Flight cancellations leave plans for dream wedding in Cyprus up in the air
Thousands of people have been affected by flight cancellations over the past few days, as airlines struggle to deal with the increased demand for travel.
Sunday 29 May 2022 03:58, UK
A school teacher is considering postponing her wedding in Cyprus after her flight was among those cancelled by airline Tui.
Seren Rounds, 27, and her fiance Adam Howells, 29, are from Caerleon, South Wales, and have been planning their big day since 2020.
They and 34 guests were due to fly from Bristol to the Cypriot city of Paphos on Saturday, but their flight was delayed and then cancelled.
Ms Rounds’ mother Lisa Trenchard, 55, said that the wedding is booked for 2 June but there is “no way” that flights can be found for all of the guests before then, so the wedding is “ruined”.
Ms Trenchard said: “We have families with babies and a devastated bride and groom to be.
“Absolutely I blame Tui – not necessarily for the initial problem, but their lack of visibility and compassion, and how they have taken the easy option to cancel.”
Tui announced on Friday that it would axe a “small number” of flights, alongside easyJet’s announcement that it would scrap more than 200 over the 10 days until 6 June.
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‘I’m really disappointed’
Another person affected by the cancellations is Sunita Ramjee, 50, of Swansea, Wales, who said she spent £6,000 on tickets to take her daughter, 19, and brother to the Grand Prix in Monaco for his 40th birthday.
The trio had planned to fly from Gatwick to Nice on Friday but their flight was delayed and then cancelled.
No other flights were available because of the Grand Prix and the Champions League final in Paris on Saturday, Ms Ramjee said.
Long delays at UK airports
“We had tickets to the Grand Prix and now easyJet has cancelled my flight and I’m not going to get a refund (for the Formula One tickets).
“I’m really disappointed in the way it was handled. Nobody helped us to try and figure out alternative flights or make hotel bookings.”
Cancellations ‘necessary to provide reliable services’
A Tui spokesman said: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience to customers who have experienced flight delays or a flight cancellation.
“Delays have been caused due to a combination of factors and we are doing everything we can to keep customers updated, and will provide refreshments and, where appropriate, provide hotel accommodation.
“Where we have made the difficult decision to cancel a small number of flights, customers will receive a full refund within 14 days and we will contact them directly to help them try and find another holiday.”
An easyJet spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the late notice of some of these cancellations and inconvenience caused for customers booked on these flights, however we believe this is necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period.”
