Liverpool fan Luke feels lucky to be at final
A LIVERPOOL fan is finally on his way to see his favourite team play, after almost losing more than £1,000 due to flight cancellations.
Luke Gaudion, a 27-year-old apprentice electrician, had bought tickets to see the Champions League final tonight against Real Madrid in Kiev.
But he was rocked by news on Thursday that three flights taking fans to the match had been cancelled.
‘I can’t put into words how gutted I was,’ said Mr Gaudion.
Travel company Worldchoice Sports, which organised the travel for many Liverpool supporters, released a statement explaining the cancellations and promising refunds for all affected.
The operator said that, due to too many flights heading to Boryspil airport for the game, they had been unable to allocate times for the three planes.
This ruined the plans of about 1,000 Liverpool fans, including Mr Gaudion.
‘I’ve spent well over £1,000, including my match ticket, non-existent flight to Kiev and my flights to and from Guernsey,’ he said.
‘Plus the massive effort and time I’ve spent making my own banner with help from my girlfriend and friend.’
The only hope Mr Gaudion had was that the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, was working closely with former professional boxer and now Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, to figure out a solution.
‘I heard the Mayor of Liverpool and Mayor of Kiev were working closely to sort something and save us, although I didn’t have much faith, I was praying,’ said Mr Gaudion.
Potential solutions included changing airports, using smaller planes and flights arriving later this evening.
Still apprehensive about his chances of being at the game, Mr Gaudion and his travelling party made their way to Liverpool.
It was not until late on Thursday night that a friend of his got the call from the travel operator saying they would be flying to Kiev.
Waiting in the departure lounge of Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, Mr Gaudion said: ‘We just feel so very, very lucky. We don’t know what’s changed, we just can’t believe it.
‘Although we got to the airport and every other fan already had their tickets, our hearts dropped, they’d been sent their tickets through email and we had nothing.
‘We had to wait in the queue to find out what was going to happen, surrounded by all these happy fans. Thankfully it was all OK, it’s been such a rollercoaster.’
