FLIGHT CHAOS
HOLIDAYMAKERS FORCED TO SLEEP ON CONCRETE TERMINAL FLOORS
Holidaymakers set for 46-hour delay
Kids & OAPs forced to sleep on the floor
Angry passengers’ heated row with crew
Police called to calm ‘disturbance’
PASSENGERS forced to sleep on an airport floor amid delays of more than 20 hours sparked a police callout after a heated row with cabin crew.
The disgruntled holidaymakers, from Manchester, were stranded in Fuerteventura where they were diverted after storms scuppered their landing in Lanzarote.
Led by a small group of passengers, ‘disruption’ on flight MT1698 was the culmination of a 23-hour delay for Thomas Cook customers, who reported bad communication, little support and being forced to sleep on concrete terminal floors.
The disturbance prompted the pilot to disembark the already-delayed flight – extending passengers’ ordeal even further.
The saga means two sets of Thomas Cook passengers – one in Lanzarote and one in Fuerteventura – are still stuck abroad and unable to fly until today, after delays which will total at least 46 hours.
Chantel Ford, 30, who is nearly six months pregnant, was among passengers who boarded flight MT1698 to Lanzarote from Manchester at 8.40am on Sunday – but was diverted to Fuerteventura due to the bad weather which affected a number of airlines.
Chantel, from Bury, said: “We had to sit on the runway at Fuerteventura for three hours, no air conditioning – it was boiling hot.”
Passengers were told to ‘stretch their legs’ at the airport and return at 7pm for their flight.
But they ended up staying at the airport all night.
“There were children, elderly people, all sleeping on the hard floor,” said Chantel. “There was no communication at all from Thomas Cook – other than a 10 Euro voucher.”
Passengers then scheduled to fly out at 2pm on Monday were again stuck on the plane for two hours and were reported to have rowed with cabin crew – sparking a police call out.
Meanwhile, passengers waiting for the return leg of the flight from Lanzarote to Manchester were also delayed having endured a night on the floor of Lanzarote’s Arrecife Airport. A Thomas Cook Airlines spokesperson said: “Due to poor weather in the Canaries on Sunday, February 25, flight MT1698 from Manchester to Lanzarote was diverted to Fuerteventura.
“On Monday, February 26, customers boarded the flight for a rescheduled departure time of 2pm However, due to a shortage of available gates in Lanzarote, the flight was unable to depart as planned.”
“Following a disruption among a small group of customers on-board the aircraft, the captain decided to disembark.”