A family's first Ryanair flight turned into a six-hour ordeal after a delay, diversion and medical emergency. Viltė Jasmontė, 35, her husband Aidas Jasmontas and their six-year-old daughter Ariele were travelling from Bristol to Gran Canaria for a May half-term break when the chaos unfolded.
The flight was initially delayed by more than two hours due to technical issues. When passengers finally boarded a replacement plane, Viltė claimed the cabin was dirty and there was little food or water available. She said: 'The cabin crew informed passengers that there was almost no food or water available on board – they only had Pringles, chocolate bars and cans of soft drinks for sale.'
About 90 minutes after take-off, a woman collapsed and needed medical help. Viltė said: 'Many people stood up from their seats, shouting and looking around, creating a very chaotic atmosphere.' The captain diverted the aircraft to Lisbon, Portugal, where paramedics treated the woman. Passengers waited nearly two hours for an ambulance before the flight resumed.
The family finally landed in Gran Canaria at around 1am, arriving at their hotel at 3am. Viltė said: 'What was meant to be the start of a relaxing family holiday turned into a stressful and frightening experience, especially for our young daughter.'
A Ryanair spokesperson said the aircraft is cleaned during every turnaround and that the crew called for medical assistance ahead of landing. The flight continued to Gran Canaria at 9.26pm local time. The Express understands there were no reports of disruptive behaviour and the delay was four hours.
