What's In A Name? Man Bound for Granada Winds Up in Grenada

Do you know the difference between St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg? Because one is an historic Russian enclave and the other is sunny, hot and filled with retirees.

Do you know the difference between Rome and Rome?

Because one is a world-famous city with centuries of history and the other is in upstate New York.

Yes, of course you know the difference but here’s a cautionary tale about asking questions before you board a flight and taking a long, long look at your ticket, at the arrivals and departures board and, well, maybe a map.

An American dentist traveling in Europe is suing British Airways for putting him on the wrong flight when he tried to book passage to Granada, Spain, but instead wound up in Grenada, the Caribbean island.

The difference between the two? One letter, centuries of history and culture, and about 4,000 miles.

Edward Gamson and his partner learned something was terribly wrong when they left London’s Gatwick Airport for what they thought was a two-hour flight, and noticed on the in-flight monitor tracking the planes route that it veered away from Europe. Like, well away.

Nine hours later, they were in Grenada on a beach instead of touring the famed Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

“I have a lifelong interest in Islamic art. I’m also of Spanish Jewish heritage so it was something I had always wanted to do to visit Granada and the Alhambra,” Gamson told the London newspaper The Independent. “I made it absolutely clear to the booking agent I wanted to go to Granada in Spain. Why on earth would I want to go to Grenada in the Caribbean if I was flying back to America from Lisbon? It’s just so sad. A trip we had been really looking forward to was ruined and ... BA won’t do the decent thing.”

Mr. Gamson is suing British Airways for $34,000 – the cost of two $3,500 round-trip first-class tickets as well as damages. He said a BA booking agent in Florida made the error, and that the agent should have questioned why he was traveling from London to the Caribbean island, then back to Europe for a flight back to America from Portugal.

He also said his electronic tickets referred only to “Grenada”, with no mention of country of destination or flying time.

British Airways declined to comment.