Holidaymakers left in wrong country after flight aborted

Steven Fludder said he and a group of strangers were bundled into the same hotel room

A group of holidaymakers trying to return to Liverpool ended up in Romania after their flight was aborted in a bird-strike emergency.

Steven Fludder was on the flight from Bulgaria when it hit a flock of birds during take-off on Tuesday.

He said the airline then sent him and five others on a four-hour taxi ride across the border to Bucharest, where they were squeezed into a hotel room.

Wizz Air has been approached for a comment.

Mr Fludder, from Preston, said the hotel was overbooked, meaning he had to sleep on the floor of the room with his partner Emma Bradley and five strangers.

The flight hit a flock of birds during take-off and was forced to land

He told how the plane hit the birds just after leaving the ground. Such incidents are not incredibly rare but can be dangerous and often force planes to make emergency landings.

He said the engine "burst into flames and they hit the brakes hard" in a "really scary moment".

Mr Fludder claimed Wizz Air initially told he and his partner the next flight to Liverpool would be on 8 October.

He said he objected to such a lengthy wait and the airline then put them in the taxi to Bucharest.

Nobody offered the passengers water or food during their wait or journey, he claims, which totalled about 15 hours.

The strangers were then squeezed into the room with just two beds, which they gave to the two oldest men, aged 72 and 59, one of whom has one leg.

The six passengers are sharing a small hotel room

"It's been a shambles. It's a complete breakdown of the system and the duty of care for people", Mr Fludder said.

"We've had no water or food. Everyone was crying in the hotel and panicking. The older man was sick from stress and hunger.

"I'm on a wooden floor with a towel for a pillow. I feel drained."

He said he was later told there would be a flight on Thursday afternoon but he "hasn't got much faith".

Fellow passengers have been given dates much later, including one for 29 October, he said.

Mr Fludder said he is self-employed and losing money but is "trying to make the best of it".

He added: "You can't grind us down any more."

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