A FAMILY'S dream trip to New York was ruined after a group of holidaymakers lost their seats to the crew.

The two couples, from Teesside, were told their seats had been given to staff from another flight.

They were offered an alternative flight, which would have taken them to New York just hours before they were due to fly home.

Robert and Carolyn Dodds, of Acklam, Middlesbrough, were told the aircrew from an earlier flight had been given their seats because a baggage truck had crashed and grounded their aircraft at Durham Tees Valley Airport.

The couple, with Carolyn's cousin Christine West and her husband Philip, were about to check in when they were told their seats from Heathrow had been given away.

They organised the New York trip a year ago, booking a flight on British Midland from Durham Tees Valley to Heathrow, where they were to board a Virgin flight to JFK Airport, New York.

Mr Dodds said: "We feel badly let down. We should be in New York now, having the time of our lives.

"We had this planned for a year but they just gave away our tickets. They were so casual about it. They paid us scant regard."

A bmi spokesman said: "Usually, if a crew had to travel on for an operational reason, they ask for volunteers to come off the flight.

"However, on Monday, the two couples turned up quite close to the close of check-in and by that time virtually the whole of the plane had been checked in, so there was no opportunity to ask for volunteers.

"Because they were denied boarding, they will be able to claim back the cost of the holiday through insurance and bmi will help in any way it can."