NEWS -- Couple miss flight to Turkey after getting stuck in hotel lift just 500 YARDS from airport... and have to make do with trip to Barry Island instead

• Couple booked into Ibis hotel night before 6am flight from Luton Airport
• Larsens stuck for nearly two hours when lift jammed on their way out
• Finally freed just 15 minutes before their plane was due to take off
• Couple made do with a short stay on Barry Island instead of trip to Turkey
  Eagerly anticipating a break in sunny Turkey, this couple booked themselves into an airport hotel the night before their flight to ensure the holiday got off to a smooth start.
  But despite their best-laid plans, Cai and Lynne Larsen, from North Wales, ended up missing their early-morning flight to Istanbul when they got stuck in a lift at the Ibis Hotel just 500 yards away from Luton Airport.
  The Larsens managed to send for help when the lift jammed in between floors as they made their way down to reception at 4am, but were still trapped as their plane was set to taxi along the runway almost two hours later.
  
  

  Stuck: Cai and Lynne Larsen missed their flight to Turkey because they were stuck in a lift at an airport hotel just 500 yards from where their plane was taking off
  Instead of soaking up the sunshine on a Mediterranean beach, the 'gutted' couple found themselves heading back up the motorway to Caernarfon - although they did cheer themselves up with a short break on Barry Island en route.
  Primary school teacher Mr Larsen, 53, said he and his wife dialled 999 from the jammed lift when they still hadn't been freed half an hour after alerting reception at 4am.
  The Larsens and another couple en route to catch a plane waited more than an hour to be freed, by which time their flight was due to take off from nearby Luton Airport.
  
  

  Convenient: The Welsh couple booked themselves into this Ibis hotel near Luton Airport the night before their flight to make sure their journey went smoothly
  

  Dash: As their plane was taxiing along the runway at Luton Airpot, the frantic Larsens were stuck in the jammed hotel lift with their suitcases
  
  'We got into the lift  at 4am with our suitcases - the hotel was so close to the airport we had left plenty of time to check in.
  'The lift only moved a few feet before it made a clunking sound and stopped.
  
  'We repeatedly rang the lift alarm and made several calls to reception who kept saying an engineer was on its way.
  
  'They kept saying he would be there in 15 minutes but time was going on so we rang the fire brigade.'
  Cai and Lynne, 54, were eventually freed from the lift at 5.45am - just 15 minutes before take off.
  The pair made a desperate dash for the departure desk but were told the flight to Istanbul had already left.
  
  

  Mishap: Lynne and Cai were trapped for almost two hours with another couple when the lift got stuck between floors
  
  'To say we were gutted is an understatement - we had been looking forward to going on holiday for such a long time,' said father of five Mr Larsen.
  'I complained to the staff on duty in the hotel but they said it wasn't their fault and that it was an act of nature.
  'I explained it was their responsibility to ensure the lift was working properly but they didn't seem to get that.'
  The Larsens had been due to fly into Istanbul for the first part of the trip before taking an internal flight to the capital Ankara to explore the country further.
  The pair made do with a couple of days on Barry Island on their way back to North Wales, but admitted it didn't quite live up to the 11-day Easter trip to Turkey they had been looking forward to.
  'We thought we would look at the sea and pretend it's the Mediterranean - but it's a lot colder,' Mr Larsen said.
  
  

  Destination: Instead of sunning themselves on a beach in Turkey (pictured), the Larsens ended up stopping off on Barry Island on their way home to North Wales
  
  
  

  'It's a lot colder': The Larsens admitted their short break on Barry Island didn't quite live up to the Turkish break they had been looking forward to
  A spokesman for the Ibis said the general manager was liaising with the Larsens directly to assess all the details of their trip and the costs involved.
  A statement said: 'The hotel will then take the appropriate action in terms of reparation.'
  
  The other couple stuck in the lift - who the Larsens said they 'got to know quite well' - just managed to get on their flight to Morocco.