Jet2 staff order crying teen to leave flight from Lanzarote over health issue
Tessy Kelly-Hester, 17, sobbed as she was asked by Jet2 staff to leave the plane with her mum Lee as the pair attempted to return home from a week-long holiday in Lanzarote
A mum and daughter were left stunned after being ordered to leave a Jet2 flight home over what they considered to be a minor health blip.
Lee Kelly and her 17-year-old daughter, Tessy Kelly-Hester, were returning from a week-long holiday in Lanzarote when airline staff asked them to leave the 8.50pm flight. Tessy, who has type 1 diabetes, has been carefully managed by her mum for four and a half years. The pair, experienced travellers, say they'd never had any issues before, including on the outbound journey.
The situation arose when Tessy's blood sugar checked slightly low at 3.6. Lee asked for a bag in case her daughter felt unwell - and the simple request led to their removal from the aircraft. Lee, 58, said: "Tessy's blood sugar levels can often dip below the normal level when she is a bit stressed, so it is a normal thing to happen when we're about to fly.
"When I spoke to a member of staff, they started asking a lot of questions, including when she had last eaten, so I told them that she had food in the airport. They kept going back and forth to the manager who was speaking to MedAire about what they should do, but I didn't see what the issue was," the mum said.
"After around half an hour of this, we were told that there was no one on the plane who was qualified to assist a diabetic, which I felt was strange as I am able to help her with anything she needs. They said we had to leave the plane which I was shocked about, and that we had to get a fit to fly certificate in order to get back on another Jet2 service home."
Tessy had something to eat and offered to take her blood sugar again, which measured at 6.7, but the pair were simply told the decision had already been made - and that staff were in the process of getting their bags off the plane.
"I didn't know what to think at this point, as it felt as if they were singling out Tessy for a condition that she can't do anything about, and now we were going to be stranded in Lanzarote. I don't know what she would have done if I hadn't been there and it just felt unfair to me."
Lee and Tessy, from Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, crashed at a nearby hotel for £250, which they found with the help of someone at the airport. Lee then paid around £380 to fly back home the following day with a different airline, reports Chronicle Live. Now back home, Tessy has reflected on how she felt when she was told she couldn't fly.
Tessy added: "I felt like I was isolated and alone in that moment, and to be honest I just burst out crying, I couldn't stop myself from getting really upset at what was going on. It all added to the stress and it made me not want to fly anymore because of the way that I felt.
"It would just be nice to know how it happened and to get a bit of an explanation, as I know other people who are in the same position as me and I think it wouldn't be right for them to be kicked off a flight in the same situation."
Jet2 said its staff were following the advice of qualified medical experts at MedAire, and encouraged Lee and Tessy to contact them directly. A Jet2 spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Ms Kelly alerted our team to the fact that Miss Kelly-Hester was feeling unwell when boarding the aircraft. Our crew followed standard procedure for any medical concerns and sought advice from qualified medical experts at MedAire, who advised that Miss Kelly-Hester should not fly on medical grounds.
"As an award-winning airline, our number one priority will always be the health and safety of our customers, which is why we take the advice of MedAire. Since returning from their holiday, we have not received any contact from Ms Kelly.
"We always encourage customers to contact us directly if they wish to discuss anything to do with their holiday, so that we can assist. We always advise customers to take out appropriate travel insurance in case of incidents such as this." Lee says she did have insurance for the holiday, and that she will not be contacting Jet2 directly regarding this situation.