An in-flight dispute involving a tuna roll has resulted in a 79 year old woman passenger being escorted off a Jet2 flight by armed police in Turkey on 3 November 2024.
According to a BBC report, the 79-year-old passenger was simply identified as Lily from Hertfordshire. She was aboard a Jet2 flight from London Stansted airport to Bodrum, Turkey.
The elderly passenger was accompanied by her daughter on the flight. According to the report, the passenger had refused to pay the £9 charge for the tuna roll. On being handed the roll, she found that it was still frozen in the middle.
Jet2 Inflight Incident: London-Bodrum
Lily claimed that the airline stood their ground on the charge, on the basis that she had already opened the wrapper. From there the in-flight dispute apparently escalated. Having refused to pay the charge, the elderly passenger reported being repeatedly asked by cabin crew about the situation.
Speaking on the BBC podcast “The JVC Show on Three Counties Radio” the aggrieved passenger gave her account of the incident. She said that, following the flights landing in Turkey, the passengers were all instructed to remain in their seats.
Cabin crew singled out Lily and her daughter and instructed them to make their way to the exit. As a result of the in-flight altercation, police had been summonsed. Four armed police then met the flight on arrival.
“I was in shock,” said Lily. “I think I’ve been arrested over a sandwich.”
Lily confirmed the four attending police officers were armed. She and her daughter were instructed to show the officers their passports. Following this the pair were released without charge.
“A Catalogue of Disruptive Behaviour”
Speaking on behalf of the providers of the disputed tuna roll, a spokesperson for Jet2 provided their take on the in-flight incident. The airline alleged the passenger had brought alcohol aboard.
“We can confirm that Lily displayed a catalogue of disruptive behaviour on board flight LS1609 from London Stansted to Bodrum. This included the unauthorised consumption of her own alcohol that she had brought on board.”
The Jet2 spokesperson went on to explain that the airline takes a zero tolerance approach to this kind of behaviour. The airline stated that passengers are not permitted to consume their own alcohol on Jet2 flights.
Lily categorically denied bringing alcohol aboard the flight, characterising Jet2’s comments as “a terrible disgusting lie”. At the time of writing, the BBC’s Jonathon Vernon-Smith is investigating the matter further.
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