A couple heading to Spain took the wrong flight and end up in Lithuania

A couple on their way to a family holiday in Spain got on the wrong plane and instead of landing in Barcelona, ​​they arrived 1,500 miles away in Lithuania. Andrew and wife Victoria expected to get off the flight and head for a birthday holiday in the Costa Brava, but instead found themselves in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas.

The couple from Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, got on the wrong Ryanair plane after being shown to the gate at Bristol Airport after being assured the rest of their party was already on board.

Andrew told the BBC: “We were told they were definitely on the flight and they said ‘just relax’ so we slept as we got up early. When I woke up, it didn’t look like Spain outside. window, I turned on my phone and it said “Welcome to Lithuania”.

The couple uses airport assistance because Andrew is an amputee. He said: “Our flight number appeared at the gate and we were taken to the bottom of the plane steps where the ground staff checked our boarding passes. When we boarded the plane, the stewardess checked our permits again.”

When they got off the plane in the Baltic Sea, Andrew had to tell officials they were in the wrong country. They were then booked on a flight to Barcelona the next morning. To catch the flight, they had to travel by Uber to Riga – the capital of neighboring Latvia, 150 miles away.

Their luggage arrived in Barcelona two days later. Andrew said: “Our family was sick and we were exhausted when we finally arrived.”

A Ryanair spokesman said: “These passengers booked special assistance on this flight from Bristol to Barcelona, ​​but Bristol Airport’s special assistance provider boarded them on the wrong flight to Kaunas, despite the gate signs clearly stating flight destination.

“Before departure, the crew makes several announcements informing passengers about the flight’s destination. We sincerely apologize to these passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of the error by Bristol Airport’s special assistance provider.”

A Bristol Airport spokesman 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 airline handling agent 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.”