A SCOTS TUI customer was left fuming after watching his cancelled flight to Aberdeen still flying to the city – without any passengers on board.
Steven Dongworth was shocked after seeing the TOM4TE flight to Aberdeen had left Corfu Airport in Greece for its planned destination – leaving hundreds of passengers behind.
The 34-year-old arrived at the airport on Friday to fly back home to the Granite City after a week’s cruise around the Adriatic Sea with partner, Sean Rafferty.
The couple were initially told, along with hundreds of other passengers on the same flight, that their 10.15pm flight had been delayed until 1am the following morning.
Steven claims they were later directed onto the plane to be seated but then told on the runway that the captain had gone over his legal time limit.
Passengers were then taken back into the airport where many slept on floors and chairs for hours until a new flight was allocated at 1.45pm.
However, while waiting around, Sean went onto the FlightRader24 website and was able to track the flight heading to Aberdeen at 3.44am – but without the passengers.
The holidaymakers finally managed to get on another flight to Aberdeen Airport at 2.45pm on Saturday.
Steven claims when questioning why the flight had gone without them, a TUI rep then said it was because the crew were over hours, not the pilot.
Speaking today, Steven said: “My partner and I were on a TUI cruise from Corfu around the Adriatic, our first one.
“It was a great week, we were dropped off at the airport at 7pm by the TUI transfer bus, for our 10:15 pm flight.
“The flight was then delayed until 1am after that we were taken through on the bus and to the plane.
“We got told that the captain was over his legal time limit and the likely outcome was he would need to go and sleep for 12 hours and take us home the next day.
“It was sweltering inside the gate and no shops were open – parents with children were begging airport staff for water.
“At 3am a TUI rep appeared but hid behind a door on her phone for 30 minutes and told us she didn’t know anything.
“We were told those who wanted to leave could do so but would not be allowed back into the gate until they had checked in for the new flight.
“Obviously, we were not keen on leaving the airport to wander the streets of Corfu at 4am so we all got told to find a cafe and wait there.
“We all refused to leave and were told if we didn’t leave the police would remove us.
“It was during all this that we noticed the plane had taken off and we followed it on FlightRadar all the way back to Aberdeen.”
Steven added: “The TUI rep told me it was the crew who were over their hours not the captain and so he could fly the plane which was not what we had all been told.
“The next day I couldn’t eat any of the sandwiches as I’m dairy intolerant and there was nothing that wouldn’t have made me violently sick.
“We got offered another sandwich at 12 and so I asked the airport staff what I should do as there was no TUI rep around.
“She said that TUI had told them that was all we could have but luckily a nice passenger gave me some crisps that they had.
“There were children with autism who were severely distressed and the staff weren’t helping.
“Elderly people too, left to sit in baking heat for 21 hours, it was disgusting.”
TUI has been approached for comment.
