A Manchester couple claim British Airways (BA) owes them over £1,000 ($1,300) in compensation after delayed flights meant they were a day late seeing their son for the first time in two years.
Derrick and Sheila Gordon were expected to fly out from Heathrow Airport to Los Angeles in December in order to visit their son after being separated due to the pandemic.
The couple arrived late at the West London airport for their connecting flight after being delayed at Manchester Airport due to additional immigration and customs checks earlier the same day.
They claim they were told by the pilot their next flight would wait for them, and were left stressed and upset when their flight to LA left without them.
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They were instead offered the next available flight the following day, which the disappointed couple had no choice but to accept. They were also provided with overnight accommodation by BA.
Speaking to MyLondon, Derrick said: "We had to pay £70 to arrange another PCR test as the ones we took on 22 December became invalid.
"At an extra cost to us, we tried to arrange this at the airport - it took around five hours to get them done.
"All this time at the airport there was no customer service of any description, no help or support from anyone.
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"Also, one of our bags was damaged when the wheel was broken on the flight from Manchester.
"The whole experience of travelling with British Airways is one I will not forget and do not wish to experience again ever."
On their flight the following day, the pensioner says he was shocked to discover that when he sat down on his seat in economy class, it was 'broken and unsteady'.
Although a member of the cabin crew offered them new seats, this meant that the couple would be sitting at opposite ends of the plane for the duration of the 11-hour journey.
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After the pair protested, they were eventually upgraded to business class, where they were content, and they eventually arrived in Los Angeles just a day later than expected.
But as Mr Gordon pointed out, 'we had already waited for two years to see our son, and it was a day lost of our holiday'.
Four months on from the incident, he claims he is 'owed around £1,040 for the delayed flights', which has not been paid.
He also wants compensation for his wife's damaged suitcase, but British Airways said it follows international rules meaning customers have to report damage to luggage within seven days of their flight.
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British Airways did, however, refund the cost of the couple's additional PCR tests.
A spokesperson for British Airways told LADbible: “We are sorry that our customers were delayed in getting to Los Angeles due to matters beyond our control.
"We got them on the next available flight and provided overnight accommodation.
"Our crew on the flight looked after them and we have been in contact with the customer to resolve the matter."
Tom Sanders