Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
31 October 2013 10:25
An elderly woman was sent across the Atlantic on a flight, instead of being flown to Spain
An error by an air miles travel company has illustrated how having that all-important cover for when things go wrong could be crucial.
Cancer survivor Lamenda Kingdon, 62, planned a trip to the Spanish city of Granada, allowing her to tick the achievement off a list of things to do.
But unbeknown to her, air miles firm Avios mistakenly booked her on a flight to the Caribbean island of Grenada instead.
Mrs Kingdon only realised the company's error two hours after the plane took off, according to a report in the Daily Mail newspaper.
She happened to start chatting to a passenger next to her, saying how much she was looking forward to landing in Spain when the passenger replied: "Not on this plane you won't."
Instead of Avios booking a two-hour flight to Spain, it sent her on a 10-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Mrs Kingdon had organised her "bucket list" holiday to Granada in Andalusia after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and breast cancer.
She booked over the phone using air miles collected by her late husband and did not notice the mistake when she received her flight tickets.
She set off for Gatwick Airport, oblivious to what lay ahead, the Daily Mail reported.
Such mishaps underline the importance of over-60s travel insurance for older people heading overseas. Meanwhile, people travelling after a cancer diagnosis can arrange tailored travel insurance for cancer patients for added peace of mind.
However the flight crew were more than helpful and ensured she disembarked at St Lucia and got her on a flight back to Gatwick where she was put up for the night in a hotel and, the following day, was flown to Malaga, the Spanish city nearest Granada which has a major airport.
Airline staff also arranged for Avios to reimburse her air miles.
Avios also gave Mrs Kingdon enough air miles to get her to the next target destination on her list: New Zealand.
But the best of news of all? She was given the all-clear on her cancer when she came home from Spain.
14 July 2018
Too many passengers heading abroad this summer will be travelling without adequate protection for when an airline goes bust, a new study has shown.
[more...]
13 July 2018
The mother of Bradley Lowery has welcomed the news that a drug used to help treat her son will soon be made available for other patients on the NHS.
12 July 2018
British GPs have prevented thousands of strokes after learning how to better identify and treat a common heart condition, research has shown.
11 July 2018
London City Airport is considering lodging an application to increase flight and passenger numbers, its boss has revealed.
10 July 2018
Captain Harry Kane is leading England's unexpected bid for glory, and is hoping to inspire the next generation of footballers by going all the way in Russia.
07 July 2018
Experts have warned that a lack of rigorous testing of skin cancer detection apps is putting the public at risk.
06 July 2018
Easyjet has added to worries that travellers are set for a summer of chaos, revealing that nearly 1,300 flights were cancelled last month.
05 July 2018
Soaring temperatures across the UK have led to a surge of asthma sufferers calling a dedicated asthma helpline, a charity has revealed.
04 July 2018
Strikes across Europe led Ryanair to cancel over 1,000 flights in June, the budget airline has revealed.
03 July 2018
Sarcoma cancer is "more common than previously thought" with 15 people in the UK diagnosed with the illness every day, a charity has warned.
30 June 2018
The UK is set to scorch this weekend as the heatwave continues and temperatures stay well in the 30s.
29 June 2018
Passengers travelling to Heathrow this summer could continue to face lengthy queues, a top Home Office official has warned.