Liverpool fans hire their own SPEEDBOAT to get to France for tonight’s Champions League final

A dedicated group of Liverpool supporters hired a speed boat in a mad dash to get to Paris for the Champions League Final after their easyJet flight was cancelled.

Meanwhile, not satisfied with some of the extortionate ticket prices being offered by travel companies, YouTuber Simon Wilson forked out £5,000 on a huge bus to take fans to the French capital, charging each supporter just £1 to get on board.

But not every one was as lucky as hundreds of other Reds fans were also left scrambling to find alternative ways to get to Paris in time after airlines cancelled flights last minute and France-bound coaches failed to turn up in time.

Fans were turned away from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport this morning after tour operator World Choice Sports scrapped one of its flights to the French capital.

But the problems were not exclusively in the air, with dozens of fans also abandoned at the side of the road after their coaches failed to turn up and transport them to Paris, leaving many with no option but to go home.

Fans who have already made it to Paris are doing their best to turn the French capital red with flares going off at the Eiffel Tower and thousands already packed into the fan zone set up for Liverpool supporters by city authorities.

Paddy O’Toole and 12 others had to charter the novel way to cross the Channel late on Friday after their initial plans to fly were scuppered.

Two of the fans, Adam and Tom Dring, flew down to Heathrow to try and get another flight but they were unsuccessful so decided to team up with family friend Paddy who lives on Jersey.

The lads flew from Heathrow to Jersey and Paddy contacted a friend who runs a boat chartering firm called Le Mourier on the island.

Paddy told the Liverpool Echo: ‘They got a flight to Jersey last minute and they met up with us and asked could we get them to France.

‘We felt sorry for the young lads so we had to do something.’

The fan group in Jersey were able to charter a speed boat to cross from Jersey to Saint-Malo where they could then continue their journey on to the capital in time for Saturday’s clash.

Video posted on Paddy’s Twitter account shows the group bouncing across the waves as they head towards France in a Redbay Stormforce 950.

Among the people onboard was 72-year-old Dave Walsh, Jamie O’Neill, Jay and Billy Giles and Joey OToole.

On the footage someone can be heard: ‘Just coming into France, we must be off our heads.’ As Billy Joel’s ‘We didn’t start the fire’ blares out.

Paddy added: ‘We saw a few dolphins on the way and got the train to Rennes and then to Paris.

‘A few more of are mates from Liverpool who live in Jersey heard we were going and joined on. We haven’t got a ticket between us.’

Le Mourier tweeted:’We are glad you enjoyed your voyage and wish you the very best onward journey.’

Once in Saint-Malo the group boarded a train to Paris in time for the clash this evening.

The feat was admired by fellow Liverpool fans who congratulated the men on their ingenuity.

One fan said: ‘Goosebumps. Best supporters on the planet, will do whatever it takes to see their team. YNWA.’

Another added: ‘That’s brillant well done lads!! They always say where ever there’s a match scousers will find there!!! Class!!’

One joked: ‘Better watch out on the way back, Patel’ll have them off to Rwanda.’

It comes as a coach bought by a Liverpool supporter to transport dozens of fellow fans to Paris for just £1 each has arrived in the city ahead of the Champions League final.

Simon Wilson, a British vlogger, from Wrexham, bought the cheapest coach he could find for £5,000 to take as many fans there to avoid the ‘extortionate’ travel fees.

Just £1 each meant around 50 supporters could go from Anfield to the French capital in time for the game.

Mr Wilson said: ‘It’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever done, setting off on Thursday morning, I never thought it would take as long as it did.

‘Along the way there have been some worried faces, people expecting to get to Paris and thinking we wouldn’t, but I always had faith, despite all the challenges we’ve had.

‘I’ve never had so little sleep in all my life, I’ve managed a few hours, but it was worth it. Now we can soak up the atmosphere here before the game.’

He said the original coach had to be replaced and the ferry to cross at Dover had to be pushed back as they were behind schedule.

However, after getting in to France in the early hours, the coach pushed on and made it to Paris by the afternoon.

Wilson is also known for driving a £40 Skoda to the Champions League final in Madrid in 2019.

He added: ‘The fees people were charged were pretty extortionate, it’s shocking, so I wanted to give something back, get the fans over here.

‘People want to come to Paris to watch their team – they should be able to do it without being charged so much money.

‘It’s all been pretty expensive, the original coach was £5,000, I then wrapped it for another £8,000 and then there’s the hidden costs, it was a lot of money, but I wanted to help.

‘I was always positive, I knew we would get here. I’d just like to say thanks to Revolut for making it possible.’

The coach will return to the UK on Sunday after the match.

Meanwhile, easyJet has cancelled more than 200 flights over the next 10 days as transport disruption hampers the outset of the half-term break.

The airline said the cancellations would affect about 24 flights per day from London’s Gatwick airport between May 28 and June 6.

It added the cancellations were ‘necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period’.

At Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, more than 100 LFC fans who paid around £650 through tour operator WorldChoice Sports couldn’t board their flights to Paris after the company cancelled two flights and managed to replace one.

Pictures showed crowds of Reds supporters being turned away after the Paris-bound flight was cancelled last minute on Saturday morning.

Keenan Downey and his father Leslie arrived at Liverpool John Lennon Airport at 1.30am on Saturday, hoping to catch a 4am flight to Paris.

However, they were among scores of fans who faced lengthy delays after a flight cancellation.

Mr Downey, 25, who travelled from Anglesey, Wales, says the flight was rescheduled to depart at 5.45am but was cancelled.

He was then told there was no flights left at 3.30am, leaving him ‘stood around helpless’, before he finally boarded a rescheduled flight at 9.40am.

The pair booked the flights through World Choice Sports, which sells packages to sporting events, for about £1,300.

Prior to boarding the plane, he said: ‘I’m not even confident that we will get out there at the moment.

‘I have got the boarding pass in my hand but until we are sat in that seat and we are taking off I won’t be confident that we’ll get there. It is pretty crazy.’

He added: ‘It is my first-ever final. My old man, he is fortunate, this will be his third. But this is my first and I am just devastated. I’m not certain we will be going.

‘The biggest worry is getting home of course, although if we win I won’t be worrying about that.’

Calls to World Choice Sports are greeted by a recorded statement saying: ‘If your flight has been cancelled, please accept our apologies as it was due to matters out of our control.

‘Please rest assured we will be refunding you in full in the next few days. Once again, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.’

A spokesperson for WorldChoice Sports said: ‘If your flight has been cancelled, please accept our apologies. Fortunately, this only affected a small number of passengers.

‘This was due to matters beyond our control. Rest assured that we will be refunding you in full during the next coming days.

‘We were very badly let down by the broker and the airline. Please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused.’

Liverpool FC supporters travelling to the Champions League final also faced long queues at the Port of Dover.

Thousands of fans descended on the Kent port on Friday to board cross-Channel ferries en route to Paris for Saturday’s match.

But some fans didn’t make it that far with huge groups left stranded in Liverpool after their coaches to Paris reportedly drove past them.

One group arrived at the meet up point at 4.15pm but were still waiting by 11pm after a number of buses passed but didn’t stop.

According to some fans at the Rocket junction of the M62, five coaches that had been booked were empty but drove past.

Since then they have not been able to get in contact with the company and many will now not make it to the final.

Jay Burke and his three friends paid £179 for the coach trip that would have transported them to Dover, over to Paris to the fan zone and home again after the match.

The 25-year-old from Liverpool, said: ‘We arrived at the Rocket on Queens Drive for a schedule pick up of 4.15pm.

‘It was meant to be 6.15pm but the company emailed everyone two days ago stating the pick up has changed to 4.15pm. Hundreds of us were there since 4.15pm and only about five out of 24 coaches arrived.

‘The four of us were there until 11pm with no communication at all just hoping for a coach to come. One coach came at 10pm and everyone flooded to get on, no register or anything just first come first served.’

Jay said when he finally got through to the company after more than 200 calls, they told him the buses had turned up and no one was there. He was then told to call back on Monday for a refund.

Dozens of other fans have also taken to Twitter to complain about the coach situation.

Jordan Halliwell said on Twitter: ‘Meant to be picked up at 4pm at the Rocket pub. It is now 22.30pm and still nothing.

‘Trip to Paris ruined now off, home instead. No communication from the company.’

On Facebook, Demi Edmunds said: ‘Coach to go to the final in Paris was meant to arrive to pick us up at 4:15pm today and every coach stopped and let people who weren’t even meant to be on that coach number on it.

‘Then to top it off, our coach drove past beeping at us with no one on it and then when angry fans called they said ‘the company manager drove past and there was no one there.’

In Paris, tens of thousands of Liverpool fans have sung ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ ahead of the Champions League final.

A huge sea of red shirts surrounded the Cours de Vincennes area in the south-east area of the city during the morning, where a fan zone has been set up.

As many as 50,000 supporters, largely ticketless, began gathering early during the day, some starting the drinking from 7am, bringing traffic in the area to a standstill as roads were closed off.

Footballs were being kicked into the air and banners being flown while flares which were prohibited by French authorities were let off in the fan zone.

The huge crowd then sang the club’s well-recognised anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone before cheering club legend Kenny Dalglish to a stage which has been set up.

He told the crowd how remarkable Liverpool’s season had been before fans chanted his name.

A heavy police presence is in the area, including armed officers.

Fan John Racks, 39, from the Wirral, Merseyside, said: ‘Yeah, the drinking started early, the sun’s out now and it’s getting to my head a bit.

‘I’d like to say at nearly 40 I’m careful but I kind of got lost and started drinking this morning, now I’m smashed.

‘The atmosphere here is boss, the city is red.’

Another said: ‘I’m sat here on top of some statue in Paris with my mates, there’s nothing more you need. Just a few beers and hopefully a win for the Reds, lovely.’

Fans could be seen carrying large boxes of beer and singing about the team manager Jurgen Klopp and the players.

Supporter Luke Queens, 23, said: ‘I’m proper nervous, confident in the team but it’s a final isn’t it? I hope the beer settles my nerves before then, we need the first goal.’

Outside of football, Britons’ half-term getaways have been blighted by chaos at UK airports, with carrier easyJet cancelling more than 200 flights over the next 10 days.

Passengers have blasted the service at Manchester Airport as ‘carnage’ while a traveller at Gatwick Airport described a five-hour delay before boarding an Easyjet flight – only for it then to be cancelled.

Rob Scott posted online: ‘Carnage at Manchester Airport this morning. Terminal two [is] rammed with people, huge queues, big delays setting off due to luggage not being loaded on to planes due to staff shortages.’

Jimtheboy tweeted: ‘Utter carnage at terminal one at Manchester Airport today. Baggage conveyors broken, hardly any staff, no organisation… total shambles.’

Elsewhere, entrepreneur Oliver Bruce and his friend Harry Bethell drove from Cheltenham to Gatwick yesterday to board a flight to Monaco for the F1 over the weekend.

He said: ‘It’s something we’ve always wanted to do. We got to the airport at 2pm yesterday but the flight kept getting pushed back from its initial call time.’

Eventually, the gates opened and by 8.25pm, passengers had boarded the plane -only to then to be ordered to disembark.

Mr Bruce said: ‘We were all told to leave due to ‘cabin crew working over their allotted time’.

‘I asked the man on front desk, ‘is it likely to fly or do I need to find alternative options: and he said ‘I have spoke to the captain and he’s 99.9% sure we will fly.”

Shortly afterwards, passengers were sent an email informing them the flight had indeed been cancelled.

Mr Bruce and Mr Bethell waited at the airport until 11pm before they were eventually escorted back through passport control and drove back to Cheltenham.

He added: ‘It was a total disaster. Nobody was informed what to do, with the next flight being Monday… There was no apology, no explanation of where to go or how to get out of the airport.

‘I feel sorry for those wanting or needing to visit family, loved ones, sick relatives or go to weddings.’

In an announcement yesterday, Easyjet said its cancellations would affect about 24 flights per day from London’s Gatwick airport between May 28 and June 6.

It added the cancellations were ‘necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period’.

It comes after a software failure forced EasyJet to cancel around 200 flights on Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the company said in a statement: ‘We have taken the decision to make advance cancellations of around 24 Gatwick flights per day starting from May 28 until June 6.

‘We are very sorry for the late notice of some of these cancellations and inconvenience caused for customers booked on these flights, however we believe this is necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period.

‘Customers are being informed from Friday and provided with the option to rebook their flight or receive a refund and can apply for compensation in line with regulations.’

‘Over the next week we will be operating around 1,700 flights per day, with around a quarter of these operating to and from Gatwick.’

Airline passengers were also stuck in lengthy queues at airports such as Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Bristol.

There is also high demand for sailings from families embarking on trips to the continent for half-term.

The port advised passengers to ‘pack adequate supplies including food and water’ as it is expecting ‘a very busy week ahead’.

A mother has spoken of her ‘nightmare’ experience with easyJet after her flight to Tenerife was cancelled first at Manchester and then at Gatwick – leading to her family being forced to sleep on an airport floor, and treated like ‘animals’.

Nicola Caine, 37, from Cheshire, was due to fly from Manchester Airport to Tenerife on Monday in a group of 13 with her husband, children and several family members.

The group had booked a package holiday with easyJet to celebrate Ms Caine’s parents’ 40th wedding anniversary and their 60th birthdays.

They were booked on the EZY1903 easyJet flight to Tenerife South for a seven-day holiday, which cost around £2,500.

Ms Caine described how the experience was ‘one problem after another’, which was traumatising for her family, especially her 12-year-old son, who is autistic.

It comes as a Red Army of Liverpool football fans began to arrive in Paris from Friday as French police prepared to welcome them for the European Cup Final this evening.

A massive security operation swung into action on Friday, in time for kick off against Spanish Champions Real Madrid on Saturday night.

‘We expect upwards of 60,000 Liverpool fans alone to come, and about two-thirds will be without tickets,’ said a local police spokesman.

‘There will be less from Madrid, but both sets of supporters will be encouraged to use fan zones and to respect others enjoying the city this weekend’.

The police confirmed that 6,000 police and gendarmes would be on the streets of the French capital over the weekend.

Many of the Liverpool faithful in the centre of the city had come from thousands of miles away, including the United States and South America.

Among those touching down in the French capital for Saturday’s crunch game was the Mindel family from Melbourne, Australia.

‘The flight took 24-hours, but it was worth it for a game like this,’ said Alyssa Mindel, 27, who has supported the Reds all her life.

‘You don’t spend 24-hours on a plane expecting your team to lose, so we’re hoping for a great game and a good win.’

Daniel Mindel, 17, said: ‘We were super lucky to get tickets and found accommodation pretty easily too.

‘We belong to a Liverpool friendship group, and members are coming to the game from all over the world.’

Kim Cunningham, 27, and her brother David Cunningham, 18, were over from Dublin, and also expected a ‘very exciting game,’ said Kim.

‘I think we’re looking at either 3-2 to Liverpool, or 2-1,’ added Kim, who said the family had been fans of the club, which traditionally has huge support in Ireland, all their lives.

Welsh Liverpool fans Dominic Breen, 50, and his son, Connor Breen, 24, were in Paris after journey from the Valleys, and also fully expected a win.

‘We’ve both been big fans all our lives,’ said Dominic. ‘We get to as many games as we can, and I expect a draw in this final, with Liverpool to win on penalties.’

‘We had to be here, and started to make plans before the semi-final,’ said Arash Shahideh, a 57-year-old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

‘I’ve supported Liverpool all my life, and get to Anfield as much as I can,’ said Mr Shahideh, who was with his sons, Kia Shahideh, 26, and Ata Shahideh, 23.

‘We’ve flown over for a long weekend, and all of us have tickets, thankfully. We’re hoping for a 2-1 win for Liverpool.’

Liverpudlians Ben Hines, 23, Ben Lee, 22 and Chris McCarthy, 20, had flown into Paris from their home city and were showing off a red flag reading ‘Liverpool FC : Wherever You Go, I Go’.

All are loyal and experienced fans who have followed their club all over the world, so had little trouble organising a successful trip.

‘We managed to find a studio to stay in for less than £200 for the weekend, and two of us have tickets so far,’ said Mr Hines, who is a veteran of epic finals including Liverpool’s game against Real Madrid in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2018.

‘There were a lot of flight cancellations from Liverpool when we came over to Paris this time round, but we were very lucky, and weren’t affected,’ Mr Hines added.

Rowan Poudley and Annan Parmar, two 19-year-olds from Bristol, were determined to be in Paris for the atmosphere.

Both are students on their gap year – Mr Poudley is off to Liverpool University to study Criminology, and Mr Parmar will be reading Politics at Birmingham.

‘Neither of us have tickets, but that won’t stop us enjoying the game,’ said Mr Parmar. ‘We managed to find a decent place to stay out of the city, and public transport has been pretty good so far.’

Kathalina Sanchez, 35, is from Colombia and a massive fan of Liverpool’s star Colombian striker, Luis Diaz.

‘I just hope he can score on Satuday,’ said Ms Sanchez, who was with friends from Lyon, eastern France, where she is currently working.

‘I’ve been a supporter of Liverpool since I was a little girl, as my dad was a big fan. I started out loving Michael Owen and my captain, Stevie Gerrard, and now I love players like Diaz and Sadio Mané.’

Dror Moran, a 55-year-old Israeli, flew in especially for the game, along with his son, Ido Moran, 22.

‘I’ve been a Liverpool fan for more than 40 years, since the 1970s,’ said Mr Moran. ‘We’ve managed to get tickets through UEFA, and accommodation too. We’re hoping that Liverpool can win 2-1’.

Liverpool fans arriving in Paris via Eurostar said tickets were ‘like gold dust’ with many saying they were just there to savour the atmosphere.

Dad Finton O’Leary, 48, from Shrewsbury arrived with his son Jon Joe, 10, on a packed train from London St Pancras, told MailOnline: ‘We don’t have a ticket for the game. They are like gold dust but we are here for the atmosphere.

‘If we can get a ticket so be it but if not we will watch the game in a fan zone or a restaurant somewhere in Paris.

‘A Champions League Final is always something worth going to and to be in the city where Liverpool are playing is fantastic.’

Jon Joe, wearing a Liverpool scarf, said: ‘I’m really excited and looking forward to the game. I don’t mind watching it in TV and I’m confident we will win 2-1 with goals from Mane and Diaz.’

Dentist Fayaz Ladak, 43, arrived on the same train with his researcher wife Shiela, after travelling from their home in Leeds and we’re both wearing Liverpool shirts.

Shiela said: ‘I’m really excited about the game. It’s my first final and I can’t wait. I’m confident Liverpool will win 3-1. It’s going to be a fantastic night.

‘It was quiet on the train, not as much singing as I expected but then again it was a very early start from London and I’m sure it will get better as the day goes on.’

Fayaz, who paid €1360 for his ticket after getting them through a club ballot said: ‘I went to Kyiv when we lost to Real Madrid and I was in Madrid when we beat Tottenham.

‘This match will be pay back for Kyiv. It will be tough but I’m confident we will win 3-2. The atmosphere will be fantastic.

‘Liverpool fans when they go away know how to party. There won’t be any trouble it will just be an all day party and if the fan zone is anything like Madrid and Kyiv it will be amazing.’

Architect Kevin Owens, 51, was also at Gare du Nord with his sons Tyler, 19, and Ashley, 12, after travelling from Welling Garden City, Hertfordshire and also have tickets for the game.

Kevin said: ‘It was an early start for us but it’s going to be worth it. We are all big Liverpool fans and we were lucky with the tickets as I helped design the Stade de France.

‘I’m involved with the Paris Olympics 2024 so that’s how we got the tickets but even if we didn’t have them we would still come over.

‘We booked the train and accommodation three weeks ago and it was really pricey but now we are here we are going to enjoy ourselves.’

Ashley, who is taking a break from camping in his garden to raise money for a dog charity, said: ‘I’ve been in the tent for 423 nights so two have two nights in a bed will be great.

‘I’m so excited about the match and can’t wait. It’s going to be 3-1 to Liverpool.’

Bars around the Gare du Nord were also packed with Liverpool fans enjoying an early morning point and the atmosphere was good natured.

Police kept a discreet eye on supporters as they sang and chanted but one security source told local French media: ‘We don’t expect any trouble from Liverpool but we are wary of local Paris St Germain supporters looking to start fights and local criminals exploiting visitors.’

UEFA officials have set up a Fan Zone for Liverpool fans in the east of the city at Cours de Vincennes, six miles from the ground, with the gates opening from midday and food and drink on offer as well as music from the Lightening Seeds.

Real who are only expected to have around 30,000 fans in Paris have a similar zone set up for them close to the stadium in the north of the city.

Around 7,000 police officers will be on duty for the game and the sale of alcohol around the ground has been banned from 6pm on Saturday until 2am on Sunday morning but fans will be able to drink in the stadium.

The area around the famous Champs-Elysses in the centre of Paris was closed on Thursday by police and will not reopen until Sunday evening.

A Paris police statement said:’ For this occasion various measures have been put in place by the Prefecture de Police to ensure the smooth running of the match and to guarantee the fans safety in the vicinity of the Stade de France and the fan zones.’

The final was originally due to have been played in Saint Petersburg but UEFA moved it to France after stripping Russia of the glamour game following their invasion of Ukraine.