Fuerteventura: Not the same as Lanzarote

Dozens of Ryanair passengers were left stranded on the wrong Canary Island after their flight was diverted due to bad weather, The Daily Mail reports.

The tourists had been on their way to enjoy a holiday in Lanzarote when air traffic controllers re-directed their Ryanair plane to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura due to thunderstorms.

But once they were allowed to disembark from the plane, the passengers claim the low-cost carrier offered no assistance, forcing them to make alternative travel arrangements on their own.

According to The Mail, one family was left £400 out of pocket after paying for overnight hotel accommodation and a ferry crossing to Lanzarote.

Ryanair passenger Kay Wright explained that the no-frills airline failed to offer any assistance following the unscheduled landing, leaving her stranded with four children.

Husband Tony, who was forced to make alternative travel arrangements from back in the UK, said: “I don’t blame Ryanair for the bad weather but to abandon a family, on the wrong island, is unforgivable.”

“It was left to me and a very helpful Spanish lady to sort out a taxi, arrange alternative accommodation for the night and book ferry crossings to Lanzarote in the morning.”

A Ryanair spokesperson responded: “All passengers were accommodated under EU261 guidelines.”

© Cheapflights Ltd (Creative Commons image: monstermunch / Flickr)

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