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Family alleges they sat on airplane floor because their seats were missing

A family claimed that they were forced to sit on the floor of a TUI flight because their seats were missing. (Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images)
A family claimed that they were forced to sit on the floor of a TUI flight because their seats were missing. (Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images)

A family said they spent $1,675 for three seats on a flight from the island of Menorca, Spain, back to their home in Birmingham, England, but alleged that they were forced to sit on the floor for most of the TUI flight.

Paula Taylor, who was traveling with her husband and 10-year-old daughter after their vacation in June, purchased seats 41 D, E and F on the flight. However, according to the BBC, when they reached their row, there were no seats there.

“We all just looked at each other as if to say, ‘Where’s our seats gone?'” Taylor told the news outlet.

Taylor said that there was one empty seat on the flight, which was given to their daughter, and she and her husband were placed in flip-up seats in the crew section of the plane. However, once the flight began, and the attendants needed items behind the seats, the couple were redirected to sit on the floor.

They were allegedly offered $39 from the airline for their trouble.

It wasn’t until Taylor contacted Rip Off Britain, a show that helps consumers, that TUI refunded the couple’s airfare.

Although TUI did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment, the airline told the BBC that a “last-minute aircraft change” resulted in the missing seats. The Civil Aviation Authority is looking into the incident. According to the BBC, the Civil Aviation Authority says passengers may sit in crew seats, under certain conditions, but they are not to be left unseated at any stage during the flight.

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