'Plane left us behind as we were trapped on stairs'

A Benidorm holidaymaker has said she is "disgusted" after an airport mix-up saw her and about 30 other holidaymakers left behind by their flight.

Marie Casey, 63, from Failsworth, Greater Manchester, had passed through the boarding gate ready for an all-inclusive week in the sunshine with friend Jill Bowles, 69.

But the flight departed without her and the other passengers when they found themselves in a dead-end stairwell after passing the boarding gate.

"The trauma, stress and anxiety of it all spoilt the holiday before it started," Marie told BBC Manchester. "We were all kind of disgusted. How can the plane go without us? You couldn't write it."

The Jet2 flight from Manchester to Alicante left at 07:00 GMT on Monday, 19 January without 31 passengers.

In a statement given on Monday, Jet 2 said that it was investigating the incident "as a matter of urgency".

Jet 2 added that it had apologised to the customers and arranged alternative flights to Alicante for them.

Marie spoke to BBC Radio Manchester from a Benidorm holiday resort, on the morning after the incident.

She said she had booked the 07:00 GMT flight expecting to arrive at her hotel at 11:00 CET - with plenty of time for a full day at the resort and an all-inclusive dinner.

Instead Marie said she arrived at her hotel at around 23:00 CET.

"We were exhausted, we're still exhausted today," Marie said. "So we've not even been able to get into the holiday spirit as yet.

"We've paid the money for this holiday to enjoy it and relax.

"But since we got here yesterday night our feet and our legs are still swollen from walking miles through Manchester Airport.

"And I do suffer with COPD and emphysema, which made it all the more exhausting."

Marie claimed that after showing her boarding pass at the gate at Manchester Airport, there was nobody there to direct them to the plane and no cordon in place for them to be guided by.

"As there was no cordon everybody has gone to the bottom of those stairs thinking we must have to get a bus across to the plane," she said.

The group of passengers were left in the dead-end stairwell for "at least two hours", Marie said.

"We stood there and we stood there and we stood there. After about 40 minutes a Jet 2 employee saw us through the window from outside, opened the door and looked at us and then left."

Marie said about an hour later, a groundworker found them and raised the alarm.

"It was packed in that stairway, no food, water or a toilet," Marie added.

"Fortunately, I was near the bottom step so I could sit down.

"But most people had absolutely nowhere to sit down.

"And none of us were spring chickens. We were all mostly over 60 at least, so people were leaning on the wall ending up with white marks all over their coats."

Marie said there was total disbelief among the group when they were finally told the flight had left without them.

"We were all absolutely shocked - quite disgusted.

"You can miss one or two passengers but you can't miss 30.

"Once they found out, Jet 2 couldn't apologise enough and helped to put us onto two other flights.

"They said the situation had never been heard of, ever, with any kind of airline, ever."

Marie and Jill said they spent the day in the bar of the airport's Holiday Inn before boarding a Ryanair flight later that afternoon.

But Marie said compensation for the incident has been far from adequate.

"The reps contacted us today (Tuesday, 20 January) asking if we would accept a £100 each compensation by a voucher.

"I've told him straight, I think it's an absolute insult.

"We should be reimbursed the price of the full holiday, as well as the out-of-pocket money we had to spend all that time in the airport.

"Our holiday was an all-inclusive holiday, so we thought from getting here at, say, 11 o'clock yesterday morning, we wouldn't need no money.

"Not only did we miss part of our holiday but for me it was the security risk too.

"Because our cases were on that flight and it left without us."

Jet 2 confirmed that a cordon which was meant to be in place had been removed.

When asked how aircraft staff had not noticed the missing passengers and what compensation offers had been made to passengers, Jet 2 declined to comment.

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