Couple ‘stranded’ after Turkey holiday ends in ‘disgusting’ hotel
A furious couple have spoken of the moment they realised they would be “stranded” in Turkey after being told at the airport their flight would not be leaving. Mandy Roberts and partner David Ashcroft said they were left stuck in Turkey after turning up to catch their flight and being told it would not be possible until the next day.
The pair flew from Solihull-based Birmingham Airport to holiday hotspot Antalya on June 26 with TUI were due to fly back to the UK on July CoventryLive reports. Their return flight was delayed for 28 hours due to a technical issue, TUI have confirmed.
Coventry couple Mandy and David described the saga as “horrific” – one which they claim saw them housed in an emergency hotel with “cockroaches” and “beg bugs” as they awaited news of a flight back to BHX. TUI have since issued a full apology to the couple, adding they have organised compensation for all travellers on the couple’s flight.
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‘We were told that passengers will be separated into groups’
Describing what happened, Mandy Roberts said: “It was our first time going to Turkey, and the holiday and hotel we stayed in was lovely. We had an amazing time, but once we got to Antalya airport, we were told there was going to be a delay. The flight ended up going from a few hours delay to being told the flight wasn’t going to be until the next day.”
She said passengers were told they would be separated into groups and go to different hotels, and they ended up in one she called “horrendous”. She added: “We were put into a twin room, rather than a double room which was dirty and disgusting, full of bed bugs and cockroaches, the food had flies in it and I took a sip of the coffee and spat it out. I couldn’t eat or drink anything there.
“None of us ate because the food was horrible, so we were basically left without food the whole day since not eating the previous night. We had to result to going to a nearby coffee shop for a drink and a sandwich, but the TUI reps were not helpful at all,” Mandy said.
The pair shared pictures from inside the hotel which appear to show stained bed-sheets and flies on food. When it came to returning to the airport, Mandy and David decided to get a taxi to avoid “being on a bus full of people.”
‘I started to have a panic attack’
However Mandy claimed she collapsed as they were due to leave: “I sat down and started to have a panic attack, and when I collapsed, the reps did nothing. There was a fireman and a nurse among the passengers, and since I only have one arm, I hit my elbow when I fell which really hurt.
“When I gained consciousness, once again, the reps did nothing. The hotel also didn’t have first aid so the passengers went into the hotel and made a makeshift sling with a pillowcase just in case anything further was wrong with my arm.”
Mandy and David got back to Birmingham Airport in the early hours of Saturday morning on July 8 where Mandy went to hospital to get checked over. She said: “We went from having a really nice holiday in a beautiful hotel to a horrific aftercare experience.”
When asked if they would fly with TUI again, Mandy said: “We have never had a problem with TUI before, and we already have a holiday booked and paid for to the Dominican Republic in September which we sorted before we went to Turkey, but now we are contemplating whether to go for this holiday after this experience.”
TUI – ‘We would like to apologise to all the customers affected’
A spokesperson from TUI said: “We’d like to apologise to Ms Roberts for the disruption to flight TOM599 from Antalya to Birmingham on July 7. Due to the late arrival of the aircraft into Antalya because of a technical issue, the flight was delayed overnight and as a result, we provided customers with accommodation until their new flight time the following day. EU261 flight delay compensation has since been issued to all impacted customers.
“We are sorry to hear that Ms Roberts was not satisfied with the accommodation provided. Unfortunately, we have not received a complaint from Ms Roberts and would suggest she get in touch with our customer services team via the form on our website so they can investigate this and get in touch with her directly to resolve this.
“We understand how frustrating flight delays can be and would once again like to apologise to all the customers affected.”
TUI have said they did not receive any direct communication from the customer regarding the complaint and that Ms Roberts should fill out the following form here and the teams will investigate.
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