A couple revealed their holiday to Greece was plagued by a massive 70 hours of delays as their flights were cancelled on both the outbound and inbound journeys.
John Dawson, 72, and his wife Ann, 65, were left exhausted after their flights to Crete were cancelled.
And, they claim their suitcases were left behind in Manchester too.
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The pair set off on their trip on September 2, but found their TUI flight from Manchester airport was cancelled, reports MEN.
John and Ann were taken to a hotel in Stockport for the night, but say they weren’t given any information about the situation.
On September 3, John, a retired insurance agent, claims they were told they would be taken by coach to Gatwick at 1pm, but it turned up at 3pm instead.
The pair were put out as they had been "kicked out of the hotel as there was a wedding on".
The retired couple, from Sheffield, waited outside with the other holidaymakers, but hadn’t eaten since breakfast and claim there was no lavatory on the coach.
A pregnant woman insisted the driver stop to allow her to get on another coach behind – and he reportedly did so on the motorway.
Ann said: "Traffic was flying past, we thought someone could get hit."
They were given a £20 voucher for food at the airport, but claim the shops were shutting and the Wetherspoons at Gatwick was no longer serving food.
John also noted that the voucher couldn’t be spent on alcohol.
Finally, the couple and other tourists flew to Crete at 11pm on September 3 – a 24 hour delay on their original flight time.
When they arrived in Greece, John and Ann faced even more disruption as they found their bags had been left in Manchester.
John said: "Everybody's luggage was still in Manchester. There were babies with no push chairs. We had no clothes and felt a bit scruffy and a bit fed up. We had to fill in forms to say what our luggage looked like."
They were taken by coach to their hotel and eventually arrived at 6am.
A TUI representative told them to buy some clothes and toiletries and claim the cash back, the pair report.
They received their suitcases at 5pm the next day – but their troubles didn’t end there.
The couple enjoyed a fabulous holiday, but were soon faced with yet more delays on their return home.
Having arrived at Heraklion airport for their 1.55am flight on Saturday, September 17, the flight was delayed and then, eventually, cancelled.
John noted: "We travelled 20 yards on a bus to get the luggage off the plane, then we were kicked out of the baggage area and had to hang around for two to three hours.
"As daylight came up we were put on a coach and sent to a hotel nearby for 10am, in time for breakfast."
He claims people even slept on the pavement outside before the move – and they received a text stating they would be picked up at 5pm for their new 8pm flight.
However, when they got to the gate their flight was cancelled again and they were taken to another hotel overnight.
John and Ann finally flew home at 3.30am on September 19 and arrived in the UK at 6am – 43 hours on.
He said: "I understand mistakes in life happen, but there was no correspondence. I booked my holiday in a shop and I don't have modern technology and an app."
As he didn’t have the correct technology available the pair were left disappointed with the amount of information available to them.
TUI told the Manchester Evening News the outbound flight was delayed as a "disruptive passenger" had to be removed meaning the crew hit their maximum legal working hours.
The delay meant luggage could not be taken off the flight, but was sent to customers the next day.
A spokesperson said: "We fully understand Mr and Mrs Dawson’s frustrations and sincerely apologise for the delays they encountered travelling to and from Heraklion.
"While we do everything we can to get customers on holiday and home again on time, sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that don’t make this possible.
"And regrettably in the Dawson’s case, a combination of unforeseen circumstances impacted both their outward and return journeys.
“Our teams kept in touch with them throughout their delays and we provided accommodation, transfers meals and details of how to claim the compensation they are entitled to under EU 261 regulations. We’d like to thank them for their patience and repeat our apologies for their unfortunate experience.”
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Commenting on the delayed return flight, TUI said that the company “fully understands customers' frustrations” and thanked passengers for their “patience and understanding”.
The operator also noted overnight accommodation was sourced for all customers in Heraklion, with food and drink provided at the airport and a TUI holiday voucher.
Customers were also advised of their rescheduled departure time via email and text messages and entitled to EU 261 compensation.
A TUI spokesperson said: “We fully understand customers’ frustration due to the delay of flight TOM2571 from Heraklion to Manchester, which was unfortunately delayed due to a technical fault which meant the aircraft needed to remain in Heraklion overnight.”
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