Tui Airways: Cockroaches on planes delay passengers for 8 hours

Tui Airways reportedly refused to compensate passengers following a cockroach infestation on their flights. Photo / 123rf

Outraged Tui Airways passengers plan legal action after their flights were delayed eight hours due to a cockroach infestation.

Metro reported passengers on two flights between Spain’s Tenerife and London’s Gatwick experienced flight disruptions in September. They were intially told “catering issues” were to blame.

But travellers were in disbelief when they were later told the real cause for the delay was cockroaches.

Passenger Michelle Coates was left “gobsmacked” when she had to wait in Tenerife while her flight was fumigated.

“How did the cockroaches get on there? That is a worry for their hygiene. It is just disgusting to try and fob it off on the customers,” the 57-year-old said.

Some passengers affected by the incident have requested compensation from the airline, including Coates and her husband David who spent £150 ($325) on extra childcare arrangements, news site GBN reported.

According to GBN, Tui Airways refused the couple’s claim and other affected passengers’, saying: “Having considered the events surrounding the delay to your flight, we can confirm that no further compensation will be arranged”.

Now the couple and others on the delayed flights are considering legal action against the airline.

“Tui say it is not their fault. Well, it is their fault. If I invite someone round to dinner at my house and there’s a cockroach that’s my fault,” Coates said.

In a statement to Metro, a Tui spokesperson said: “We’d like to apologise to passengers on TOM4744 who were delayed on their journey”.

“Our goal is to ensure our customers have the best possible start to their holiday, and we recognise that this wasn’t the case.

“Customers were provided with funds to purchase a drink or snack at the airport during the delay, and we’d like to thank them for their patience during this time.”

In May 2018, Air New Zealand was in the spotlight over two incidents of cockroaches reportedly on board flights between Australia and New Zealand.