Gateshead couple hit by Jamaica Tui flight cancellation

Megan Brown, left, with son Brody and Jarvis Henry

A couple who are due to get married in Jamaica have criticised Tui for cancelling their flight and cutting short their honeymoon by three days.

Jarvis Henry and Megan Brown, from Gateshead, paid £5,400 to the firm for their flights and a 17-night stay at a five-star hotel.

But this week, they were told their return flight would no longer operate.

Tui has apologised to the couple and offered to pay a partial refund and compensation.

The couple are due to marry in February and had saved thousands of pounds to pay for their "dream wedding" in the Caribbean.

Lucea in Jamaica is a popular tourist destination

After becoming engaged last year, they decided to stay at the luxury Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa in Lucea for their wedding and honeymoon.

However, this week they received email confirmation that their return flight to Manchester Airport had been scrapped.

Mr Henry told the BBC that the firm had failed to come up with a reasonable resolution, and on one occasion had asked them to pay more than £700 extra.

"We were told we can either completely change the dates of our holiday or we can cancel," Mr Henry said.

"We weren't given the option to keep our flights or the option to come back, even a day sooner."

The couple eventually won compensation

The 26-year-old, who on Tuesday also found out he is at risk of redundancy from his job, said Tui had offered earlier return flights and a downgraded stay at a four-star hotel for an extra £67 per night.

However, after raising concerns he said he was offered the original hotel back and a 14-night stay at no extra charge, which Mr Henry said was "insulting".

The pair said they had been unable to opt for the full refund, or a change in dates, as they had already paid for the wedding venue and suppliers separately.

Meanwhile, a further 20 people, which included the couple's parents, family and friends, had already paid for their flights and week-long stay in Jamaica.

Mr Henry said: "Everything is already paid for, so the make-up artists, florists [and venue], and any changes we had to make to the hotel could be like $100 to $200 each to change.

"If we can't go to our wedding and [friends and family] cancel, then they will lose quite a bit of money too."

Mr Henry, who is also caring for his partner as she recovers from surgery, said the pair had been left frustrated by the dilemma.

"It's left us feeling stressed and anxious, just not what you really need a week before Christmas," he said.

"We just want Tui to give customers the compensation they deserve, especially if they have to downgrade their holidays."

Tui said it was unaware they were getting married

In a statement, Tui apologised and said it had agreed to a pro-rata refund and compensation.

A spokesperson said: "TUI always prioritise wedding bookings and endeavour to speak with those customers as a priority when there is a programme change.

"However as this wedding was booked independently, we were unaware.

"Our teams have been in contact with Mr Henry and issued a pro-rata refund and further compensation in recognition of his experience.

"We would like to thank Mr Henry for his patience, and wish him all the best for his wedding next year."