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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.
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