JohnCenaFan28
02-12-2009, 05:04 PM
A holidaymaker who booked a three-week trip to Costa Rica ended up in Puerto Rico after her travel agent mixed up her flights.
Samantha Lazzaris booked a trip of a lifetime to Central America but ended up in the US territory 1,300 miles away, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Miss Lazzaris, 33, from Bristol, did not realise she was in Puerto Rico until she landed on the island last month and a taxi driver told her she was in the wrong country.
The holistic therapist said: "I asked the taxi driver to take me to this hotel I'd pre-booked, he looked in amazement, speechless, then laughed and said, 'This is not Costa Rica. It's Puerto Rico'.
"I didn't believe him. I was in shock. I looked around the airport, saw posters of Puerto Rico everywhere, and thought: What am I going to do? Where is Puerto Rico? Where am I?"
Miss Lazzaris had to fork out £800 on three extra flights - losing four days of her holiday - to get to her intended destination.
Travel agent Thomas Cook had used the booking code for San Juan, capital of Puerto Rico, instead of San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, when Ms Lazzaris bought the £500 return ticket last November.
The airport codes are similar, with just one letter between them - SJO for San Jose and SJU for the airport in San Juan.
A Thomas Cook spokesman confirmed it had apologised to Miss Lazzaris and would refund her for the additional flights incurred, two nights missed accommodation and a further undisclosed amount as a gesture of goodwill.
-Nova
Samantha Lazzaris booked a trip of a lifetime to Central America but ended up in the US territory 1,300 miles away, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Miss Lazzaris, 33, from Bristol, did not realise she was in Puerto Rico until she landed on the island last month and a taxi driver told her she was in the wrong country.
The holistic therapist said: "I asked the taxi driver to take me to this hotel I'd pre-booked, he looked in amazement, speechless, then laughed and said, 'This is not Costa Rica. It's Puerto Rico'.
"I didn't believe him. I was in shock. I looked around the airport, saw posters of Puerto Rico everywhere, and thought: What am I going to do? Where is Puerto Rico? Where am I?"
Miss Lazzaris had to fork out £800 on three extra flights - losing four days of her holiday - to get to her intended destination.
Travel agent Thomas Cook had used the booking code for San Juan, capital of Puerto Rico, instead of San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, when Ms Lazzaris bought the £500 return ticket last November.
The airport codes are similar, with just one letter between them - SJO for San Jose and SJU for the airport in San Juan.
A Thomas Cook spokesman confirmed it had apologised to Miss Lazzaris and would refund her for the additional flights incurred, two nights missed accommodation and a further undisclosed amount as a gesture of goodwill.
-Nova