A 79-year-old grandmother was escorted off a Jet2 flight by armed police after refusing to pay for a tuna baguette she claimed was frozen and soggy. Lily Ifield, from Hertfordshire, was travelling from London Stansted to Bodrum, Turkey, on 3 November for a birthday holiday with her daughter when the incident occurred.
Ifield said she ordered the sandwich but found it to be 'frozen' and 'wet and soggy', and declined to pay. She alleged that cabin crew insisted she must pay because she had opened the packet. She claimed she slept for most of the flight but was repeatedly woken to be asked for payment.
Upon arrival in Bodrum, Ifield and her daughter were told to remain seated and were escorted off the plane by four armed police officers. 'The police were standing at the entrance to the plane, waiting with guns like we were master criminals,' she told The Sun. 'We had no idea what we had done. I was turning round to people, saying “I think I’ve been arrested over a sandwich”.'
Ifield said they were 'frog-marched' through the airport, despite her needing a knee replacement and using a walking stick. After presenting their passports, the officers eventually let them go. 'We were so upset we just stayed in our room for four days. It ruined our holiday. All over a flipping tuna sandwich,' she said.
Jet2 disputed Ifield's account, stating she displayed 'a catalogue of disruptive behaviour' including consuming her own alcohol on board. The airline said it takes a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour. Ifield denied the claim, saying she and her daughter only drank wine purchased on the flight. 'I think they're so embarrassed over this sandwich and the police and the way we were treated,' she told the BBC.
