When their aircraft developed a fault, a British couple's all-inclusive dream Mexican holiday turned into a waking nightmare. Delayed for two days, Justin and Emma Bramwell had to put up with a hotels they described as 'filthy' and infested with insects.
They had splashed out £7,000 on the all-inclusive TUI holiday but ended up getting stranded with hundreds of other holidaymakers at Cancun airport. It turned sour when it became clear that problems with the plane were serious. More than 300 frustrated passengers were bussed to a nearby hotel, which Emma described as 'shockingly disgusting', reports the MEN.
She said: "There were insects everywhere. It was filthy. People found used condoms in their rooms. When some people got to their rooms there were people already people in them. The food was literally inedible. People were getting sick. It was mouldy and damp. It was horrific."
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They faced a 55-hour delay to get back home to Westhoughton, in Bolton, after spending £7,000 on a two week all-inclusive holiday with TUI in Tulum, Mexico. TUI has explained the delays and offered compensation as well as a gesture of goodwill but the Bramwells say it is not good enough and want a full refund.
But they faced a horrific end to the trip when their flight home was twice cancelled. They eventually landed back in Manchester on Thursday evening, more than two days late after facing dozens of hours of waiting at Cancun airport and being ferried back-and-forth from hotels they described as 'disgusting'.
Emma and Justin, both 48, arrived at the airport on Monday, May 15, ahead of their 6.10pm flight home. However, after lengthy delays, with, they claim, very little information about what was happening, in the early hours of the next day they were told there was a fault with the plane and they wouldn't be flying.
After that first unforgettable stay in a hotel, the following night the passengers were taken back to the airport. But after another lengthy delay, their flight was again cancelled in the early hours of the next morning.
Emma says stressed passengers then refused to leave the departure lounge, with two holidaymakers in wheelchairs blocking the exit.
She said: "People were hysterical. They were shouting at the staff. Imagine 345 tired, ill, hot, stressed people all kicking off. It was like a riot was about to break out. I've travelled all over the world and I've never seen anything like it."
Eventually the police and military were called, Emma says, and the passengers were persuaded to leave. After waiting outside the airport in what Emma says was 39C heat, the shattered couple were taken to a different hotel, checking in at 5am.
Despite being on an all-inclusive holiday Emma says they then were given just 20 dollars each to spend on food and drink. After returning to the airport for a third consecutive day, the flight did eventually depart, landing in Manchester around 2pm on Thursday - 55 hours late.
The couple say they've now been offered €600 in compensation for the delayed flight and £200 in Tui vouchers. Some 125 passengers have also formed a WhatsApp called 'TUI Flite Nitemare' as they try to get a refund.
Emma, who runs her own cleaning business, said: "It was just a distressing, horrific nightmare. I don't have the words to describe how bad it was. We were just left to fend for ourselves. We were treated worse than cockroaches.
"The compensation we've been offered is not good enough and we're not going to accept it. We want a full refund and compensation for what we went through."
A Tui spokesperson told the Liverpool Echo: "We completely understand the frustration of customers on flight TOM193, and we apologise for the inconvenience. The aircraft developed a fault which delayed the departure from Cancun, while this was being repaired further damage was caused. Therefore, engineers and a new part were sent to complete the repair.
"On both occasions, customers were transported to hotels for an overnight stay. Our reps in the airport and hotels were on hand to assist throughout. We’d like to apologise again for any inconvenience caused and we will be offering all those affected Flight Delay compensation and a gesture of goodwill.
"The safety and security of our customers and crew remains to be our highest priority. We’d also like to apologise for the service level at the hotel which was not up to the standard we expect."
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