A RUSSIAN woman and an Irish friend have been paid undisclosed damages against a holiday company which they claimed led them to believe that the woman did not need a visa to enter Spain.
When Michael Egan and Natalia Marchalova landed at Las Palmas airport in Gran Canaria for a sun holiday in January 2003, Ms Marchalova was detained by Spanish police, the Circuit Civil Court heard yesterday.
The couple, of Earlsfort Road, Lucan, Co Dublin, claimed Abbey Travel had assured them Ms Marchalova did not require a visa.
They claimed that on arrival, Ms Marchalova had been arrested on the basis she did not have a visa. She had been detained overnight at the airport and on the following day had been transported to Madrid, where she was put on a flight back to Dublin. In a claim for damages for negligence and breach of contract, the couple alleged they lost the value of their €725 holiday. Mr Egan paid more than €300 for his return trip.
They claimed they also suffered inconvenience and embarrassment. Judge Joseph Matthews was told the case, taken against Travelplan Ltd, which trades as Abbey Travel, had been settled.