More woes for MyTravel

Last updated at 09:17 13 August 2003


Hundreds of holidaymakers were stranded for up to 43 hours after two charter flights suffered massive delays.

Some customers slept on airport tables and baggage carousels after a series of mechanical problems grounded their planes.

One flight, from Fuerteventura to Manchester, was delayed for almost two days while another, from Ibiza to Leeds-Bradford, was held up for 37 hours.

The airline in both cases was MyTravel. The Mail reported yesterday that a pilot on one of the firm's flights from Menorca asked passengers to raise their hands if they were willing to board his plane after it had technical problems. Fourteen refused.

And problems on the same Boeing 757 were behind the fresh delays at Ibiza airport. More than 200 passengers were set for take-off at 3.10am on Saturday but did not leave the Spanish island until 4.30pm on Sunday.

Many said they were angry that they had been scheduled on a plane which had caused problems already.

Sue Fairley, a 36-year-old sales representative from Loughborough, Leicestershire, was held up in Ibiza with partner Tony Tayler, a 39-year-old engineer. 'The last day completely ruined the holiday for us,' she said. 'It was horrendous.'

The Fuerteventura to Manchester flight on Sunday at 1.20am was initially delayed when a door jammed.

Then, halfway down the runway, take-off was aborted because of a 'lack of power' in one engine.

The pilot finally decided the plane was not fit to fly after the air conditioning broke down.

Around 70 of the 363 passengers spent a night at the airport and a second night crammed into hotels before a replacement jet could be found. They arrived home at 8.05pm on Monday - 43 hours late.

Leslie and Sandra Superson, from Chorlton, Manchester, were among those who slept on a carousel.

'It was a total nightmare,' said Leslie, 52, a production engineer. 'On the plane it was well over 100 degrees and everybody was sweating. In the airport there was one shower between 70 of us. The lack of communication really annoyed us.'

Passengers were given £100 in cash and a written apology. A MyTravel spokesman said the Boeing 757 had been hit by two separate faults and the delays were necessary to ensure passenger safety was not compromised.

Have you suffered a holiday nightmare with My Travel? Call 0161 836 5072 or send an e-mail

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