In a bewildering airport blunder, dozens of holidaymakers were left stranded at Manchester Airport after their Jet2 flight to Spain took off without them. The incident, which occurred on Monday morning, 19 January, saw passengers who had already scanned their boarding passes left waiting in a stairwell while their plane departed for Alicante.
The Moment Passengers Realised 'The Plane's Gone'
Passenger Matt, from Denton, was among the 35 travellers booked on the 7am LS879 service to Alicante. He described the scene as "unfathomable" and akin to "an episode of Fawlty Towers". After arriving on time and proceeding through security, he and his son heard their seat numbers called at the gate.
"We've all gone through to the gate and boarded," Matt explained. "But instead of carrying on onto the plane, there were some stairs so the herd mentality is that we all went down the stairs and followed each other. There was a lot of us."
The group waited in the confined stairwell for up to 40 minutes, assuming staff would soon open doors to either stairs leading directly to the aircraft or to a transfer bus. It was only when an airport worker approached from the airfield that they received the shocking news: 'the plane's gone'.
Airline Admits to 'Error on the Stairwell Directions'
Jet2 staff reportedly told the stranded customers that such an incident had "never happened before". According to the airline's initial explanation, there was an 'error on the stairwell directions' and a missing red rope that should have diverted passengers directly onto the aircraft.
Matt expressed disbelief that the airline does not conduct a final headcount once boarding is complete. "I am gobsmacked at the fact they don't do a headcount," he said. "That plane is at least 36 people light, it's bizarre. You'd think the captain would ask if they had a full flight."
While they waited to be rebooked, the affected passengers were each given a £10 voucher by the airline. Matt highlighted the distress caused, noting his son suffers from anxiety and that there were many elderly travellers in the group.
Apology and Urgent Investigation Launched
Jet2 has issued a full apology and confirmed it is treating the matter with urgency. A spokesperson stated: "We are aware that flight LS879 from Manchester to Alicante departed without some customers this morning, and we are investigating this as a matter of urgency with the airport."
The airline confirmed that its team looked after the stranded customers and arranged for them to travel on alternative flights to Alicante later the same day. The investigation will focus on the breakdown in communication and procedures that led to the extraordinary lapse.
This incident raises serious questions about boarding protocols and passenger accountability at the point of departure, leaving many to wonder how a fully checked-in group could simply be forgotten.
