A whole group of Brits have been left outraged after TUI cancelled 'hundreds' of holidays via text message.
Holidaymakers flying from Manchester to the Greek island of Kos faced severe delays while waiting at the city's airport.
After a reported eight-hour long hold up, they were told right at the last minute that their trips were no longer going ahead.
Watch police convey a statement from TUI to the disappointed holidaymakers below:
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One passenger told Manchester Evening News that there were children crying over their ruined vacation, while staff at the check-in were left dealing with 'hundreds' of complaining travellers.
Although the flight was set to leave from Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 at 3.45pm, they have said there's no way they would have made it if it hadn't been so delayed anyway due to queues 'out of the building' to check-in.
Following an eight-hour wait, they were told by text message that their £4,500 TUI trip was no longer going ahead.
George Sharp the outlet that his daughter had travelled from Bradford for the holiday, and after severe delays she finally made it to the boarding gate, only to receive the devastating message.
"It was like circumstances I've never ever heard of before," he said. "They went to board and then they cancelled not just the flight but the entire holiday.
"TUI staff refused to face up to anyone and the police arrived to tell them to go back through security to collect their bags and go home.
"She just got married two years ago so all they've known is Covid since they got married in March 2020 and this was supposed to be a big reset for them and to help them get back to normality.
So after spending 8 hours at @manairport yesterday, hours queuing at T2 bag drop, then security, to then find our flight delayed (with no information), @TUIUK cancelled our entire holiday to Kos (booked in 2020) by TEXT message (!) as we sat waiting at the departure gate 1/3 pic.twitter.com/poyHBLbkp8
— Jayesh Patel ☔️ (@smurfyhelp_jay) May 29, 2022
"To be at the airport for eight hours, face numerous delays and get ready to board to then be told that it's over is just really upsetting for them all. There's been no communication other than a text message."
Another Brit named Jayesh Patel said he'd been travelling with his wife and their three children, aged nine, 12 and 13, who had arrived three hours before their flight as advised.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, he said: "We got through security pretty quickly, but we only had about 20 minutes to go before our flight was due to fly. The first time we found out our flight had been delayed by another three hours was when we got to the departure lounge - at no stage did anyone tell us our flight was going to be delayed.
"At around 6pm, they gave us £5 vouchers to buy food but we've still got them as the shops were all so busy or had just began to close. At 7.48pm, we received a text to tell us our entire holiday had been cancelled.
"There was nobody at the airport to speak to, but there was a lot of upset and frustration as we all received the text at the same time."
Although Jayesh said the passengers were offered a refund on their flights - £350 in compensation and a £200 holiday voucher - he would rather it was all in cash, adding: "Realistically, I'm not sure we want to book another holiday with TUI at this point."
A spokesperson for TUI has since apologised for the incident, telling the outlet: "We would like to apologise for the inconvenience to our customers on flight TOM2680 from Manchester and Kos, on Saturday 28th May who were delayed to a combination of factors causing significant operational disruption.
"Unfortunately, we felt the impact to customers holiday was too great and took the difficult decision to cancel the flight.
"We contacted affected customers as soon as we became aware of the change and all customers will receive a full refund within 14 days. We understand how disappointing and frustrating this is and we do apologise for any inconvenience caused."
