Family told they would be stuck in Spain for a MONTH due to cancelled flights – here’s how to avoid it happening to you | The Sun

A FAMILY said they could be stranded in Spain for a MONTH after their flights were cancelled.

Zoe and Karl Parnell were on holiday in Tenerife with their two daughters, aged 13 and 5, when they were told their Wizz Air flights back to the UK has been cancelled.

However, when they contacted the airline to try and get an alternative flight home, were told there weren't any available for more than a month.

Zoe told the BBC: "We kept getting texts to say the flight was delayed, then cancelled.

"Then Wizz Air said they wouldn't be able to get us a flight home for a month and a half.

"The girls were crying and worrying they wouldn't be able to get home. They have school and we have work."

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She said while they understood flights can be delayed, it was "unacceptable" to leave them stranded.

They said they had to book return flights with Jet2 instead, but had to pay for it on their credit card, leaving them out of pocket.

Not only that, but they had to find another hotel room for three days until their next flight.

A Wizz Air spokesperson said the cancelled flight was due to "widespread shortages in staff," adding: "We are doing all we can to help as many passengers reach their destination as possible."

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Wizz Air isn't the only airline being forced to cancel flights due to staff shortages -EasyJet has reduced its schedule to handle flight cancellations, with around 30 cancelled a day.

TUI is cancelling around six flights a day for the rest of June, while British Airways scrapped 16,000 flights between March and October.

And Lufthansa has cancelled 900 short-haul flights this summer due to staff shortages.

Families who find themselves with cancelled flights can do a number of things to avoid being stranded abroad.

The first thing holidaymakers should do is check flights with other airlines, as they may have alternative routes home other than the airline originally booked.

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Martin Lewis explained: "If your flight is cancelled, regardless, you are always entitled to a choice of a refund or the next available flight."

It is also worth booking flights earlier in the day rather than the last one, as it gives you more time to find alternative flights that day.

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