IT IS the time of year for holidays - and, sadly for some, the time when holidays turn hellish.

While most holidays pass without major upset, others begin or end in chaos. For one York family, a happy break in Ibiza passed without incident, until the journey home.

Widower Barrie Shipley, from Haxby, endured a nightmarish end to his holiday - doubly so because he was travelling alone with his three children. His family's idyllic two weeks in the sunshine turned sour on the runway. The plane was about to take off and had reached that tense moment before flight. Then the pilot applied the brakes. As the plane stopped, Barrie's troubles began.

A delay of 37 hours followed, including two hours spent in the grounded plane and an uncomfortable night in a rough hotel at the noisy end of the Spanish island's party capital.

We all know that mechanical problems can affect planes. All machines occasionally go wrong. But Barrie Shipley and other passengers felt they were not kept fully informed about what was happening or why. This is a common complaint of stranded travellers and one that is so easily put right. While no one wants to suffer the annoyance and worry of delay, being told early and clearly what has gone wrong can reduce the stress of the situation.

Information is vital in such circumstances - and not just the obligatory post-horror apology.

At least Barrie Shipley was spared being a passenger on a flight from Minorca airport, when the pilot announced that he had just spent seven hours fixing a fault on the plane. The Boeing 757's computer indicated it was airborne when it was still firmly on the runway. Some passengers refused to stay on that flight to Leeds-Bradford airport, preferring to take their chances on another plane.

Both troubled flights were the responsibility of MyTravel, which expressed its confidence that normal service would be resumed as soon as possible.

Barrie Shipley, who has treated his children to regular holidays abroad since the death of his wife, will be hoping for better luck next time.

Updated: 10:22 Tuesday, August 12, 2003