Separated on the wings of love

North Yorkshire newlyweds Peter and Karen Elmes, both teachers from Monk Fryston, near Selby, say they have been told they can't sit together on their ten-and-a-half hour honeymoon flight to Cancun, Mexico.

Peter, 41, is livid that on the first leg of their £3,000 holiday, he cannot sit hand in hand with his bride - unless he reaches over the seat in front.

"This is the one flight, where, more than ever, you want to be able to sit together," he said before today's wedding to Karen, nee Sparkes, 26, at Sledmere House, near Driffield.

The couple booked a British Airways flight to Cancun two years ago but were told this January the scheduled service was being cancelled.

So when Mr Elmes went to book a replacement holiday he stated quite clearly that he wanted nothing to go wrong.

"We decided to pay an extra £300 to sit in the first class section for the flight. We booked it in February; they tell us that we cannot sit together.

"They offered us a refund and the chance to sit together in standard class, or an measly £75 back as a goodwill gesture.

"We just want what we paid for."

A spokeswoman for Airtours explained the configuration of the seating in the first class section is 2-3-2, so if there are a lot of couples, some will be kept apart.

The booking system is on a first-come, first served basis, and Mr Elmes was one of the last to book his seats, so when the exact seats were organised last week he was told he could not sit with his bride. They will be sitting one behind the other.

The spokeswoman added: "We are sorry that Mr Elmes is not satisfied with the seating allocated. Our brochures state that specific seating requirements cannot be guaranteed and we apologise if Mr Elmes was given incorrect information at the time of booking. We hope that this will not affect the enjoyment of their holiday."

Picture: Honeymoon couple Peter and Karen, who have been given separate seats despite paying extra on their first-class flight to Mexico Picture: Frank Dwyer