Hundreds of Tui customers spent the night in Barbados airport after their trip to London Gatwick was cancelled.
Tui flight TOM21 from the Caribbean island to Gatwick was scheduled to depart on time at 5 p.m. local time (9 p.m. GMT) with 342 passengers.
However, a ground service vehicle hit the Boeing 787 jet just before departure.
Mark Pantlin, a passenger, reported hearing a loud blast 30 minutes before takeoff to The Independent. A vehicle with disabled occupants hit the plane.
The captain assured us it had been locally inspected and UK engineers approved us to fly. However, 20 minutes later, they said they were looking again.
We were told the flight was cancelled, we would stay the night, and they were booking alternate tickets.
Over the next few hours, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Tui, and others flew from Barbados to London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, East Midlands, and Birmingham. However, Tui could not obtain seats on those flights.
The Barbados airport management advised passengers that they could not get off the plane until everyone had overnight accommodations, Mr. Pantlin claimed.
They were discharged at 10 p.m., five hours after the flight.
“No Tui staff were seen for at least 45 minutes,” Pantlin claimed. We were told the island had no hotel space for everyone.
Tui then placed young families, disabled, and elderly persons in hotels.
„Everybody else was left lying on chairs at night, without cushions or blankets, and without Tui news.”
Tui apologised to customers on aircraft TOM21 from Bridgetown to London Gatwick on March 7 in a statement to The Independent. Unfortunately, an uncontrollable event damaged the aircraft as it prepared to depart.
All customers departed and stayed in Bridgetown throughout safety measures for their and the crew’s safety.
We apologies for the delay and appreciate how frustrating this is for our clients. After receiving more information regarding their return to the UK, the Tui team contacts customers personally and works relentlessly to find housing for individuals affected.
Mr. Pantlin described it as “unbelievable levels of incompetence and lack of updates.” Most clients got a huge two-finger up from Tui.”
The stranded tourists may be picked up by a chartered Wamos Airbus A330 from Madrid to Barbados.
Delayed passengers can receive £520 in cash.
Tui denies that premium economy passengers received hotel rooms before other passengers.
In December, Air France passengers on a Caribbean-to-Paris flight that “went tech” in Guadeloupe were separated and only given hotel rooms in business class.
