Burnham‑On‑Sea residents Ryan Mount and Debbie Sinyard have described a “nightmare” 30‑hour ordeal after being stranded in an airport in Spain during this week’s widespread air traffic control disruption, forcing them to close their High Street fishmonger shop for a day.
The couple, who run Seafoods in Burnham High Street, had travelled to Alicante for an extended weekend break and were due to fly home on Tuesday.
They arrived at the airport at 4pm for their 6pm flight, checked in, and reached the boarding gate — only for confusion to break out as passengers began hearing reports of cancellations at Gatwick.
Their own flight was initially delayed and then cancelled at around 8.30pm. Ryan says staff disappeared, leaving passengers unsure where to go.
“It was chaotic. We were told to leave the airport, then had to re‑enter through arrivals and seek information, but found we were at the back of very long lines of hundreds of stranded travellers,” he says.
With no hotel rooms left, the pair had no choice but to remain in the airport overnight.
They spent 17 hours on the airport floor, with very limited food options and no charging power points for their phones — despite needing their digital boarding passes to get through security.
Debbie adds the queues were “unbelievable” and it “was like something like out of a film.”
They eventually managed to book a flight with another airline, easyJet, as remaining Ryanair passengers were told they might not fly until Friday.
Ryan says that even then, their replacement flight faced further delays.
The couple finally arrived home on Wednesday, having missed a full day of trade.
Ryan said he had already ordered fish stocks for Wednesday’s delivery while still abroad, and had to urgently cancel the orders once it became clear they would not make it back in time to open the shop.
They finally were able to re-open the shop on Thursday morning and have apologised to customers for the disruption.
Ryan says they are “grateful for customers’ understanding,” adding that some others in the airport — including some elderly passengers and families — had faced even tougher situations.
The pair expect refunds for their replacement flight and airport purchases and are investigating whether they can claim compensation for the lost day of business.
Ryan says they plan to take future short breaks in the UK, adding: “It’s put me right off flying for some time.”
