A flight scheduled to fly from Glasgow to Faro in Portugal was delayed for over an hour after one of its passengers accidentally ended up boarding a plane destined for Bristol yesterday (May 10).
According to reports, the easyJet plane was sat on the tarmac for over an hour as staff from Glasgow Airport and the budget airline company searched desperately for the missing passenger.
The flight was scheduled to leave for 2.20pm, but those on board were told soon after by the pilot that a passenger, who needed 'special assistance', had disappeared.
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Afterwards, it was discovered that the lady in question had inadvertently boarded the wrong flight and ended up flying all the way to Bristol, a distance of around 275 miles south.
One befuddled passenger, Ryan McCormick, said to Glasgow Live : "Me and eight other friends had booked a holiday to Portugal.
"The flight was due to take off at 2.20pm. When we turned up at the terminal we noticed a wee bit of a commotion.
"One of the assistance staff was looking for somebody and asking all the elderly female passengers their names, so we knew something was up.
"We all boarded and sat waiting to taxi on the runway. The captain came on the tannoy and said there was going to be a delay because a passenger was missing.
"Half an hour later we were told they still hadn't found her and that security couldn't locate her in any of the terminals. We were delayed for another 45 to 50 minutes and there was police coming on and off the aircraft.
"After another delay the pilot told us that the company's hands were tied and the aircraft couldn't leave until they found the passenger, 20 minutes later we were told that she was located in Bristol Airport and there will be further delay to get her baggage off the aircraft to be screened and put back on the plane."
The missing passenger was then located in Bristol and quickly placed onto a plane that was, this time, destined for her intended destination. Passenger Ryan added that he wasn't entirely sure how she had managed to board the wrong flight in the first place:
"How do you manage to lose someone and how did this person get on a separate aircraft without a boarding pass?" he said.
"If she was with a member of staff I assume they had her passport. How is it possible to end up in the wrong country?
"We were all cramped on the aircraft for two hours waiting to take-off."
An EasyJet spokesperson said: " We confirm that a passenger boarded the incorrect aircraft at Glasgow Airport on Wednesday 10 May and travelled to Bristol. As soon as this was realised, it was arranged for them to fly from Bristol to Faro, their original destination. The passenger was looked after by our team throughout and escorted them to the aircraft.
"The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s number one priority. We are currently investigating with the airport and our ground handler at Glasgow how the passenger boarded the wrong flight.
"We would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Glasgow Airport has also confirmed that the incident occurred, but said that the responsibility for boarding passengers on flights is that of the airline and its handling agent.
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