More than thirty holidaymakers were left stunned and stranded at Manchester Airport on Monday morning after their Jet2 flight to Spain took off without them. The group became trapped in a dead-end stairwell in a major boarding blunder.
Stairwell Confusion Leads to Missed Flight
The incident occurred as passengers for flight LS879, the 7am service from Manchester to Alicante, were boarding. Around 35 travellers mistakenly took a wrong turn down a set of steps instead of using the air bridge directly to the Airbus A321 aircraft. They found themselves in a confined stairwell area with no onward access.
Passenger Matt, from Denton, told the Manchester Evening News he and his son had arrived at the gate with time to spare. He described being "gobsmacked" by the situation. The group waited for up to 40 minutes for a staff member to open the doors they believed would lead them to a transfer bus or the aircraft.
"And then we're thinking 'why aren't these doors open?'" Matt said. "We thought a bus would come for us and take us to the plane." He expressed astonishment that a headcount was not conducted before the plane departed.
Airline Launches Urgent Investigation
Flight LS879 departed on schedule for its two-hour and 45-minute journey, unaware that a significant portion of its passengers were still inside the terminal. Jet2 confirmed it is investigating the incident as a "matter of urgency" in conjunction with Manchester Airport.
A spokesperson for the airline stated: "We are aware that flight LS879 from Manchester to Alicante departed without some customers this morning... Our team are looking after these customers, and we have already arranged for them to take other flights to Alicante today. We would of course like to apologise to these customers."
Passengers Rebooked After Airport Ordeal
All affected travellers were provided with alternative flights to Alicante later on Monday. While they waited to receive their new travel details, Jet2 offered each passenger a £10 voucher as a gesture of goodwill.
The event has raised serious questions about boarding procedures and passenger management at Terminal 3. Both the airline and airport authorities are expected to review their protocols to prevent a repeat of this chaotic and distressing scenario for holidaymakers.
