Autistic wife and her disabled husband put on 'wrong plane' after 'unbelievable' airport mistake

Just when we think air travel is convenient, it presents numerous challenges. From tedious security checks to lost baggage, flying has its downsides. While luggage often gets misplaced, it's rare for an airline to misplace passengers. However, a couple from Mountain Ash in South Wales recently experienced this unusual mishap. They were supposed to fly to Barcelona, Spain, from Bristol Airport on Ryanair but ended up in a different country, thousands of miles from their destination, as reported by The Independent.

Andrew and Victoria Gore planned to celebrate Andrew's 47th birthday with 10 others in Costa Brava, Spain. They booked a holiday package costing around £1500 ($1,914), including travel. Andrew, an amputee, and Victoria, who is autistic, needed special assistance for boarding and arranged it in advance. They arrived early for their flight on May 25 at Bristol Airport but were flown to Lithuania instead of Spain. It was only upon landing in Kaunas, Lithuania, that they realized the mistake.

"I was distraught and scared. I didn't stop crying. It was my worst nightmare," Victoria told the outlet. She pointed out the couple always had special assistance whenever they took a flight, but this was the first time it became a disaster. Since their family, who were to accompany them on their holiday, did not need special assistance, separated from the couple. The Gores' boarding passes were checked while entering the plane and also another time by a flight attendant when Victoria requested that she be seated next to her husband. When the couple alerted the crew about the wrong destination on landing, the captain got furious at the staff and asked them to arrange for the couple's transport to Barcelona.

Ryanair booked a stay and an Uber to take the couple to Riga, 150 miles from Kaunas, where they could take a direct flight to Barcelona. With the airline's help, the couple reached Barcelona the next day and then traveled to Costa Brava. However, their luggage was delayed and arrived two days later. "I've heard of suitcases going to the wrong place‚ but not people. In this day and age, there are so many checks. How could it happen? They looked at our boarding passes so many times. It's unbelievable," said Victoria in disbelief.

When contacted, Ryanair blamed the ABM agents who provided special assistance to the Gores at the airport. "The ABM agents boarded them onto the wrong flight to Kaunas despite gate signage clearly displaying the flight's destination," a spokesperson for the airline said. "We sincerely apologize to these passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of ABM's error and have assured them that they will be fully compensated by Bristol Airport," they added. However, a spokesperson for the Bristol airport emphasized how airlines and their ground handling agents are the ones who verify boarding passes. The cause of this mix-up is still being investigated with assurance of improvements in the future.