When Kerry Thompson left her Milton Keynes home on Sunday afternoon for Gatwick Airport, she was looking forward to a four-day break in the sun.
When Kerry Thompson left her Milton Keynes home on Sunday afternoon for Gatwick Airport, she was looking forward to a four-day break in the sun.
Kerry, 46, has Muscular Dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. The holiday – to Turkey – was to have been her first trip away for seven years.
But in the early hours of Monday morning, when she should have been in Delaman, Kerry and her partner arrived back home in Stantonbury.
An error in communication between travel agents TUI and airline SunExpress meant that her wheelchair dimensions had been taken down wrongly. The mistake was only picked up when Kerry was boarding – leaving her feeling embarrassed and humiliated in front of a plane full of passengers.
“I was in tears,” she told MKFM, “There were seven people trying to work out whether the chair would fit in the cargo or not. Height-wise it wouldn't and I wasn't able to board the flight.”
The airline offered Kerry the opportunity to fly the following morning, but provided no assistance to find somewhere to stay overnight.
MKFM contacted TUI who have apologised for the error.
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We have been in touch with Ms Thompson to offer an apology for the situation which was caused by human error, and we have come to a resolution which she has accepted.
"We have offered a full refund for her trip and an additional holiday voucher, and we look forward to welcoming her on a TUI holiday in the future.”
Karen added: “The blame should not be solely attributed to TUI, but also the airline. However TUI were swift in clearing up the issue, and while no amount of money makes up for incidents like this, I am thankful for the quick resolution. I will still use TUI when I try to fly again,” she added.
