Wedding flights cancelled after airline goes under

A bride-to-be's wedding plans have been left in disarray following the news budget airline Bmibaby is to close.

More than 20 people had booked flights with the doomed airline to attend the September wedding of Tonya Salt and Alec Henderson in Spain.

But all have now been cancelled after it emerged Bmibaby will no longer operate from September 10 amid annual losses of £25 million.

Miss Salt, formerly of Wombourne and now of Bromsgrove, and her guests have since been on a mad scramble to organise replacements flights, shelling out extra cash on more expensive tickets.

They have also been forced to switch from airports in the Midlands to Manchester, losing out on a good deal on their taxis.

The wedding party is now waiting on refunds from Bmibaby, with some guests unable to rebook their flights until they get their money back.

Miss Salt, aged 41, said today: "The flights are more expensive now and there are not many seats available. It's just the inconvenience of it all. We'd got everything sorted but now it's hassle."

Fourteen people were due to fly out to Murcia San Javier Airport on September 12 and a further eight three days later.

Miss Salt and 46-year-old Mr Henderson, who met on a night out in Stourbridge, are tying the knot in a small chapel in the region, where they also have a property.

"I couldn't believe it when I first heard the news," said Miss Salt. "We booked with Bmibaby as they are a reputable name and could accommodate everyone together.

"We called the people in Spain about possibly rearranging the wedding but then we would lose the deposit so we had to go for rebooking all the flights.

"It is a huge inconvenience but it is not just us – there are thousands of people affected by this."