A mum has recalled the terrifying moment she battled to keep her daughter's blood sugar levels up on a delayed flight with no refreshments - while cabin crew were 'not bothered'. Nine-year-old Isla Jennings had eaten her lunch at Manchester Airport but had to rely on a packet of Jelly Babies before her Ryanair flight finally landed in Tenerife at 11.30pm.
Her family's flight was due to leave Manchester at 2.20pm on Sunday, May 29, but passengers were warned of a one-and-a-half-hour delay. Mum Victoria Jennings says passengers were then told to queue at the gate at 3.30pm - but they were kept there for two hours before finally being allowed to board the plane.
Another wait followed for the plane to be loaded at 6.20pm, before the flight could finally take off. By this time, Isla needed to eat - but Victoria was shocked to discover there were barely any refreshments available on the flight, leaving the family anxious as they monitored the youngster's blood sugar levels.
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She told the Manchester Evening News : "We were in the second row, the trolley had two bottles of water and they were taken by people in front. I asked what they had for us and they said there was nothing - no snacks, no food, no drinks to buy.
"At this point my daughter's blood sugar was dropping. The hostess said we'd had 'plenty of time at the airport' to get something - she was completely lacking in understanding. A diabetic can only eat at certain times with insulin, you can't just eat when you want to with type one diabetes."
Victoria - who was also travelling with her husband David and their two older children, 13-year-old Anna and 11-year-old Honey - says there were no sandwiches available at WH Smith in terminal three which could have been taken onto the flight, so the sweets were her only option. The family, from Bredbury in Stockport, have travelled abroad on a number of occasions since Isla was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago.
They had not been faced with a similar problem to the one on last week's Ryanair flight, Victoria says. The family returned home on a Jet2 flight, and Victoria praised the company for informing passengers in advance that there was limited stock of refreshments on the plane.
Victoria added: "Ryanair should have had something in place for emergencies - what if she had collapsed? They did nothing, they just said there was nothing they could do. I said, what if she has a hypo and goes into a coma?
"They were not bothered at all. Anything could have happened to her. She could have died, she could have gone into a coma. They didn't want to help - that was the really worrying thing.
"They should have something in case of emergency. They can't just have nothing on board, surely? I would not want any other diabetic person to be on a flight in that situation, it's really not on."
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from Manchester to Tenerife (29 May) was delayed due to handling delays at Manchester Airport beyond Ryanair’s control. As a result of the delays, the Jennings family were on board the aircraft for 1 hour 40 minutes before departing for to Tenerife at 18.10.
"Ryanair aircraft carry all the required medications/equipment onboard in line with EASA regulations, and all Ryanair cabin crew are trained in how to deal with a passenger who is suffering a diabetic episode in the case of an emergency.”
