A family of four were warned that they could be stranded abroad for several weeks after their journey home was cancelled.
Zoe and Karl Parnell flew to the popular holiday destination of Tenerife on 31 May for a sunny getaway with their two daughters, aged 13 and five. They were due to return home on Saturday night - until their airline company Wizz Air cancelled the flight.
“We kept getting texts to say the flight was delayed, then cancelled,” Ms Parnell told BBC Radio Derby . Waiting for news on a replacement flight, the family then received a shocking update.
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“Wizz Air said they wouldn’t be able to get us a flight home for a month and a half,” Ms Parnell told BBC host Andy Twigge, which left the family concerned about missing out on work and school. “The girls were crying and worrying they wouldn’t be able to get home.”
Wizz Air told the BBC that the cancellations were down to staff shortages, and that it was working to help the affected holidaymakers . “We are doing all we can to help as many passengers reach their destination as possible,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
But the explanation doesn’t cut it for the Parnell family, who were forced to pay out of pocket to book a flight home with Jet2 instead. “We are having to pay for it all on my credit card and we will have to try to sort it out when we get home,” Ms Parnell said.
She added: “I can understand delays but to be left stranded is unacceptable.”
Airport travel chaos has affected holidaymakers across the country, with hundreds of flights being delayed or cancelled due to staff shortages. The disruption is expected to worsen over the summer, and experts have warned that it could continue for 18 months.
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