IT was meant to be a stress-free holiday to Spain but for Lisa Aitken and her father, flying back into Bournemouth Airport ended up being a humiliating and frustrating experience.

Lisa and her father Dennis Yorke, 82, who needs a wheelchair after having a back operation and suffering from a stroke, travelled from Stockbridge near Romsey to catch a Ryanair flight to Malaga to visit her sister earlier this month.

But their return journey on May 9 turned into a nightmare after a booking Lisa had made for a specific seat on the plane was not upheld and the pair were made to pay extra for priority boarding despite being last to be seated.

Lisa, 43 said the final straw came when they landed at Bournemouth Airport, and were told there were no trained staff to operate the ambulift needed to get Dennis off the plane even though it had been pre-booked.

She said: "We were made to sit in our seats for an hour while two of the staff tried to manoeuvre the lift into place.

"My father had to stay jammed into his seat, in a great deal of discomfort, while passengers for the next flight began boarding all around us."

She added: "It was so humiliating for him. Eventually they had to carry him off which caused him even more pain. The most upsetting thing was the reaction of the staff who found it all to be a big joke and they were openly laughing about it while he was in tears.

"There was one young lady who was very apologetic but, as for the rest, you just don't expect this behaviour. I have received an apology from Ryanair about the seats but it's not good enough. It shouldn't have happened in the first place."

A spokesperson for Bournemouth Airport said: "The responsibility for wheelchair passengers rests with the airline and this service is currently carried out on their behalf by their handling agents. We have been sent a copy of Mrs Aitken's letter to Servisair and we have already spoken to them to ensure they respond to her as quickly as possible."

Tony Brunskill, spokesperson for Servisair said: "We regret the situation and do apologise to the two passengers involved. All of our staff are trained to use the lift but there was a mechanical failure with it on that day, which is why the passenger had to be carried off."