Thomas Cook passengers on flight from Lanzarote ‘vomit and struggle to breathe’ after plane sits on tarmac without air con or water for 3 HOURS
PASSENGERS on a Thomas Cook jet were stranded on a runway for THREE HOURS last night as "roasting" temperatures caused babies to vomit - days after another holiday horror ordeal.
Around 300 travellers, heading from Lanzarote to Manchester, were trapped on the packed plane causing some to suffer panic attacks as the smell of aviation fuel filled the cabin.
The drama came just days after we exclusively revealed how customers on another Thomas Cook flight from suffered fits and passed out as they were forced to wait on a plane without air con .
The well-known holiday firm has now launched an investigation into the latest incident which it described as "unacceptable" and has vowed to pay every passenger 500 euros compensation.
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Danielle James, 22, of Wigan, was on board the flight after spending a "great holiday" at the Hotel Sol in Arrecife with her boyfriend Mark Griffiths, also 22.
She said: "As soon as we arrived at the airport we were told our flight was delayed. We were due to leave at 8.20pm but didn't board 'til about 11.15pm.
"At first everything seemed fine and then they announced there was a maintenance problem which they were looking into.
"They then said there was a problem with the cargo doors. After that it seemed there was just one excuse after another."
The passenger plane was eventually stuck on the runway for nearly three hours - as conditions inside became totally unbearable.
Danielle told the Sun Online: "It was boiling hot and sticky. There was no air conditioning and people were getting very edgy.
"There were quite a few babies on board and they were crying. One of the babies was sick and another mum was really worried as her child was struggling to breathe.
"One passenger was diabetic and his medicine was stuck inside his case in the hold. Others passengers were shouting out for oxygen.
"There was also this constant smell of fuel - which was very worrying. After a while there were a few people who were having panic attacks.
"Some people were asking for water, but the crew wouldn't hand any out as they said it would be needed for the flight.
"However, despite all these problems no one really told us what was going on. People were just stuck in their seats getting angrier by the minute."
Three hours after the 300 passengers first boarded the plane they were finally told their flight was cancelled.
"It was only when we got off the plane we were given some water - it was a bit late by then," said furious Danielle.
Mum-of-three Bekki Reece, from Stoke-on-Trent, said she became worried for her one-year-old, Kinleigh, as temperatures soared to 100F.
The 32-year-old said: "It was really scary. She was so floppy and struggling to keep awake."
Bekki was also worried for the health of her two other daughters, aged 12 and nine, as well as for her parents and partner.
She said: "I was worried for all our health - it was unbearable."
"Any longer and we would have all passed out."
Another passenger described the ordeal as an "absolute joke" and also claimed passengers were on the verge of passing out.
Ruth Radcliffe even posted a picture her mum sat in the galley on the floor with the fridge door open because she had nearly fainted.
However, the passengers ordeal wasn't over as they were then stuck in the "closed" airport for another two hours.
Danielle said: "To make things worse there was only one bus to take us all back to the airport. Then we we left stranded there.
"Then a couple of hours later we were all moved to a hotel - where we are all waiting now. We still haven't seen one rep to tell us what is going on."
Other passengers Sun Online spoke to also claimed Thomas Cook never kept them informed about what was happening to them throughout their ordeal, during their hotel stay and the next day when they were taken back to the terminal.
Many arrived home on Friday night, some 20 hours late.
The chaos came just days after we told how another Thomas Cook passenger collapsed after being trapped on the Zante flight with no air con.
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Paul Hutchings, Managing Director of Operations at Thomas Cook Airlines said: “Flight MT1499 was delayed due to a technical issue and although all efforts were made to get customers on their way as soon as possible, it is clear to me that our customers endured unacceptable temperatures on board and for that I am very sorry.
"Customer welfare should always be at the heart of our decision making and I have begun an urgent review with all concerned, including our partner airlines who lease aircraft to us, into why the policies and procedures that we have in place for scenarios like this were not fully followed on this occasion.”
