British holidaymakers faced travel turmoil when they were were dumped in Lanzarote on a Ryanair flight to Gran Canaria.
Passengers had two days shaved off their holiday after being told to get a bus and two ferries to reach their hotel.
The pilot had spent an hour trying to land at Gran Canaria during an "impossible" storm which meant their plane was diverted to the wrong island, one traveller said.
Some were left fuming at the lack of communication from Ryanair after they were "stranded" at the airport in Lanzarote, reports Chronicle Live.
Emma and Barry Etherington, from Gateshead, were supposed to be on their first couples' holiday in more than 20 years after their son Josh left home to study at the University of Birmingham.
But they were left feeling unwell after being forced to wait at Lanzarote Airport for two hours in the rain before being put on a bus to the ferry port.
"It's been horrendous. I just wanted to go home this morning as I felt so poorly and stressed," Emma said.
"But it's settled down a bit now and we're happy to stay and enjoy the rest of our holiday."
Emma, who works for a law firm, has vowed never to fly with the airline again after the nightmare journey.
She told how they were forced to take a ferry to Fuertaventura and another to Gran Canaria where they were then taken by bus to Las Palmas Airport.
From there, they had to make their own way to their hotel which was booked as part of a package with online travel agent loveholidays.
"There were people with babies and buggies and they were absolutely soaking, some people's cases were so wet that their clothes were soaking in their suitcases," Emma said.
"We had to stand in a shelter with nobody knowing what was going on because there were no Ryanair reps to be seen anywhere."
According to the Spanish airport operator AENA, flights were cancelled across the Canary Islands on Sunday as Storm Hermine moved in from over the Atlantic, bringing torrential wind and rain.
The Spanish national weather agency issued a red weather alert for Gran Canaria, La Palma, and El Hierro from midday until midnight on Sunday.
By mid-afternoon, there had been 141 cancellations across the islands, including 23 from Las Palmas Airport.
However, the 6.50am Ryanair flight from Newcastle Airport went ahead, as did the 3.50pm Jet2 flight, which landed in Las Palmas an hour and 47 minutes later than scheduled.
Emma said: "We knew there was a storm but we went to the airport thinking everything would be fine.
"The pilot tried for an hour to land at Gran Canaria and it was impossible, it was so bad.
"It was horrible, really horrible. Obviously people were frightened because it was quite turbulent and we didn't know what was going on."
Emma said she was angry at the lack of communication from Ryanair once they were "left" at the airport in Lanzarote.
She claims she also tried to contact the airline directly but said when she attempted to use their website's live chat, the response said there was no-one who "could reply at this time".
"I tell you what, I’m never flying Ryanair again. None of [the weather] was their fault, but had they just been there to tell us what’s going on, it would have been better. But nobody knew."
Emma claims that once the ferry docked in Fuerteventura, there was nobody from Ryanair to meet the passengers, even though the airline had arranged their hotel for the night.
She believes if it had not been for a man on their flight who spoke Spanish, nobody would have known what was going on.
"Luckily for us there was a guy on the boat who spoke Spanish and he spoke to the bus drivers to find out what was happening," she said.
"There was a deaf couple who have no idea what's going on, a lady who knows sign language has managed to give them advice, but we've had nobody give us any kind of assistance and people were frantic."
Despite arriving at their destination more than a day and a half late, Emma and Barry aren't expecting to get any compensation back on their £1,200 package deal as the plane was redirected due to weather conditions.
Emma continued: "I'm never flying with Ryanair again. We were literally dumped.
"It's been an absolute disaster, Ryanair need to step up to the plate here. There are so many people in a right mess."
A spokesperson from Ryanair said: "This flight from Newcastle to Gran Canaria, September 25, diverted to Lanzarote due to bad weather conditions which were entirely beyond Ryanair’s control.
"Affected passengers were notified and provided with overnight accommodation before being transported to Gran Canaria, September 26, when weather conditions improved the following day.
"We sincerely apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused as a result of these weather disruptions."
Ryanair was asked if the couple were entitled to any compensation, but the airline declined to comment.
A spokesperson for loveholidays, who Emma and Barry bought the holiday from, said: "We are sorry to hear Mr and Mrs Etherington’s holiday plans were disrupted by Ryanair’s flight schedule change.
"As soon as we were informed, we contacted their hotel and transfer providers to ensure there was no further impact and we wish them a wonderful time during the rest of their holiday."
Emma and Barry have since made it to Gran Canaria and are looking forward to the rest of their holiday being a time to relax.
Emma added: "We're just going to chill because we've waited so long for it."
