Family in tears and '£10k out of pocket' after being…

Family in tears and '£10k out of pocket' after being stopped from boarding Manchester flight

A family of nine were left in tears and '£10,000 out of pocket' after being refused to board the flight for their 'holiday of a lifetime'. Tina Cribb says her family was stopped from boarding the Aer Lingus flight from Manchester Airport to Orlando because of a mix-up with their surnames.

The panicked family bought a new set of tickets to salvage their trips. They insist the error had not been made by them, and the first they knew about the issue was when they collected their tickets at the airport.

But because the family booked their flights on Trip.com, Aer Lingus says it cannot make changes to bookings made via a third party, and Tina has so far failed to secure a refund. It has left the family 'shocked and appalled', the Mirror reports.

Tina added: "It took the shine off the holiday. I just think it's wrong. I think it could've been put right."

The family had turned up at Manchester Airport on November 5 several hours ahead of their flight to Florida for what they hoped would be a 'holiday of a lifetime'. Three and a half hours before take-off they went to the check-in desk to get their tickets.

The family were devastated as they were not allowed to board the flight (Tina Cribb)

It was at this point that they discovered that their first names were mixed up with their surnames, meaning they didn't match their passports. Tina, who praised the Aer Lingus staff at the airport for keeping check-in open as long as possible and being kind, said the family spent hours frantically trying to correct the problem.

The 56-year-old from Norfolk claims they were unable to speak to the groups booking department at Trip.com - where they bought the tickets - because it was closed. An email sent from Trip.com to the family shows their forenames listed before their surnames, leading Tina to believe that they had entered their details correctly.

According to Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of independent travel agents Advantage Travel Partnership, it's the responsibility of 'whoever books to key in the information correctly'. She said there aren't general rules dictating how names must be entered on a ticket, but that 'it's up to the airline, a lot of the time it's the discretion of the staff'.

"Most people would just see the same names and not even notice it," Julia continued. "It's a bit like a spelling mistake, but your passport and ticket have to match. If there is a mistake it's down to the airline's discretion.

Aer Lingus would not allow the family to board with their original booking (Western Mail)

"It seems very very unfair doesn't it? These are not random names. It does unreasonable, but the rules are it's down to the airline."

A spokesperson for Aer LIngus said: "We’re sorry to learn of Ms Cribb’s experience. Unfortunately, we are not able to make changes to bookings made via third parties such as Trip.com.

"While we do allow names on bookings made directly with Aer Lingus, terms and conditions may vary between online travel agents. In order to be accepted for travel the name on a booking must match that of the passport."