A DREAM day trip for a group of Irish children to meet Santa Claus in Lapland turned into a nightmare, a court has been told.
Judge James Paul McDonnell held that the once-in-a-lifetime £1,600 trip was a "disaster" for the children and laid the full blame on Aeroflot, which had let them down at Dublin Airport.
The Russian international airline and Manor Castle Ltd, trading as United Travel, Stillorgan Bowl, Stillorgan, Dublin, were sued in the District Court by Mr Michael and Mrs Clare Keogh, Green Avenue, Naas, Co Kildare, and six other groups of parents on behalf of their disappointed children.
Judge McDonnell this week awarded them a total of £25,994 damages for negligence, breach of contract and misrepresentation. Mr Seamus Woulfe, counsel for United Travel, told Dublin Circuit Civil Court yesterday that his decision was being appealed by both defendants.
Both United Travel and Aeroflot had denied negligence, breach of contract and misrepresentation. Mr Tony O'Connor, counsel for the airline, told the court there was no question of the aircraft not being airworthy.
Earlier Mr Paul O'Neill, counsel for the parents and their children, told Judge McDonnell his clients bought the Lapland Fantasy Trip last year to take place on December 23rd.
Mr O'Neill said it was to have been a direct one-day round trip to Lapland to include visits to Santa's Village and the Snow Mobile Wilderness with "a substantial" lunch in Lapland Magic.
Santa was to have presented the children with a "substantial" gift and it was planned they and their parents would have ample time to visit souvenir shops before the return trip that evening.
Mr O'Neill said the trip did not take place on the 23rd because the Aeroflot plane was seven hours late arriving to collect his clients in Dublin. When it arrived it was not clean or in "a reasonable condition" to allow his clients to board.
He said the trip had to be put off until the following day, December 24th, which was Christmas Day in Lapland when many facilities were closed. His clients had to take their children home, some travelling many miles, and return the next morning.
On the 24th they were delayed by stopovers on the way there and back. Because it was Christmas Day in Lapland Santa Claus was available to the children for only 20 minutes. They each received an inadequate gift of a bell. A lunch of Lapland Stew was clearly not the "substantial" one which had been promised.
Owing to the delays the Snow Mobile Trip took place in darkness and, due to lack of time, the children were unable to avail of the Lapland Magic facility. Shops, post offices and the like at Santa's Village were closed and the children could not buy souvenirs. They were hustled back on to a coach for the airport and did not arrive in Dublin on Christmas Eve until 9.30 p.m.
Judge McDonnell held that United Travel had been "hi-jacked" by its Finnish principals who had made it clear they were giving the bare minimum service because of the "no-show" on December 23rd.
The day trip had been far shorter than promised and he held that Aeroflot should fully indemnify United Travel for the damages and costs.