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By now, we all know that “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.” But for 35 stranded passengers at Manchester Airport on Monday morning, that holiday certainly got off to the strangest of starts after they were left trapped in a stairwell while their flight departed for Alicante-Elche Airport.
The passengers had all had their boarding passes scanned and passports checked before boarding formally closed. Yet somehow their absence aboard the flight wasn’t noticed by the Jet2 crew as the flight to Spain left without them. Jet2 says that it has now launched an investigation into what occurred at the airport, saying that “this has never happened before” (spoiler alert: it has with other airlines).
A Flight Boarding Process To Nowhere
Jet2 operates a daily Manchester-Alicante service, competing with easyJet and Ryanair in the cut-throat market for British sun-seekers. Monday’s flight appeared to be like any other, with passengers reporting that airline staff directed them through the gate in the normal sequence, with rows called in stages as boarding progressed. However, the last passengers to board ended up following signage and other travelers into a stairwell connected to the gate area.
But instead of leading directly to the aircraft or a transfer bus, the stairwell was closed off, and became a holding area with no staff presence. Passengers waited up to 40 minutes, believing that ground staff would eventually open the doors or dispatch transport to the aircraft. During this time, the Airbus A321neo operating Flight LS879 departed for Alicante, and the passengers only learned of its departure when an airport employee approached the stairwell from the airside, and informed them that the flight had left.
Jet2 later confirmed the incident, saying an investigation had been launched. A spokesperson said:
“We are aware that flight LS879 from Manchester to Alicante departed without some customers this morning. We are investigating this as a matter of urgency with the airport. Our team has been looking after these customers, and we have already arranged for them to take other flights to Alicante today.”
Passengers Say They Were Left “Gobsmacked”
One of the passengers, identified as Matt from Denton, told the Manchester Evening News that they were left “gobsmacked” at being left behind. He says that at least half of the passengers had passed through the gate by the time he and his son were called to board. Beyond the gate, he says, there were some stairs, and “we all went down the stairs and followed each other. There was a lot of us.”
At the bottom of the stairs, they were met by some closed doors, but thought they should wait there for a bus to come and take them to the plane. He says that many of them waited 30–40 minutes, describing it as being “stuck like caged animals.” Finally, an airport worker appeared from the airside to ask what was going on, and reportedly told the passengers, “The plane’s gone.”
Matt said he was told that staff do not carry out a headcount once passengers have boarded the plane:
“I am gobsmacked at the fact they don’t do a headcount. That plane is at least 35 people light, it’s bizarre. You’d think the captain would ask if they had a full flight. It’s like an episode of Fawlty Towers, you’ve never seen anything like it.”
Monday’s incident is reminiscent of a 2022 incident when Ryanair left 14 passengers behind at Palma De Mallorca Airport. The group was left waiting for a shuttle bus after ground crew had advised that the previous one was full. When the bus failed to return, the passengers checked online and were shocked to discover that their flight had already departed.
End Of An Era: Jet2 To Retire Last Boeing 757 On January 5
UK carriers have used passenger 757s for almost 42 years.
Jet2 Makes A Summer Splash At Gatwick
The whole event is undoubtedly an embarrassment for Jet2, although early indications are that the fault might lie with the airport for not properly cordoning off the stairwell. The airline will be looking to avoid a repeat of the incident as it builds for its biggest summer schedule ever, including a major new expansion out of 
London Gatwick Airport.
Jet 2 announced back in November that it would be starting service from London’s second-busiest airport from March 26. It will base six of its new Airbus A321neos there and launch services to 29 holiday destinations across Europe. This will include 11 destinations in Spain, 10 in Greece, two in Italy, and one each in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, and Turkey.
This latest development is made possible due to Jet2’s rapidly growing A321neo fleet. It currently has 24 in operation with a further 128 on order, after it converted its original order for A320neos to the larger variant back in 2024. It will also make Jet2 the first major new leisure airline at Gatwick since 2020, and the airport’s largest new based airline this century.
