A distressed easyJet passenger called 999 after he became stuck at Manchester Airport for hours without his passport on New Year’s Eve.
Tom Solan, 52, had passed through security and into the airport in time to catch a plane to Cyprus on December 31 when he realised he had made the trip without all-important document. The English teacher found himself “stranded” at Terminal One on December 31 and at the mercy of easyJet personnel, whom he asked to escort him from the building.
Airport authorities told diabetic Mr Solan to wait for an easyJet representative who could take him back “landside”. But that help never came, and after spending three hours in the terminal awaiting aid, he turned to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) for help.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the teacher said he “checked everywhere” after realising he was without his passport that afternoon. He even went back to security, and officials offered to x-ray his belongings.
While Mr Solan commended the “very helpful” officials, he said they couldn’t find his belongings, and he was referred back to the airline gate, where another official said he would be escorted to border control. He was not assisted by airport authorities, however, and was left to fend for himself while fearing he may suffer a diabetes flare-up.
He said: “I’m a type one diabetic and stress is a big problem for type one diabetics because it can cause blood sugar levels to increase hugely.”
The teacher said he called the police as a last resort, with officers telling him that only airline employees could escort him outside. Ultimately, he was able to get in touch with easyJet’s ground handling teams, who sent an employee to aid Mr Solan at the gate.
The airline has since apologised in a statement, with a spokesman saying staff were tied up by a significant New Year’s workload. He said: “Easyjet is sorry for the delay in providing assistance to Mr Solan and for any inconvenience this may have caused him.
“Due to the increased workload of our ground staff at this busy time of year, it may occasionally take longer than usual to provide the required assistance.”
