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A passenger demanded answers after she claimed she was told she was not entitled to compensation for a flight delay

TUI has explained a strict 72-hour rule after a customer took to Facebook to complain that she had been turned down for compensation despite facing a lengthy delay. The passenger, named Elaine, said they had been due to travel to Newcastle from Tunisia last week only for the flight to be cancelled.

Posting on TUI UK Official Customer Service – Help & Advice, she said: “Just been informed from Tui that we are not entitled to compensation! TOM869 leaving Tunisia to Newcastle, all day spent at the airport 19th June flight finally cancelled, and overnight accommodation finally organised.

“WE returned to the airport on the 20th to experience a 5 hour delay! Disgusting always highly regarded Tui disgraceful experience and treatment.”

According to another poster they had been due to be on the same flight but there were several issues which led to the delays. Angela said: “I was on this flight, or rather i wasnt haha, but the reason given was the plane needed a deep clean and there was no one in Tunisia to do it, then the plane they were sending for us on Saturday had a fuel leak so they then had to get another plane sent from Gatwick.”

Many other TUI passengers defended the travel firm with many singing its praises. Peter said: “We were delayed coming home on Friday a couple of years ago, we had the claim form by Monday and the compensation in our bank by the end of the week.”

Christine said: “Had a delay outbound a couple of years ago. On arrival we received an email from TUI apologising, and a link to be able to claim compensation. We claimed as instructed and the money was credited to our bank well before the return flight. Can’t get better than that.”

Teresa added: “Why are you blaming Tui? Delays are the last thing airlines want as it costs them lots of money. Usually mechanical or logistical/,operational reasons for delays. We were delayed in LAX for 26 hours 3 years ago. Got a voucher for a coffee and an overnight stay in a hotel but not entitled to anything else.”

And in reply, Dannii from TUI, explained the rules telling her she had not been turned down but had claimed too soon. Dannii said: “I have taken a look and you haven’t been denied, you have put the claim in too early, you need to wait at least 72hours after the flight has landed before a claim can be made.

“So please try again after 72 hours has been since you landed. This was mentioned in the email sent, and will work once you are within the time frame.”

The TUI website also sets out the 72-hour rule which is in place for all flights with TUI. It advised: “Please note, if you’ve been impacted by a flight cancellation, you’ll need to wait 72 hours before you submit your claim. Unfortunately, any claims submitted within 72 hours cannot be processed.”

NEW YORK — A 51-year-old man fell to his death from an upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a rock concert Saturday night, police said.

Officers responding to a 911 call around 9:51 p.m. found the man unconscious and unresponsive with injuries indicating a fall from an “elevated position,” New York City police said. Police did not say how far the man fell, but said he was in Section 300. They declined to release his name.

The man was with his wife, according to police. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The rock band Goose was performing. In a statement on Facebook, the band said it was “deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic event that occurred.”

June 12 (UPI) — Facebook and Instagram were back to normal Friday afternoon after a morning outage.

The online outage tracking website Downdetector.com showed that Facebook had 291 reports of outages, and Instagram showed 207 as of 3:35 p.m. EDT.

Instagram’s peak of users reporting outages at 9:30 a.m. was at 10,553, while Facebook peaked at 127,222 at 9:48 a.m.

Meta’s systems dashboard showed all green checks at 2:15 p.m. EDT, noting “no known issues” or “resolved.”

One person on X reported Friday morning:

“FACEBOOK IS DOWN

“INSTAGRAM IS DOWN

“META ADS MANAGER IS DOWN

“QUICK EVERYONE GO OUTSIDE AND TOUCH GRASS”

Earlier Friday, Downdetector showed more than 100,000 people were having problems logging in to Facebook as of 10 a.m. EDT. It also showed more than 9,000 users reporting problems with Instagram and nearly 20,000 with Facebook Messenger.

Some users confirmed in the comments on Downdetector that they were experiencing issues with these platforms, noting that they were “automatically logged out,” “Can’t log in,” or were receiving an “Unknown error.”

A flight attendant has shared the piece of advice she would give plus-size passengers who are boarding the plane, especially if they’re feeling anxious about the journey

A flight attendant has urged plus-size passengers to follow her simple advice when boarding a plane, especially if they’re feeling anxious about what’s ahead.

Flying when plus-size can feel daunting. You may be worried about whether people will be kind to you, or if they’ll cause a scene about sitting next to someone in a bigger body, rather than questioning why plane seats are so small in the first place. But there’s something you can do before you even make it to your seat to ensure the flight is comfortable for you, and you’re not stressing or feeling embarrassed.

Jeenie Weenie, who shares videos about her life as a flight attendant, said she was making content for “all the beautiful plus-size passengers”.

Someone said they feel uncomfortable and have “anxiety” about asking for a seatbelt extender in front of their seatmate.

Of course, in an ideal world, seatbelt extenders wouldn’t be necessary, as belts would be longer and more accommodating for all, but alas, this isn’t the case right now.

However, Jeanie said: “When you’re boarding the plane, ask a crew member at this time for a seatbelt extender. Some airlines keep the extenders at the boarding area, so they’ll give them to you right away.

“And if they don’t have it there, you can give them your seat number, and once boarding is complete, they will give you the extender without you having to ask for it.”

This means the only person who will hear you asking for a seatbelt extender is the crew member, because everyone else “will be busy boarding”.

In the comments, someone praised the professionalism of all the cabin crew members they’d ever dealt with, as one wrote: “I no longer need a seat extender, but when I did, I’d ask when boarding. The flight attendants were always so nice about it and never made me feel ashamed.”

Another shared: “I remember struggling with my weight (still do) after my car accident, and I put on a lot of pounds. As soon as I was given the okay to work out, I went to the pool daily, ate better, etc. I did lose weight, but not enough.

“My first flight since the accident, I could alllllmost click the buckle. I remember being so upset and having to stop myself from crying, as I already hate walking with a limp.

“An attendant -I assume was off the clock- sat down next to me, and as she saw me quietly losing my mind and feeling desperate, she passed me an extender like a ninja and told me ‘it’s okay’ with such a reassuring smile. It was so nice to be treated with genuine care and human respect. I hope she is doing well.”

Someone else commented: “I always ask as I’m boarding. I don’t always need it since seat belt lengths aren’t the same, but I always ask just in case I need it.”