Stock image of a Jet2 plane(Image: Photo by Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Passengers waiting on a flight back to Belfast were left waiting in the airport for 20 hours for “operational reasons.”
A Jet2 flight from Palma to Belfast International Airport was scheduled to leave yesterday morning, July 21, at 11.35am. Passengers were allegedly sent to the gate to board, to be told their flight was delayed by a few hours.
Soon after, it was delayed by 12 hours, and was supposed to take off shortly before midnight. However, shortly after this flight was due to take off, passengers were informed it wasn’t happening.
READ MORE: EasyJet Belfast launches ‘Big Seat Release’ for 2026 with flights from £18.99READ MORE: Hotel guest excited by ‘free’ mini fridge but the contents are baffling
The airline sorted travellers with hotels for the night, but concerns have been raised regarding this taking around three hours, meaning those due to travel had been waiting in the airport for 20 hours before leaving for the night.
Speaking to Belfast Live, a woman due to be on the flight, who wished to remain anonymous, said it has been a “horrendous” experience. She said: “We have always thought Jet2 were an excellent company, but the communication has just been awful.
“I have three young children, and there were a lot of other children getting on that flight. They had a few nappies, but there was no ready-made milk left for any of the babies, and they had power but couldn’t provide us with boiling water. When we went to get that, you were charged for it in the cafes.
“They sent out information to the passengers before their own staff to tell us the flight was delayed by 12 hours. The staff would give us no information, they said the window wiper was broken on the plane, and apparently the wrong replacement part was sent.
“I was on the 24/7 helpline constantly, and they couldn’t give us any information. They kept telling us our flight was going to go at 12.20am. Between 12.30am and 1am, they told us the flight wasn’t happening.”
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the mum said they had to wait for quite a while before finding out where they would stay for the night. She explained: “We all had to go down and get our luggage then we stood for around three hours while they tried to get us hotels. We were getting our hotels at around 4am, after having been in the airport from about 8am the day before.
“I asked if there would be a cot in the hotel for my baby and they said there would be. I Googled the place before we left and it was adults only – they were sending me there with my three young children.
“They booked us in to a different hotel, and didn’t tell the driver we were going to this new hotel. The situation has been horrendous. Our flight is meant to go at 5.35pm today, and I have been on the phone with the helpline all day and nobody can guarantee it will happen.”
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: “Flight LS362 from Palma to Belfast International has been delayed due to operational reasons. Despite our best efforts to get customers back to the UK yesterday, the flight had to night stop at Palma Airport and our teams have been working very hard to look after everyone including arranging hotel accommodation and refreshments.
“We have continued to communicate with customers throughout and will be flying customers back to Belfast today. We understand the inconvenience that this may have caused, and we would like to apologise to customers affected by this unforeseen delay.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter.