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Tui holidaymakers kicked off ‘nightmare’ flight after plane too heavy to take off
Holidaymakers were left upset after their flight was delayed for more than 16 hours. It came after the Tui plane was too heavy for take off.
And passengers at Exeter Airport were told to disembark and return home – leaving some stranded overnight. The flight was due to jet to Turkey on Saturday, June 3.
But passengers were told the aircraft was carrying too much weight, and they watched in horror as suitcases were chosen ‘at random’ and removed from the plane. One passenger said the aeroplane began to taxi across the runway, but at this point, passengers were told it was not safe for the plane to take off, DevonLive reports.
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When the problem could not be resolved passengers were told the flight would be delayed until Sunday and they should go home. They eventually boarded the flight and left for Alanya, Turkey, at 8.40am on Sunday – a delay of more than 16 hours.
One passenger said: “It was bit of a nightmare to be honest. We will definitely be asking questions of the company. They have only offered us the equivalent of one day’s holiday back.”
A spokesperson for Tui apologised to those affected. They said: “We completely understand the frustration of customers who were due to be on flight FHY546 from Exeter yesterday and we would like to apologise for the delay in their journey.
“The flight, operated by Freebird, experienced a technical issue prior to take off. As a precaution, all customers needed to be disembarked so that engineers could carry out an inspection and resolve the problem.
“Due to hotel availability in Exeter, customers were required to return home. Expenses can be claimed back for travel and sustenance expenses. Those customers travelling on a TUI package will receive a one-day pro rata refund.
“All customers received full communications on how to claim back expenses, as well as details of how to claim compensation from Freebird in accordance with EU regulations. Passengers are now on their way to destination, and we thank them for their patience and understanding.
“The aircraft was in full working order when customers boarded the aircraft however, once the captain completed final checks encountered a weight restriction performance issue. As a precaution, all customers needed to be disembarked so that our engineers could carry out an inspection and resolve the problem.”
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