Mum 'traumatised' after being stranded by airline after making vital mistake at airport
A mum says she has been left 'traumatised' and 'upset' after her journey home from Palma went very, very wrong.
Megan Patrick, a mum of two, places the blame on the airport and flight operator Jet2, saying they left her stranded with her 'screaming' children for 15 hours.
Chances are, you've heard the Jet2 jingle everywhere on socials, but one mum never wants to fly with them again after her experience.
The family were trying to fly home to Newcastle last month on July 24 following a family holiday in Palma, Spain, when her flight was delayed.
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Megan, 35, says she was watching the departure board to check for any updates, and she and her two children made their way to the signposted gate in '11 minutes' after an update flashed up to say it was now boarding.
So far, so good, right? Wrong, as according to the member of staff who checked their passports when they got to the gate, the family breached airport etiquette with timings.
Megan said upon reaching the gate, she was told she was too late to board the flight, and insists Jet2 did not make a 'final call' announcement.
The distressed mum says her four-year-old daughter was 'hysterically crying' as they 'begged' to be let on the plane, and insists it still said 'boarding' and not 'final call'.
A member of Jet2 staff spoke to the captain, and they were once again refused boarding.
Megan says they were then 'stranded' in the entrance of the airport with 'no food' for her children until she was able to check in later that evening for the new flights.
She says she has since complained to Jet2, but is yet to receive a response.
Jet2 said that flight delays are 'always communicated very clearly' and they advise passengers to 'check departure boards regularly'.
The airline noted all other customers boarded the aircraft in time.
Megan from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, said: "The lady at the gate scanned my passport and then made a comment like 'you are lucky to be getting on this plane because otherwise you wouldn't be travelling'.
"I apologised and said we came as soon as the information had been updated. I handed her the kids' passports and she said we were too late and we couldn't get on the plane.
"I was thinking it couldn't be true because we'd gone straight there - there weren't even any queues we had to walk through. The kids were really upset, I got really upset and we were begging to be let on the plane.
"The plane was literally there, they'd left the doors open so there was no reason at all why we couldn't have got on. It wasn't showing final call, it was literally showing still boarding and the plane door was open."
The mum insisted the time wasted arguing could have meant they got on board in time.
"We went back and forth for about 10 minutes. The kids were absolutely screaming. My four-year-old was hysterically crying. We were just begging her to let us on the plane."
"I thought they were just going to put us on another flight but then when we got to the Jet2 desk they asked us to pay for new flights."
The family's luggage was retrieved, and they had to wait until the later flight.
Megan finally landed back in Newcastle at 3am on Friday [July 25] - after spending 15 hours stranded in the airport.
"It almost wasn't worth going away for those few days, I think I was more stressed when I got back."
A spokesperson for Palma airport said: "All flight information is provided by the airline. The information on the screens was provided by the airline."
And a Jet2 spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear about Ms Patrick's experience. Any flight delays are always communicated very clearly, and we always advise customers to check departure boards regularly if they are in the airport terminal.
"We are investigating this matter further, however, we can confirm that all other customers boarded the aircraft. We have been in contact with Ms Patrick and are discussing the matter with her."
Topics: Travel, Parenting, Holiday, Plane Etiquette
Jen Thomas