Couple out more than $1,700 after booking flight from the wrong Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham in the UK don't sound the same when said aloud, but they do look the same — and that was a problem for two British would-be holidaymakers.
Richella Heekin and Ben Marlow booked a vacation to Las Vegas, Nevada, but were disappointed to find, upon arriving at the airport, that the tickets they had purchased were for flights from the city in Alabama, and not the one in Britain that they call home.
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They were denied a refund, so Heekin and Marlow lost £1,200, or about $1,744, according to the Birmingham Mail. (That's a UK publication, not to be confused with Alabama's Birmingham News.)
"It’s a common mistake apparently," Marlow told the Mail. "But if that’s the case the company’s website should make it more clear."
"It’s a common mistake apparently."
Lastminute.com, the booking site where the tickets were purchased, says the website makes it clear enough. While it extended its condolences to the travelers, it did not offer a refund.
"While not an error on our behalf, we do feel very sorry that Richella and Ben only realised this choice of departure was incorrect once at the airport," a spokesperson for the website told the Mail. "This is when they contacted our customer service team, who did their best to assist on the day of travel. However there were no other flights available which could have been booked as an alternative."
The couple instead went to Amsterdam for what must have felt like an even more needed getaway.
The error is reminiscent of an incident in 2014, in which a man thought he was headed to Granada, Spain, but instead found himself on a flight to Grenada, in the Caribbean.
Let both stories serve as a lesson: When making travel arrangements, make sure your ticket has the right airport code. Knowing the difference between BHX and BHM could have saved Heekin and Marlow £1,200.
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