Following on from my article about the Villas Cortez Hotel, Playa de Las Americas, Tenerife, I can now reveal just how we were paid to stay at this wonderful hotel.

My wife and I were booked on the BA Saturday night flight from Tenerife to Manchester and as usual we were amongst the last few to check in.

We went through Tenerife Duty Free and ambled to the gate. The ground staff called for rows 23 + to board and as we were on row 18 we waited for our call. After around 15 minutes, we noticed that instead of people boarding the plane as we expected, passengers were actually walking off the plane.

At that moment, the Captain of the BA Tenerife to Manchester flight announced over the tannoy that there was a ‘slight technical’ hitch and that the flight would start re-boarding again in around 30 minutes.

30 minutes came and went and at around 45 minutes delay, the Captain of the flight came out to the gate and said he had a very important announcement to make.

It appeared that the ‘slight technical’ problem was in fact a more serious problem with one of the emergence exits on the aircraft and that would mean the airline needed to offload 42 passengers if the flight was to leave Tenerife that night.

The pilot said that ideally this would be done on a voluntary basis however if not enough passengers volunteered then it would be done on a last to check in, first off-loaded basis. He explained that anyone who was offloaded would be put up overnight at the Villas Cortez Hotel, they would be flown out the next day (not necessarily via BA) and each passenger would be given by way of compensation €400.

Now, it took my wife and I around 1 second to realise that this was (in our eyes) a ‘no brainer’, get paid €400 each to stay an extra night in Tenerife in a 5 star hotel and arrive home a day later.

We along with half the flight (it seemed) jumped at the chance and we made the cut by the skin of out teeth!!

So how did we get on?

Well despite the fact that our luggage was left on the plane and got to Manchester 24 hours before we did, we had a great time. Back home we have this week received our payment (5 weeks later), although we had to write and telephone to get it. This seems to have been due to a breakdown in communication between the payment offices and the Tenerife Ground staff, apparently we should have been given a duplicate claims receipt in the airport at Tenerife.

So if I have any tips to give from our experiences its:

• If you are ever asked to relinquish your seat on a flight anywhere in the world (not just Tenerife) and the alternative arrangements suit your travel plans, jump at the chance, there is some easy money to be had.
• Always get something in writing from the ground staff, this helps ease any problems at the ‘other end’
• And finally, always carry a spare set of underwear in your hand luggage!!!!

I have to say that in all this, BA and there staff have been verry good, there were a few hiccups but all in all I would have no hesitation of doing the same again. Thanks BA and I look forward to flying with you again in the not to distant future.