A couple are demanding an apology from Ryanair after they claim they were flown to the wrong country.
Simon Forster and Emma Schofield had planned a Christmas break in Denmark but ended up travelling to France by mistake.
Long queues at Manchester Airport on December 17 had left them with little time to sprint to the departure gate, where they said Ryanair staff checked their passports and boarding passes.
Mr Forster claims they were then ushered onto a waiting plane and into their seats as a member of cabin crew told them not to worry about showing their passes again, reports the Manchester Evening News.
It was only when they landed and were greeted with a cheerful "bonjour" at passport control that the couple realised they were in the French city of Beauvais – 750 miles from their intended destination of Copenhagen.
In a statement, Ryanair would not comment on the individual case but said it is each passenger’s responsibility to ensure they board the correct aircraft.
There are several "touchpoints" throughout the journey that inform passengers of the aircraft’s destination, including a welcome PA onboard, it added.
But businessman Mr Forster claims he heard no such announcement in English.
“The shock of landing somewhere near Paris when you’re supposed to be going to Copenhagen was ridiculous," he said.
“I would like to understand how on earth this happened."
The couple are seeking an apology from Ryanair and have asked the airline to reimburse their flights, hotels and taxis.
Mr Forster said the problems began after it took them two hours to get through airport security, leaving them with little time to make it to the gate.
“We got there and three Ryanair staff asked if we were there for Copenhagen", he said.
“We got on [the plane] and there were only about six other passengers, which was not surprising because so many people were missing flights.
“I did show the stewardess my boarding pass and she said 'don't worry about it'. I was dripping in sweat.
“Our seat numbers were free so we sat down.
“We landed in less time than we expected and as we walked into the airport I thought I didn’t recognise it and I go to Copenhagen quite a lot.
“We were greeted at passport control with "Bonjour" and it became apparent that we were in France.”
After discovering they had landed in Beauvais, the couple took a cab to Paris and booked into a hotel near the Eiffel Tower.
Mr Forster contacted Ryanair in the morning to ask for a reimbursement and was told to fill in an online complaint form.
He and Ms Schofield stayed in France for the weekend and booked flights home to the UK with Easyjet.
In all, the couple spent more than £930 on the original flights to Copenhagen and a hotel in the Danish city that they were unable to use, plus the taxi from Beauvais, a night in a Paris hotel and return flights.
“After spending hours calling Ryanair and filling in online forms, my complaint is showing as ’solved’,” he said.
“It really was a s*** show.
“Just the fact we tried to show our boarding passes and were told ‘don’t worry about it’, You wouldn’t think that could happen these days.
“If you put passengers on the wrong plane to the wrong country, you expect an apology.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "It is each passenger’s responsibility to ensure they board the correct aircraft.
"There are several touchpoints throughout the passenger journey which inform passengers of the aircraft’s destination, these include: flight number and destination are clearly printed on the passenger’s boarding card; flight number and destination are displayed at the gate; flight number and destination are called out in the standard boarding PA; and flight number and destination are mentioned in the welcome PA on board."
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