryanair flies Spain-bound British couple to Lithuania after ‘unbelievable’ airport blunder

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Andrew Gore is looking forward to a treat on his 47th birthday: flying his wife Victoria and 10 others for a week’s holiday on Spain’s Costa Brava.

But after an extraordinary mix-up at Bristol Airport, the couple from Mountain Ash in South Wales were put on the wrong Ryanair plane – away from their family and friends.

Despite having boarding passes showing their destination as Barcelona, ​​they were flown to Kaunus in Lithuania.

To get to their desired destination, they then had to endure a 150-mile Uber ride across an international border to Riga in Latvia and a 1,400-mile flight to Spain.

“I was angry and scared. I couldn’t stop crying,” Ms. Gore said. “It was my worst nightmare.”

Andrew and Victoria Gore, 47, had done everything right. They had booked a package holiday on Sunshine.co.uk costing more than £1,500 for the week. The offer included flights from Bristol to Barcelona with Ryanair.

As Andrew is an amputee and Victoria is autistic, they booked special assistance at Bristol Airport and arrived in time for the 8.15am flight on Saturday 25 May.

Mrs Gore said: “We have been away many times and have always had special support so it was nothing new to us.

“The minibus took us to the Ryanair plane and they checked our boarding pass and let us on the plane.”

The couple were assigned separate seats on their original flight. Mrs Gore, believing she was on the plane shortly to Barcelona, ​​said: “I asked the flight attendant if we could sit together as I’m scared of flying.

“He checked our boarding pass again and put us in the second row.”

They were on the wrong plane, while their family – who had no special assistance – boarded the correct aircraft.

“We didn’t see our family going so we asked if they were on board and we were assured they were,” Mrs Gore said.

The Boeing 737 took off for the 1,400 mile journey to Kaunus. “We had a few drinks and then we went to bed because we were up early,” Ms Gore said.

“When we landed, it was very clear that we were in Lithuania.”

They alerted the crew and, according to Ms Gore, the captain was “furious” when he found out what had happened. He instructed the staff to provide them with further care and transport.

With no direct flights from Kaunus to Barcelona, ​​ground staff booked them on the next day’s flight from Riga, 150 miles north, over the Latvian border. They were also assigned a hotel and an Uber to take them there.

They flew as usual to Barcelona the next day and were taken to their hotel on the Costa Brava.

But they had no luggage: it had been taken off the Bristol-Barcelona flight when, through no fault of their own, they failed to board the plane.

It finally arrived two days later.

Andrew and Victoria Gore are now back in South Wales. “I’ve heard of suitcases going to the wrong place, but not people. These days, there are so many controls. How could it happen?

“They looked at our boarding passes so many times. It is unbelievable.”

The Independent contacted Ryanair, who attributed the incident to ABM, which provides special assistance at the airport.

“These passengers booked special assistance on this flight from Bristol to Barcelona (May 25), but ABM agents boarded them on the wrong flight to Kaunas, despite gate signs clearly displaying the flight’s destination,” a spokesperson said.

“Upon arrival at Kaunas Airport, these passengers informed the crew that they were on the wrong flight and Ryanair immediately arranged for both passengers to be re-accommodated on the next available flight to Barcelona, ​​which was scheduled to depart from Riga Airport in the morning next (May 26). ).

“As these passengers did not board their flight to Barcelona, ​​their luggage was removed from the aircraft in accordance with standard security procedures. When it was realized that these passengers had been misdirected and were re-routed to Barcelona, ​​their luggage was rushed from Bristol Airport to Barcelona.

“We sincerely apologize to these passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of the ABM error and have ensured that they will be fully compensated by Bristol Airport.”

A spokesman for Bristol Airport said:

“We have been working with our business partners to investigate this incident. All customers have their travel documents checked by the airline or ground handling agent before boarding an aircraft. Since being made aware of this issue, Bristol Airport has been working with our air carrier and special assistance provider to investigate the circumstances and introduce improvements for the future.

“We will contact the customer with information to direct their complaint to the correct business partner for resolution.”