AN elderly Hereford couple have told how the collapse of air giant XL left them stranded at the airport – without so much as a cup of tea.

John and Berryll Ballinger were a week into their two-week holiday in Corfu when XL, the UK’s third largest tour operator, went bankrupt.

The couple, both 72, and two friends had booked with Kosmar, one of the firms owned by XL.

While many holidaymakers returned home early, they decided to enjoy the second week of their break and checked into the airport at around 8.30am on Monday, expecting to be on a flight to Birmingham in a few hours.

“The flight was cancelled by 12 hours, but they just kept saying the plane was on its way,” said John.

“To keep us waiting for so long was a bit annoying, they didn’t even offer us a cup of tea or a biscuit and they could have told us what was going on.”

The British party were eventually bussed to a five-star hotel near the airport, but they were still missing some of life’s essentials.

“They still had our suitcases, so we couldn’t shave or change – we did feel a bit grubby,” John added.

“In the end they got hold of whatever plane they could find and flew us to Manchester, leaving us to find our way home.”