The tourist season is in full swing, and many Israelis spend the summer vacation overseas. One of the most beloved destinations among Israelis is Budapest, but some end their vacation with a bitter taste.
Passport control at the airport in Hungary's capital is after duty-free there. Many Israelis, who are sure that immediately after duty-free is the boarding gate, forget that they have to go through another stage, and combined with a very strict Hungarian policy, they arrive at the boarding gate closed – and thus miss the flight.
An example of this occurred on Sunday, when dozens of passengers on a Wizz Air flight to Israel missed their flight, after they claimed that the boarding time was brought forward without being notified. According to Yarden Blue, an Israeli who was on the flight, even passengers who arrived a few minutes after the boarding time specified on the flight ticket were not allowed to board.
Wizz Air plane (archive), photo: Coco
"My husband, children and I arrived at the boarding gate 4 minutes after the estimated time of departure, after almost an hour of waiting at passport control and without any consideration. When we contacted the flight attendants to tell us what to do, they replied that 'there is no answer,'" she told Israel Hayom.
She said they watched the plane over the glass wall for more than an hour, all the while waiting with their young children, who had lost all patience with the long lines, without changing clothes or food, and without receiving any response. "By that time, they could have put the other passengers on the plane and been in the air. Instead, the flight crew decided to take the time to move passenger-to-passenger from the lists, and take our luggage off the plane. It took almost two hours, and then they told us, 'Get along,'" she added. "When we asked if at least there was compensation or voucher for another flight, they replied, 'Buy tickets, and at most later you'll contact the airline's service.' At that point, they refused us to leave the country. We walked back until we reached the entrance to Terminal B2 again, and from here – each to himself. We found tickets for the Israir flight, and like many of the passengers who waited with us – we paid double the price at the airport (compared to the price displayed on the company's website) and boarded a late flight."
Israel Hayom submitted a request for comment from Wizz Air, but it has not yet been received and will be published when it is received.
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