Passengers heading home from their holiday in Mexico were left facing a flight delay of more than two days. The return from Cancun was held back for more than 50 hours due to technical problems.
One family due to be on the plane was Alex Gillett and her two daughters Caoimhe, nine, and Orla, six. They had spent the week in the Mexican destination, flying out on May 8.
A great week, Alex said, turned into a nightmare as the TUI flight home was delayed twice. Alex, 28, said passengers spent endless hours waiting at the airport before being bussed to and from "disgusting" overnight hotels.
The delays also meant Alex's oldest daughter Caoimhe, who has a moderate learning disorder, missed an important assessment that she had waited three years for. Alex and her children arrived at Cancun airport on Monday, May 15, ahead of their 6.10pm flight home. But, Alex said, after hours of waiting - and with little information about what was going on - they were told there was a fault with the plane and it couldn't fly.
Alex told the Liverpool ECHO: "TUI sent emails to us, but not everyone could connect to the WIFI, so people were reading out what happened to the group. It was awful - everyone was in the same boat. We were told we were going to be put in a hotel, but when we got there it was disgusting.
"There were used condoms, bed bugs and blood on the sheets. By the time we got to the hotel it was 1am and the kids hadn't eaten for hours. We also didn't have any pesos left because we expected to go home without any trouble."
Nearly 350 passengers were ferried back to the airport the following day. But Alex branded it a "shambles" as they found themselves in the same situation again. Alex said there was a lack of information at the airport due to TUI bringing in third-party staff to deal with the travellers.
Alex, from Liverpool, said after hours more of waiting they were taken back to a different hotel to stay another night. And despite originally being told their night would be all-inclusive, the family were given just 20 dollars and had to choose between food and toiletries.
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Alex was told by TUI over email that their plane was first grounded due to a "technical issue" and parts were being flown out to fix it. But after their plane was grounded for a second day, Alex was told the part had been damaged further while being repaired.
They waited for hours on a third consecutive day at the airport not knowing if they would be boarding their flight home or not. And Alex claims they eventually boarded a different plane, originally bound for Bristol, which instead flew back to Manchester.
Alex told the ECHO: "It was a nightmare - I was on my own with no support. We were left there with little communication and without food and medication.
"My daughter missed an assessment we have been waiting years for because we arrived home three days late. Luckily we have managed to rearrange it for June.
"TUI gave us a £200 voucher which feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth - I don't know if we'll want to go on holiday with them again. The delays ruined this holiday - the time waiting at the airport is the only memory the girls will have."
A spokesperson for TUI said: "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, which is why we provided Ms Gillett with additional compensation in light of her experience."
