TUI have been accused of homophobic discrimination”
A lesbian couple who booked a cruise with travel provider TUI have accused the company of “homophobic discrimination”.
Sarah, who did not want to give her full name, was due to set sail to the Mediterranean with her partner in Easter, paying to reserve a double cabin which they had stayed in the year before.
After the initial booking online, they were then called by a TUI representative to check they definitely wanted a double room, which they said they did. However, upon arrival, the couple found themselves in a twin cabin, rather than the one they had specified and paid for.
At the ship’s terminal in Palma De Mallorca, the pair made a complaint to the guest service manager who they say was “unsympathetic” and told them: “I assumed you would need a twin.”
Sarah told DIVA: “I have never experienced such discrimination by a company who hold themselves as one of the biggest travel providers.
“[The guest service manager] clearly made that assumption because we are a same-sex couple… and ignored the feedback from the call a week previous.”
Following their complaint, Sarah and her partner were moved – but not to a double cabin. “We were placed in a twin room with the beds squashed together and a piece of padding rammed down the middle – this did not constitute a double bed in the slightest.”
While Sarah and her partner were refunded their reservation fee by TUI, they say this is not good enough, and are demanding an apology.
“They are under the impression that the issue is resolved… It is not acceptable to be offered poor excuses for clear homophobic discrimination.”
TUI did not respond to DIVA’s request for comment.
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