Marija told MONDO the agony experienced by travelers returning to Serbia from a holiday in Cyprus.
Source: Private archive
On July 25, around 200 Serbian tourists experienced real agony for more than 20 hours at the airport in Larnaca, Cyprus. They ended their vacation there and left for Serbia, but complete chaos ensued – Marija J., a girl who was among the passengers, told MONDO what it all looked like and what kind of hell the passengers lived through.
“After we checked in and went through control, my boyfriend and I received a message that the flight was moved from 9:50 p.m. to 12:55 a.m. A few minutes later we received a notification that the flight was moved to 1:25 a.m. We followed the monitors, but there was no one at the gate itself. At one point, several of us from that flight videlo na monitoru da se gejt otvara tek za 1.009 minuta. We went to the gate, a few other people were there, and some of us got a text that it was the flight was canceled and was scheduled for the next day at 3:42 p.m. Marija began the story and continued:
“The worker comes to the geist and informs us that she is flight canceled and that we will be taken by bus to the exit. To go through passport control and collect our bags. She informed us that the airport will provide transportation and hotel accommodation,” said Marija, but the problem arose when neither transportation nor hotel was provided for them.
“After we re-entered the airport, the counters of the Wizzair company were already closed (around 00:00). After waiting for about 20 minutes, a worker at the airport came and informed us that several more flights had been canceled and thatthe hotels with which the airport cooperates are unfortunately overbooked. The only option is yes we find accommodation and transport ourselves in the middle of the night, and to send invoices to wizz air for a refund”, said Marija, who was aware that finding a hotel in the middle of the night would be an “impossible mission”, as well as the fact that there were a lot of people who didn’t even have money with them.
00:12 Airport in Cyprus Source: Private archive
Source: Private archive
“After half an hour of persuasion, the arrival of another 50 people who didn’t even know that the flight was canceled and what we were told, my boyfriend and I managed to find some accommodation. The taxi didn’t want to take anyone to Larnaca – only to other cities. We managed somehow to find a free taxi for a fixed price (€25) and drive to the accommodation. (About 1:30 a.m.) We exchanged contact with a couple of people, in order to exchange information the next day, because the messages and the wizz air application showed different things for everyone and it is not updated at the same time,” Marija told MONDO, adding that the agony continued the next day.
“The next day, the agony of returning to Serbia continues. We arrive for check-in at the time planned for the flight (15:42). Several people already have information that the flight is delayed (about 2 hours). At the Wizz Air counter, one of us receives information that a flight from Belgrade is waiting and that we have to return on the same plane. At the second counter, several people get different information – that we do not depend on that flight and that there is a plane in Larnaca that we will fly on (on time). Some people even had problems with the new check in counters. We go through control all at the regular time (many of us even an hour earlier). The screen says that the gate opens in 40 minutes.A few minutes later, I look and it says that boarding started 52 minutes before the scheduled flight. We ran to the gate and 2 girls checked our tickets and checked our passports. A total of 15 people. I told them that people don’t know and asked them to say it again on the microphone and invite people to the gate.
As people arrived, Frthey don’t suddenly announce that there is no need to rush and that you don’t know when the plane will take off. Yes, when we all get together, the bus will take us out of the airport again?! (So the same situation as the previous evening. Removal of responsibility. Wizz Air sends messages to contact the airport for more information and follow the monitors, at the airport they explain to us that they are not Wizz Air and that they are waiting for information from them), said Marija for our portal.
“People angry, nervous, with small children all decide that we will not leave the gate. They do not have an answer to any logical question. We asked for the contact of wizz air – they answer that they communicate with them by email. In the meantime, one of the passengers called our embassy in Cyprus. Honestly, in that whole situation, they were the only ones we felt supported by. They were surprised and shocked. They said they will do their best to contact wizz air and that we don’t leave the gate. We asked the girls nicely to call their supervisor and that we wanted to talk to him – they refused, saying that they didn’t have time, that they called but didn’t know if he would come. Extremely rude, that they are here for us, that their shift is over 2 hours ago and that if they want they can turn around and leave. After being told they could do it and that it would be recorded to show their boss – they started threatening the police (the police can come right away, the supervisor, right?! Interesting…”, added Marija.
“One of them took the phone and said that she was calling them and that she would be there at any time. But… that was the moment when the Serbs agreed.
All but one of us took our phones and said we were going to record. It doesn’t say anywhere that it’s forbidden. I don’t even remember the details anymore because that agony and stress was too great… I sat on the side and decided to wait. After a few minutes, the police come and try to calm the passions with the same story. They are not wizz air they are an airport. They have no information and are waiting just like us. IN during that conversation they understand what happened the night before and tell us that we shouldn’t have paid anything and booked at our own expense??!!! Let’s hope that wizz air will still refund it to us. They call someone several times and tell us that the plane from Serbia has taken off, that it is scheduled to land in Larnaca at 18:00 local time. As soon as he lands, we will take off with that plane,” said Marija and concluded:
“We finally took off at 19:20 and landed in Belgrade around 20:35 local time. Not to mention that the flight we took to Larnaca on July 18 was also delayed. I have all the bills from the hotel, taxi, food, etc. They have not been sent yet to wizz air, but we will try. I honestly think that this stress and staying a day longer at sea in this way is not worth it. Someone has small children, someone has a problem at work, someone had a connecting flight, plans… I am honestly disappointed” , added Maria.
BONUS VIDEO:
00:08 Airport in Cyprus Source: Private archive
Source: Private archive
(WORLD)