West Midlands couple book bargain Caribbean flights – from Birmingham, Alabama

Man and woman turned up at Birmingham Airport to be told their flight was about to leave some 4,000 miles away

A couple thought they had booked bargain Caribbean flights from Birmingham Airport (Getty)

A couple from the West Midlands thought they were on to a great deal when they booked return tickets to the Caribbean from Birmingham Airport for just £800.

But they were left with nothing but the sympathies of a check-in desk worker when they discovered they had actually booked to fly from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama – some 4,000 miles away.

Kevin Jones, 55, from Glenfield, Leicester and his partner Jeanette had packed their bags and were looking forward to a winter getaway to the island of Trinidad, using what they believed to be very cheap flights.

They had booked their car into a long stay car park and got as far as check-in before they were informed of their error.

Mr Jones told the Sun on Sunday: “The girl at the information desk broke the news with a very sympathetic look that our flight was leaving over 2,000 miles away.

“We had no choice but to get our car out of long stay and drive home,” he said.

It wasn’t all bad news for the unlucky couple, however – as a consolation they have reportedly booked themselves a bargain holiday at the Spanish resort of Benidorm instead.

Meanwhile, yesterday a US Southwest Airlines flight which did get off the ground without incident was due to arrive at Branson Airport in Missouri - but instead landed at a much smaller airport seven miles (11km) up the road.

Witnesses said the plane came to a stop 300 feet (90 metres) from the end of the 3,700ft (1,100m) runway. A Federal Aviation Administration investigation has been launched into why the plane's pilots chose to land at the wrong airport.