Things didn't start well. Jet2 flight LS981, which was supposed to take its passengers from Manchester to Lanzarote last Saturday, October 21, left late. According to his flight plan, he had to take off at 3:55 p.m. and he did so at 5:22 p.m. After about four hours of travel, the plan was to land in Lanzarote, but the weather circumstances advised a detour to Tenerife. So far, nothing extraordinary.
But, according to the Manchester Evening News and other British media, after landing in Tenerife, the crew told them that they had to fly another three hours... to Alicante, where they would spend the night.
The newspaper includes the testimony of a passenger, who was accompanied by two children, who claims to have felt like a "prisoner" since he was not allowed to leave the plane. According to him, the crew was very upset and the pilot of the aircraft was "screaming and fuming."
Finally, the plane arrived in Alicante at dawn. As if the accumulated delay were not already enough, the traveler explains to the local Manchester newspaper: "We waited 40 minutes for our luggage, 30 minutes to catch a bus and when we finally arrived in Benidorm at 5:15 am we had to queue at the street to get a room at the hotel.
The experience was completed, always according to this traveler's testimony, with the sight of "drunken Saturday night revelers", something he considers a bad example for a group in which there were many children. He adds that he and his family entered the room around 7:30 a.m., but were told they had to leave just five hours later. At least the affected traveler acknowledges that the crew and airline representatives were "kind and respectful."
A Jet2 spokesperson explains: "Due to adverse weather conditions, flight LS891 from Manchester to Lanzarote was diverted to Alicante on Saturday 21 October. We would like to offer our sincere apologies to all customers affected by the unforeseen delay, which was outside of our control.
The company explains that the safety and well-being of its travelers is a priority and that they provided customers with hotel accommodation. And that, after a long and unexpected journey, the passenger was able to begin his vacation in Lanzarote on Sunday afternoon.
