In a surprising turn of events, a Jet2 flight from Manchester to Alicante departed without more than 30 passengers on board. The holidaymakers found themselves stranded in a dead-end stairwell at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 after taking a wrong turn while trying to reach the plane.
The incident occurred on a 07:00 GMT flight, with the 31 passengers having gone through a set of doors and down the steps instead of following the air bridge to the aircraft. Jet2, the airline responsible for the boarding process, has said it is investigating the matter “as a matter of urgency”.
The airline has apologised to the affected customers and arranged alternative flights to Alicante for them. A spokesperson for Jet2 stated, “We are very sorry for this incident and any inconvenience caused to our customers. We are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding this event and will take any necessary actions to ensure it does not happen again.”
Manchester Airport has also expressed regret over the incident, with a spokesperson saying, “We are aware of the situation and are working closely with Jet2 to understand what happened and ensure appropriate measures are in place to prevent similar occurrences in the future.”
The mix-up has left many of the passengers frustrated and inconvenienced, with some having to wait several hours for their rescheduled flights. One passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “It’s just a complete mess. We followed the signs and ended up in a dead-end, and by the time we realised what had happened, the plane had already taken off. It’s a real hassle trying to sort out alternative arrangements.”
Jet2 and Manchester Airport have both stated that they are committed to investigating the incident thoroughly and implementing any necessary changes to their boarding procedures to ensure a similar situation does not occur again.
