A Tui flight from Tenerife to Aberdeen was pushed back a day after its crew needed to be stood down for rest following a two-hour delay in departing.
The TOM1719 flight was due to leave Tenerife at 8.10pm on Sunday, September 11. Customers said online it was only announced at 10pm it had been delayed to this afternoon.
While transfers from the airport in Tenerife and accommodation was provided by Tui, some commenting on social media said it was a long journey from the airport to their given hotel and said “it was not a nice place”.
Tui said the flight was rescheduled for a 12.30pm departure from Tenerife today with an expected arrival time of 5.15pm in Aberdeen.
Summer of Tui delays in Aberdeen
This is not the first time Aberdeen passengers have been left in Tenerife overnight. In August, a flight was cancelled again due to the crew being “outside their mandatory working hours and needing a break”.
Meanwhile, there was anger after customers on a flight from Palma diverted to Edinburgh were not allowed to buy a bottle of water during their wait onboard.
And two Aberdeen grandparents were stuck in Turkey after an 18-hour delay from Dalaman.
Social media posts following the delay on Sunday said the airline was “shocking” and an “absolute disgrace” with many people being urged not to fly with the airline.
While one customer stated they would be given a €12 voucher at check-in and a further voucher for future travel, they said they would not be travelling with Tui again after the “fiasco”.
However, some online stuck up for the airline saying they had flown numerous times with Tui and “could not fault” the service.
The delay follows as many have complained about “shambolic” flight experiences with the airline over the last year.
Compensation for passengers
Responding to an inquiry about the most recent flight, Tui stressed the service was not cancelled but was delayed overnight due to staff needing rest.
A spokeswoman for the airline said: “Due to operational delays, the crew ran out of their mandatory work hours and they needed to rest before they could operate the flight.
“Overnight accommodation and transfers were arranged for all customers in Tenerife.
“Customers will be departing Tenerife at 12:30pm today. Customers travelling on this flight can claim EU261 compensation and have been sent details on how to claim.”
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