Aid abandoned as Nun has to fly!

The 51-year-old, a nun for 25 years, arrived at Manchester Airport 15 minutes before the check-in for her flight to Bolivia, and staff at Iberia Airlines could not waive the extra costs.

Sister Henshaw, a trained nurse, works at an orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and has taken aid packages there before from London and Ireland.

This time she flew from Manchester having raised money and collecting clothes, medicines and shoes in her home town.

Her sister Margaret, a well-known local florist, said Catherine is distraught that she could not take the extra baggage on board. Two boxes, a holdall and three pairs of shoes had to be left behind.

"She feels she has let the children down," said Margaret. She is now trying to raise the £1,600 it will costs to get the packages to Bolivia. Margaret continued: "When she got on then plane there were plenty of empty seats. She could have piled her supplies next to her and there would have been no problem. The supplies should have gone for free."

A spokesman from Iberian Airlines explained that Sister Catherine had only arrived at check-in 15 minutes before it closed, and no-one at the airport had the authority to waive the extra costs.

"Had she given us enough notice, we could have referred the matter to someone with that authority," said the spokesman.

Flight crews did allow Sister Catherine to take on 42kg of extra hand luggage - the normal limit is 20kg. But she had arrived at Ringway 102kg over the limit.

The airline also pointed out that Sister Catherine's journey was only partially on their flights, to Madrid and then to Sao Paolo, Brazil. The final two legs to her destination in Bolivia were with another carrier.

"Of course we do not have the authority to waive charges on behalf of another carrier," said the spokesman.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.