easyJet threw a heavily pregnant mum off a flight to Ibiza after they said she was "abusive".
Siobhan Foster, husband James and their daughter Florence boarded a plane to Ibiza from Belfast to celebrate her brother’s wedding last month. They were joined by a huge cohort of about 40 family and friends on the flight on Saturday, August 19, MirrorOnline reports.
On the flight, the mum, who is due to give birth next month, had paid for extra leg room to make sure she was comfortable, and James had space to look after 18-month-old Florence who has Down syndrome and a form of leukaemia. However, after what she said was an innocent request for some help, a row broke out with a flight attendant which led to them being "aggressive" to her, the self-employed beautician said.
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The mum said: "This particular flight attendant had such a grumpy look on her face. James sat down with Florence, and I asked her if there was any more space in the overhead lockers; her reply was a sharp 'clearly not'. So, I asked, 'Could you help me find somewhere?' Her reply was, 'You'll need to find somewhere yourself,' even though there literally was nowhere."
Siobhan, heavily pregnant, said she asked if the flight attendant could help but she was said to have bluntly informed her that it “isn’t our job”. She asked again but was told the same once more and to not be so aggressive.
The mum claimed she had only been asking for help, given her condition, and that other passengers came forward to try and assist her. Meanwhile the flight attendant reportedly asked them if there was “going to be a problem?”.
Siobhan ignored the flight attendant as her husband responded but claimed the woman then said: “Hello. Look at me.”
It was at this point the mum said she was accused of threatening behaviour before the pilot was informed, leading to the flight being held, and eventually emptied entirely. Police met the family and informed them that easyJet had decided they wouldn’t be flying, leaving the mum “crying her eyes out”.
After complaining, Siobhan claimed she received an email back apologising. But speaking to The Mirror, easyJet said that passengers had been behaving "disruptively".
A spokesperson said: “Flight EZY3003 from Belfast to Ibiza on 19th August was attended by police before departure due to these passengers behaving disruptively at check in and onboard. easyJet's cabin crew and ground agents are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.
"Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our crew or other passengers. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and ground agents is always easyJet's priority.”
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