Tour operator Thomas Cook has apologised to hundreds of passengers who were delayed by 36 HOURS at the start of their holidays.
Two flights from Bristol Airport to Ibiza and Palma, Majorca, were held up for a day-and-a-half by a shortage of crew members.
After arriving for their flights at 6am on Sunday over 250 passengers were kept waiting at the terminal for 11 hours until they were eventually bussed to a hotel for the night.
They were then picked up at 1pm on Monday and taken back to the airport, where they waited for another five hours before eventually taking off at 6.30pm.
Furious families say their holidays have been ruined and slammed Thomas Cook for failing to update them with information during the delay.
Rachel Dickinson, 27, from Temple Cloud, Bristol, said the company dispatched just one rep to handle the situation, who was like a “lamb to the slaughter”.
“People had been waiting for more than 24 hours with no information and sending one rep just isn’t good enough,” she added.
A spokesman for Thomas Cook Airlines offered an “unreserved apology” for the delay, which was caused by “the impact of short-term availability of crew, including sickness”.
Passengers will be able to claim up to 400 Euros per person in compensation under EU regulations.