Police called TUI passengers’ “flight from hell” after the plane was diverted with a 12-hour delay
Passengers said the plane landed on the Bristol runway before departing again and diverting to Birmingham, resulting in a delay of more than 12 hours and a final bus ride home
Police were called to deal with “abusive” passengers after a plane “bounced” off the runway and was forced to divert to another airport.
A passenger on the “Flight from Hell” from Cape Verde to Bristol said the ordeal caused a 12-hour delay and resulted in people being escorted off the plane by airport police as tempers began to fray.
Passengers said the plane touched down on the Bristol runway before departing and diverting to Birmingham. reports Birmingham Live.
Once there, the passengers were stuck on the tarmac for two hours, after which frustration in the cabin increased and a pregnant passenger even required medical attention.
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The holidaymakers concerned were eventually informed that they would not be returning to Bristol by plane, but would instead be taken back to their return destination by coach.
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TUI said the plane was diverted from Bristol because of “weather conditions”, but passenger James Hendy denies this and said conditions were absolutely fine.
“It had nothing to do with the weather conditions,” Mr Hendy said. “There were no adverse weather conditions. It was clear. And if so, why did we bounce off the ground?”
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He cited a “security issue” as the reason.
“And we were 12 hours late in Bristol when we landed in Birmingham,” he said. “Not acceptable. Escape from Hell – yes.”
Mr Hendy explained that after numerous delays and diversions, police got on the flight “to remove a member of the public and a woman requiring medical treatment”.
“Two hours on a plane in Birmingham, then two hours in the terminal waiting for luggage only to get back on the bus to Bristol for another two hours,” he said. “And TUI only offers compensation for a three-hour delay.”
Another passenger told Bristol Live : “We absolutely bounced off the runway into the sky and caused a system error. Before we landed the captain said it would be bumpy due to the length of the tarmac. We took a shortcut, I flew in and out of Bristol many times and I was like ‘where are we going?’
“We crashed and the plane really felt like it had smashed the tarmac, then we just blew up again. The captain has announced that this is normal and that he will try again.
“We made a big turn and then he announced there was a system error,” she added. “Honestly, it was scary. I landed in ice and snow in Canada, but this was bounce, bounce.”
A TUI spokeswoman confirmed the flight had been diverted to Birmingham “due to weather conditions at Bristol Airport”.
“Our crew offered all the assistance they could need during the flight before everyone safely disembarked,” the spokeswoman added. “We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused to customers on board. The safety and well-being of passengers and crew is always our top priority and we would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”
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https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/police-called-tui-passengers-flight-27247091 Police called TUI passengers' "flight from hell" after the plane was diverted with a 12-hour delay
