FLYBE has been accused of making dozens of passengers fly to the wrong airport.

People booked to Southampton last Wednesday morning were switched to the Gatwick service after fog caused the cancellation of their flight. No plane had arrived from either airport at the time and it later emerged that the Southampton one arrived before the Gatwick.

A handful of passengers who had been checked in for Gatwick realised what had happened and demanded to be allowed onto their original flight, which Flybe had planned to send back to Southampton empty. ‘When the flight from Southampton landed, I immediately asked to be put back on the Flybe flight but was told “No, the flight has been cancelled”,’ said Julian Mounter.

‘The aircraft would, however, be returning shortly to Southampton. Only four or five of us had noticed it arrive and we protested vigorously.’