A couple and their two young children, who were forced to abandon a holiday because of delays at Dublin and London airports, have settled a damages claim against Aer Lingus.
Tom Hogan, counsel for Leslie and Catherine Peacock and their children, Karen (7) and Heather (10), told the Circuit Civil Court they had "hung around" Dublin, Heathrow and Gatwick airports for two days before having to abandon their holiday.
Mr Hogan said the Peacocks, who live at Castlehaven House, Castlemoyle, New Ross, Co Wexford, instead of having gone to their sun holiday, had returned to their home "sick and exhausted".
He told Circuit Court president Mr Justice Matthew Deery that Aer Lingus had previously lodged just under €10,000 in court to settle the Peacocks' claim but after expenses and payments (including the price of the lost holiday) had been deducted the offer for general damages for a nightmare experience amounted to less than €350 each.
Mr Hogan said the court had earlier ruled the offer as inadequate and had refused to approve it. He told Mr Justice Deery the Peacocks had bought a two-week holiday in Funchal, Madeira, including return Aer Lingus flights from Dublin in August 2002.
Their connecting flight to Heathrow had been delayed and they had arrived there to be told passengers for the ongoing flight had already boarded and the gate was closed.
They had then joined a queue at an Aer Lingus ticket desk and had waited for one-and-a-half hours only to have been refused an available flight via Lisbon that evening.
Aer Lingus told them the only flight available was a direct one to Funchal the next day, so they queued for 50 minutes more at the Aer Lingus customer service desk to arrange hotel accommodation for the night. Then they had been told their luggage could not be found.
Next morning they had to buy new clothes for themselves and their daughters and had gone back to Heathrow to catch their flight to Madeira. They had then been told there was no such flight.
The Peacocks had gone back to the Aer Lingus ticket desk and had been given seats on a flight scheduled to fly from Gatwick the following morning. When they had asked for hotel accommodation vouchers they had been told no hotels at Gatwick airport would accept Aer Lingus accommodation vouchers.
Mr Hogan said Mr Peacock had paid for the accommodation himself. All of their luggage was still missing and at Gatwick they had to purchase more clothes and a suitcase. By then both of their daughters had taken ill and the Peacocks, on medical advice, had abandoned the family holiday and had bought tickets back to Dublin.
Yesterday Mr Justice Deery approved settlement offers of just under €2,000 each for the Peacock children. He heard the airline had given the parents travel vouchers worth €2,500 and had agreed to pay for their holiday and expenses totalling €6,100.