Dozens of passengers were left stunned at Manchester Airport after a Jet2 flight to Alicante, Spain departed without them, despite passengers having their boarding passes scanned and passports checked.
Passengers Trapped After Boarding
The incident at Manchester Airport, which unfolded on Monday morning, 19 January, has sparked anger, confusion and fresh questions over airport boarding procedures.
At least 35 passengers were reportedly stranded in a stairwell for up to 40 minutes before learning their aircraft had already taken off.
The Alicante-bound flight LS879, scheduled to depart at 7:00 am, had already begun boarding when the affected passengers were called forward. After passing through the gate, the group followed others down a stairwell, believing they were being directed either onto the aircraft or to a shuttle bus.
Instead, they were left waiting behind closed doors with no explanation. Passengers said there was no signage or staff presence to suggest they had gone the wrong way.
Many assumed the delay was routine until concern grew as minutes turned into nearly half an hour.
Passenger recalls being stuck ‘like caged animals’
According to one passenger, Matt from Denton, the group was eventually approached by an airport worker from the tarmac side, who delivered the shocking news: the plane had already departed.
Matt told the Manchester Evening News that Jet2 staff later admitted there had been an error with stairwell directions, with a missing barrier believed to have misdirected passengers.
“I’m gobsmacked,” he said, adding, “That plane is at least 36 people light. You’d think someone would notice.”
He also claimed staff told him that crew do not carry out a final headcount once boarding begins. Among those left behind were elderly passengers and families, including Matt’s son, who suffers from anxiety.
“We were there for 10 minutes, 20, 30, then we thought ‘what’s going on’. We were literally stuck like caged animals,” he said, describing the situation.
Jet2 Apologises and Rebooks Passengers
Jet2 has since issued an apology, confirming it is treating the incident as a matter of urgency. A spokesperson said the airline is working with the airport to investigate what went wrong.
Affected passengers were given £10 vouchers while waiting for updates and have since been rebooked onto alternative flights to Alicante later the same day.
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