A National Express coach delay caused a family-of-six to miss their flight leaving the kids falling on the floor sobbing.
Abdul Choudhury, his wife and their four children, from Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, had booked a one-week holiday to Milan to visit relatives they hadn't seen for 10 years. But they were forced to scrap their trip after a National Express coach got them to Manchester Airport almost two hours late. They desperately sprinted to their boarding gate but by the time they got there were told their plane had already left.
Now Abdul, who has been left £274.56 out of pocket, wants the company to refund the cost of his flight, reports Stoke-on-Trent Live. The coach had been scheduled to leave Hanley bus station at 3.15pm and arrive at the airport at 4.30pm - two-and-a-half hours before the family's flight at 7pm. However, it didn't leave until 4.50pm. The family were dropped off at Terminal 1 at 6.25pm - a 30-minute walk away from Terminal 3.
The family made it through security but as they ran to their gate they were told the Ryanair flight had left without them.
Abdul was offered alternative flights at a cost of £600, but this was not an option so the family got the train home and missed their one-week break.
National Express has offered to refund their coach and rail travel on the day - but 54-year-old Abdul believes they should also refund the £274.56 cost of his flights.
A National Express spokesman said the delays were "out of our control" because of an earlier crash on the M6. He added: "This was due to queuing traffic caused by a major accident involving a three-vehicle collision, lane closures and emergency barrier repairs between junctions eight and nine on the northbound M6 earlier in the day.
"Our recommendation to customers when booking travel to the airport is to plan to arrive no later than three hours before the departure time of their flight to allow for any reasonable traffic and ensure they can clear check-in and security.”
