Passengers booked on a flight from Gatwick to Florence were told the plane had departed empty without them because of delays at the West Sussex airport amid the widespread half-term travel chaos hitting hubs across the UK.
The Vueling flight VY6209 had been due to take off at 8.20pm on Monday, but the Airbus A319 – which can carry up to 144 passengers – left nearly two hours late with no customers on board.
