Imagine this: You’re all set for your flight, your luggage is checked in, and you’re ready to embark on your journey. But then, in a rather dystopian twist, the plane leaves without you! This exact ordeal happened to three special assistance passengers, including famed Irish children’s author Liz Weir, on a flight from Belfast to Edinburgh.
Liz Weir and her fellow travelers were left literally grounded when their flight took off without them, but with their luggage securely on board. Talk about adding insult to injury! Imagine the utter frustration of seeing your plane taxi away while you’re still waiting on the tarmac. Weir, the author of charming tales like Boom Chicka Boom and Here, There and Everywhere, shared her surreal experience with the Belfast Telegraph. She arrived early at Belfast International Airport for her June 21 flight, being in a wheelchair due to a heart condition.
“A lady in a high-viz jacket came and took me and another wheelchair user down to the runway as passengers began boarding at the gate,” Weir, 73, recounted. Things seemed to be going according to plan until, well, they weren’t. She continued, “We waited for everyone to get on and thought it was our turn next, but then the steps were taken away from the plane and they closed the doors.”
Just imagine the scene: you’re geared up for an event in Edinburgh, mentally preparing a speech, when you see your ride taking off without you. Oh, the horror! She added, “I’m in my seventies, I have a heart condition, and I do not need the stress – and trust me, when you see your plane reversing without you on it, it is very stressful.”
And if you think the situation couldn’t get any worse, think again. The plane left, but their luggage stayed on board, making its merry way to Edinburgh without its owners. Liz Weir took to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) to share her disbelief: “Trying again on a flight leaving at 8:50. It’s bad enough when a bus leaves you at the stop but when a jet leaves you on the tarmac…how often do people say ‘they won’t go without us!’ Except they did!” She even shared a photo of her looking both bewildered and amused in her wheelchair at the airport.
Weir further explained to the Belfast Telegraph, “We were sitting there waving and screaming to the pilot. But he shook his head to say no and just kept moving off with my suitcase in the hold.” Talk about adding a sprinkle of salt to the wound.
In a statement that was shared with PEOPLE, EasyJet said, “We are very sorry that flight EZY55 from Belfast to Edinburgh on 21 June departed without three passengers who were being accompanied by the airport’s special assistance provider. This was due to a misunderstanding by our ground handling team and crew onboard.” Well, ‘misunderstanding’ seems like quite the understatement here, don’t you think?
EasyJet elaborated, saying, “We did all possible to assist the passengers, arranging for flights to Glasgow and Edinburgh later that evening to get them to their destination as quickly as possible and our team looked after them throughout, providing refreshment vouchers while they waited for their new flight.”
They also added, “We are sorry for the impact this disruption will have had on their plans and are in contact with them to apologize for their experience, reimburse their flights and any expenses incurred as a result of the delay, and provide the compensation they are due.” Ah, the silver lining of corporate apologies and compensation.
As Liz Weir succinctly put it to the Belfast Telegraph, “All the able-bodied people were on board and we were left behind. What else could you call it other than discrimination?” Indeed, what else? This incident sheds light on the importance of proper accommodations and communication, not just for special assistance passengers but for everyone.
So next time you’re gearing up for a flight, maybe double-check that you and your luggage will be taking off together. Because as we’ve just learned, sometimes the plane does leave without you!
