Anger for Liverpool fans as tour operator flight cancelled at last minute
Hundreds of Liverpool FC fans were turned away from Liverpool John Lennon Airport after a Paris-bound flight was cancelled at the last minute.Fans arrived at the airport expecting to board the 4am flight to Paris for the Reds' Champions League Final v Real Madrid.
But hundreds were turned away after the flight sold by the Widnes- based tour operator WorldChoice Sports was cancelled.Fans paid around £650 to fly to Paris this morning, May 28, and return on Sunday.
Steve Cook, from Formby, has followed the Reds across Europe and was there when the club won in Istanbul, was due to fly out on the 4am flight today with a friend.Steve said, "We got a text through to say the flight time had changed so we just presumed it had been delayed a bit. When we got there it was cancelled.""We're going to have empty seats in the stadium as a result of this and that's simply not on."Steve said he's going to now watch the game from home as it's too late in the day to make alternative arrangements to get to Paris.
Keenan Downey and his father Leslie arrived at Liverpool John Lennon Airport at 1.30am on Saturday, hoping to catch a 4am flight to Paris.
Mr Downey, 25, who travelled from Anglesey, Wales, says the flight was rescheduled to depart at 5.45am but was cancelled.
He was then told there was no flights left at 3.30am, leaving him "stood around helpless", before he finally boarded a rescheduled flight at 9.40am.
He had booked the flights through World Choice Sports, which sells packages to sporting events, for about £1,300.
"The biggest worry is getting home of course, although if we win I won't be worrying about that."
Calls to World Choice Sports are greeted by a recorded statement saying: "If your flight has been cancelled, please accept our apologies as it was due to matters out of our control.
"Please rest assured we will be refunding you in full in the next few days. Once again, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused."Last night a large group of people was stranded at the Rocket pub in Liverpool after their coaches due to take them to Paris did not arrive.
Video of men crossing the channel in a speedboat
A group of Liverpool fans have used a speedboat to cross the Channel after their flight was cancelled.Paddy OToole, who is from Liverpool but lives in Jersey, and 12 other fans, hired a boat, from Jersey to Saint Malo on Friday, May 27.
The men decided to head to Paris by boat after Paddy's son, Patrick, found out his friend's EasyJet flight to Paris was cancelled.
"They got a flight to Jersey at last minute and asked us could we help get them to France."We felt sorry for the young lads so we had to do something."A video captured by Paddy shows the men on the speedboat singing on their way to Paris, nothing was going to stop them getting to the game.
Liverpool will win their seventh Champions League trophy if Jurgen Klopp's side beat Real Madrid at the Stade de France stadium in Paris.