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FLIGHT

Mix-up lands Spain-bound gran in Caribbean

62-year-old British woman Lamenda Kingdon had been longing to visit the Alhambra in the Andalusian city of Granada. Little did she know she was booked on a flight to the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Published: 28 October 2013 14:02 CET
Mix-up lands Spain-bound gran in Caribbean
It wasn't until well after take-off that Mrs. Kingdon discovered she might have to wait a bit longer before visiting her dream destination. Photo: Juan Buchelli

Mrs. Kingdon had planned the visit to Granada’s Alhambra palace as part of her “bucket list”, having been diagnosed with breast cancer and a brain tumour.

She used her late husband’s air miles to book the trip over the phone and boarded the British Airways plane last month without a second thought.

It wasn't until well after take-off that she discovered she might have to wait a bit longer before visiting her dream destination.

Having struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to her, she spoke of how much she was looking forward to visiting Spain.

"Not on this flight you won’t be," replied the fellow passenger.

She then grabbed the elbow of a passing stewardess and told me: "This lady thinks she’s going to Spain," Mrs. Kingdon told the UK’s Mail Online.

Disbelief turned into reality when Mrs. Kingdon checked her ticket and spotted the one letter difference: it wasn't Granada but Grenada.

"I had noticed the departure and arrival times were vastly different, but I presumed that had something to do with the time difference," Mrs. Kingdon explained.

Ten hours later, the perplexed pensioner got off the plane on the Caribbean island of St Lucia.

British Airways and Avios, the air miles travel firm that had booked her flight to the wrong destination, apologized profusely for the mix up.

They reimbursed her points, put her up for a night in a hotel in St Lucia and booked her on a flight back to the UK for the next day.

On the bright side, Mrs. Kingdon not only made it to Granada after a two day delay; Avios also gave her enough points for her next dream destination: New Zealand.

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GRANADA

Earthquakes in Spain: What you need to know about the tremors around Granada

A string of mild earthquakes shook southern Spain overnight following weeks of strong seismic activity in the Granada area, prompting the premier to call for calm on Wednesday.

Published: 27 January 2021 14:30 CET
Earthquakes in Spain: What you need to know about the tremors around Granada
Dozens of quakes have hit the zone around Granada in recent days. Source: Source: IGN

Three of them had a magnitude of between 4 and 4.5, Spain's National Geographical Institute (IGN) said on Twitter.

“Various earthquakes shook Granada again overnight which has worried thousands of people. Please stay calm and follow the instructions of the emergency services,” tweeted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.   

Many images posted online showed residents out in the street in the middle of the night, wearing pyjamas and coats, despite the coronavirus curfew.

 

Since December 1st, a total of 281 shallow quakes have hit the area around Granada, of which eight had a magnitude of more than 3.0, an IGN statement said on Tuesday.

Of that number, 41 were felt by the population.   

Another quake on Saturday in the same area had a magnitude of 4.4, causing cracks in walls and throwing objects to the ground, it said.   

The interactive map above shows the location and strength of each quake to hit the zone in recent days. Source: IGN

“It's a worrying situation, I understand people's fears,” Granada Mayor Luis Salvador told Spain's public television on Wednesday, calling for calm.   

“All the information we have indicates that although they are many and continuous, that is what prevents a more intense and devastating episode.”   

The IGN said such seismic activity was “common in this area”, flagging it as one of the most seismically active regions of the Iberian Peninsula which experiences “numerous surface earthquakes of low to moderate magnitude, and occasionally with significant intensity”.

The map below produced by the Spanish government shows the risk of seismic activity across Spain. 

Emergency services in Andalusia urged calm and issued guidance for what to do in an earthquake. The tips include seeking refuge beneath a heavy table if inside and if you have to leave the house, avoid running or using the elevator. In the street be careful of danger from falling electrical cables and falling masonary and if driving, park the car and stay put.

 The regional government warned people to be careful of fake news circulating, including a false message that the region had called a state of emergency in expectation of a major quake.

 

But in a tweet from the emergency services of Andalusia, it did advise people to be prepared and have an emergency pack ready just in case.

 

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