Fuming Brit couple kicked off flight for vaping in case of mistaken identity

A couple who have never smoked were left fuming after they were wrongly accused of vaping and banned from a flight.

Lois Light, 27, and her partner Dexter took a TUI flight from Gatwick to Lanzarote for a week-long holiday, where cabin crew caught two other passengers inhaling from e-cigarettes while in mid-air.

After their sunny break came to an end the pair returned to the airport, preparing to head home.

READ MORE: Exact date UK summer turns into six-day washout as Brits scramble to axe BBQs

But they were called to reception by their TUI rep and informed they had been banned from the plane.

They were accused of vaping on their outbound flight and the rep told them they had no choice but to book a different flight home with another airline.

But while the couple protested their innocence and noted the real offenders were both female, they were still made to splash an eye-watering £500 on a new Easyjet flight as well as transfers and luggage.

Lois, a nurse from Norwich, said: "It ruined our holiday and has caused a huge amount of stress since.

"It is shocking that a mistake like this can happen and TUI said there was nothing they could do to help and seemed to not believe us."

• 

  Teenager dies after truck tyre breaks loose and flies through car windscreen

The couple stressed that neither of them smoke or vape, but said it wasn't enough to secure their journey back.

They say they were informed of the ban just two hours before their flight on July 9 was due to take off.

Once home safe the pair complained to the holiday company, who initially stood by their decision and continued to accuse the couple of both vaping and other inappropriate behaviour.

Lois added: "We tried saying there was a mix-up but initially, everyone we spoke to said there was nothing they could do.

"You’d think they would be able to look at the CCTV on the plane or see we did not match the description from staff.

"I was even asleep at the time with headphones on so I didn't even know it had happened."

It was only after the pair posted about the issue to Facebook that TUI finally apologised and accepted liability.

The holiday company has since offered the couple compensation and has paid the cost of their travel – but Lois says she isn't satisfied with their response.

She said: "They've paid our expenses and offered £500 compensation each – but that's not enough.

"It's not like the air con was broken in our hotel, or the food made us ill – they've wrongly accused us of something which is a horrible feeling.

"The whole experience was extremely upsetting."

A TUI spokesperson said: "We are sincerely sorry for the ordeal they experienced on their journey home from Lanzarote.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

"Unfortunately, a human error meant that the couple were falsely identified as disruptive passengers following their flight.

"We have since apologised to the couple and offered them compensation and have paid for the travel costs as well as offering them a goodwill gesture.

"Instances like this are extremely rare, and we take security matters very seriously.

"We can only continue to apologise for this error, and we hope that the couple were still able to enjoy their holiday before this unfortunate mix up."

Source: Read Full Article