Posted on 06/24/2014 10:09:19 AM PDT by Gamecock
LONDON, England (CMC) — An American dentist says he is suing British Airways for US$34,000 for flying him to Grenada in the Caribbean, instead of the Spanish city of Granada.
After two years without a holiday and a lifetime of longing to see the architectural treasures of Granada, Edward Gamson felt he could at last relax as he sat back on a British Airways flight en route to the capital of Moorish Spain, according to the British Independent newspaper.
The newspaper said that it was only when Gamson and his partner glanced at the electronic map on the in-flight entertainment system and noticed their plane was heading west out of London that they became concerned something was not right.
The newspaper reported that, some nine hours later, the pair found themselves not among the arabesques of the Alhambra Palace, but a full 4,000 miles from their intended destination on the Caribbean holiday island of Grenada.
It said the mix-up initially resulted in apologies from British Airways staff on board the flight, and a promise that the couple would be put on the plane's return trip to Gatwick Airport in London en route to Granada.
Instead, the Independent said they were subjected to a further three-day ordeal, which resulted in them never reaching Spain, and a refusal by British Airways to reimburse their £2,650 first-class tickets.
"I made it absolutely clear to the booking agent I wanted to go to Granada in Spain. Why on earth would I want to go to Grenada in the Caribbean if I was flying back to America from Lisbon?
"It's just so sad. A trip we had been really looking forward to was ruined and BA won't do the decent thing?
According to the legal complaint filed by Gamson, the electronic tickets referred only to "Grenada", without showing the airport code, destination country or flight duration.
But the Independent alleged that BA is resisting Gamson's damages claim for US$34,000.
Earlier this month, a US judge rejected the airline's attempt to have part of his lawsuit struck out; the claim will now head for a full hearing.
"This case proves the truth of Mark Twain's aphorism that 'the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug'. Except here, only a single letter's difference is involved," wrote US Judge James Boasberg.
He should run for Congress. He’d fit right in.
One of my buddies in the AF had his personal belongings shipped by sea from Virginia to Panama City Florida instead of the Panama Canal Zone.
Got to his PSC assignment and none of his stuff got there.
He went to the shipping office and asked them why in Gods name anyone would ship their belongings by sea from Virginia to Florida?
With a couple of decades in the travel business under my belt, I can say this has happened since there were travel agents, but it REALLY came to the fore with the internet, and self-booking.
The fun ones are Columbus, Oh/Ga/Ms, (Eastern once served ALL THREE, that was a gas.), and Lafayette, In/La.
In the 90’s, the Lafayette, In (LAF) airport was shutting down for the Blizzard of The Century. I had cleared our last flight, and was the last one out of the building, and didn’t expect to be back for a couple of days.
I noticed a woman city out front, obviously shivering, and watching the now heavy snowfall. I asked her if I could help, and she said she was waiting for a ride.
As I walked away, she asked, “I am from Nigeria, I have never seen this. Does it often snow in Louisiana??” She was obviously supposed to be in Lafayette LOUISIANA (LFT), and not in Lafayette INDIANA (LAF).
My first thought was, “Oh CRAP, I’m not getting home before they close the roads, and the wife is going to kill me.” uckily, I managed to get her in to the University’s Hotel, where she was stuck for the next three days.
Even in small Lafayette, we saw this once a week or so, sometimes even with groups. A buddy that worked in Columbus for severa years said it was a DAILY occurrence for them, even when travel agents ruled the day.
I wonder if English was the primary language of the booking agent.
I’d bet some money it isn’t.
They were expecting an emotional reunion at the airport with their daughter who’s been working abroad for eight months.
But instead, after 20 hours travelling, Andrew and Julie Kelham landed 1,500 miles away.
The couple had booked a £3,200 trip to visit their daughter Frankie, 21, in San Jose, Mexico. Where they ended up was San Jose, California.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513119/Thomas-Cook-sends-couple-WRONG-San-Jose-California-Mexico.html#ixzz35ZzFaeuv
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
thanks for the link... i am laughing all over again! i got a kick out of it because i was born and raised in San Jose, California... i have never heard anyone say, “pura vida.” “por vida,” yes—but not “pura vida.” :)
That the guy can’t speil tells me he’s an idiot.
The first time I went Paris I realized something was wrong.
Them people wuz wearing cowboy boots and strangely the place looked like a Matt Dillon movie
i have to be careful when i book to fly into Fayetteville, NC because there is a Fayetteville, AR that always comes up...
I got word my grandmother died one the evening in Sacramento. I headed to the airport to get to Logan WV via Charleston airport. Just out of Dulles (changing planes ) I noticed my ticket was for Charleston, SC.
I notified an attendant. When the plane landed, a United guy met me at the gate, with the correct ticket, took my luggage to the other plane. Planes were leaving 5 minutes apart.
Got there on time.
You say Grenada, and I say Granada......
hahahahahahaha! this thread has be laughing too much!
Which is why you always double check.
In the old, paper ticket days, you could just “rule” a ticket mistake like that back to the issuing agent, and get the passenger on the way to his real destination, if you thought it was a legitimate mistake.
In the electronic age, however, it’s not that simple, and many airlines simply do no longer do that, not even for “customer service”. It’s too much of a cost that they are likely to eat themselves, and hassle.
On the the other hand $5,000 for two long haul first class tickets is pretty sweet!
My spelling is crap today, for some reason. Apologies to all.
BERLIN (AFP) - A German apprentice insurance salesman who wanted to visit his girlfriend in Australia ended up in smalltown America after buying a ticket on the Internet for Sidney in the US state of Montana.Bild newspaper said 21-year-old Tobias Gutt's detour was the result of a spelling mistake as he had failed to notice that the Australian harbour city is in fact called Sydney.
The mixup with 'y' and 'i' meant a difference of two continents, 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) and around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature between his intended destination and where he actually touched down.
1985: Oakland, He Said, but He Went to Auckland Instead
An Oakland man mistook a flight to "Auckland" for one to his hometown and added 12,000 miles to his journey from a holiday in West Germany, customs officials said Tuesday.Michael Lewis, 22, was at Los Angeles International Airport intending to fly to the Bay area city, 400 miles north, when Air New Zealand officials allowed him to board an aircraft bound for Auckland.
Not until Tahiti was mentioned during an in-flight announcement did Lewis realize his predicament.
-PJ
Agreed. Granada and Grenada aren't even spelled the same.
It was, until Clint Eastwood landed.....
hello, fadda.
Here I am in
camp Grenada!
This thread reminds me of a Marilyn Monroe movie: How to Marry a Millionaire. Marilyn can be forgiven for getting on the wrong airplane.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.