A woman thought she was flying Belfast but ended up in Gibraltar, on the tip of Iberian peninsula, after boarding the wrong EasyJet flight.
Woman Catches Wrong EasyJet Flight
Gemma Cargin, 25, is a teacher in Manchester and a “frequent flyer” who travels across the Irish Channel often to her to visit her family.
On Sunday, she arrived in Manchester (MAN) at what she thought was her gate to Belfast, Northern Ireland (BFS). Cargin claims there were no indications on gate-area monitors that she was actually flying to Gibraltar (GIB), a British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of Spain.
Her boarding pass scanned and did not beep or otherwise indicate a problem. She boarded, found her seat, settled in, and fell asleep. Manchester – Belfast is typically a 40-minute flight. When she awoke later on and looked at her watch, she was surprised the flight was not descending.
When she asked about, a flight attendant said landing was not for another 1 hour, 15 minutes. It was then her mistake became clear. Cargin told BBC:
“I was shocked, I was worried, I was wondering how I was going to get home, was I going to be left in Gibraltar?
“Also, I was thinking about my parents because I knew they were picking me up and that they had no idea where I was.”
And as you might imagine, there was consternation in Belfast as well. The EasyJet flight from Gibraltar to Belfast showed up…without Cargin. As her mother waited patiently in the baggage claim area, Cargin was a no-show.
“There was a lot of confusion. Mum was told I hadn’t made it on to the Belfast flight and she said her stomach just flipped, because I had texted from the plane to say I was on my way.”
Then EasyJet wrongly informed her parents that she flew to Alicante (ALC) instead of Gibraltar. The family had begun making arrangements to find her an alternate flight back to Belfast when they received a text from her…she had landed…in Belfast.
Cargin was rebooked back on the same aircraft to Manchester (not before taking the selfie above), then continued on to Belfast. Ultimately, she arrived about 11 hours late.
CONCLUSION
A 168-mile journey turned into a 2,562-mile journey thanks to boarding the wrong aircraft.
EasyJet noted:
“We are investigating with the airport and our ground handling partner at Manchester how Ms Cargin was able travel on the wrong flight. As soon as the mistake was realised, it was arranged for them to fly back to Manchester and on to Belfast, their original intended destination.
“Ms Cargin was looked after by our team throughout and provided with refreshments. We would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Ultimately, we should always double check we are stepping onto the right aircraft as well. But it sounds like an unforgettable to me!
Gibraltar, by the way, is one of the coolest airports in the world:
top image: Gemma Cargin
The EasyJet flight from Gibraltar to Belfast showed up…without Cargin.
Manchester?
Rookie mistake
Manchester airport is probably the worst airport in the world. A Greyhound bus station is better. The gates for flights won’t show on monitors until couple minutes before the flight and then people have to run into de gate. A total nightmare.
Luck of the Irish?
Belfast is in Northern Ireland, not Northern Island. It’s also across the Irish Sea, not the English Channel.
Thanks Richard.
If it were me, I would stay in Gibraltar for at least a day. It is a wonderful place. I can attest that I walked over the runway just to say that I did (the road and sidewalk intersect the runway as seen in the photo). I even did it as a 737 was taking off, just so that I could feel the roar close by.
As far as the wrong plane, it happened to me once. Somehow I boarded the wrong flight, the one that was next to my ticketed flight. However, I noticed the problem just before they shut the door and got out.
One of my goals is to visit Gibraltar again.
Totally agree! Terminal 1, the terminal EasyJet uses, is one of the most poorly designed, inadequate and disorganized terminals in the world, not to mention UGLY. Flew through there three years ago and sadly not surprised they still didn’t bother bulldozing it and have the carriers move to a proper facility.
teacher.
I used to wonder how these stories could happen–until I had to transfer at the Sao Paulo airport in Brazil and realized there were no monitors or announcements. If her boarding pass didn’t create an error, and she fell asleep, then I can see how this could happen. But I hope after all that flying they gave her the frequent flier miles!
Hope she doesn’t teach reading.
“Her boarding pass scanned and did not beep or otherwise indicate a problem.”
That is a problem.
Stuff happens
…”we are investigating with the airport and GROUND HANDLING PARTNER…” Maybe if airlines hired their own staff instead of third party vendors, these mistakes would not be made. What next, hiring the janitor ?
If a mistake like that occurred on Delta the MQMs generated could bring the cost down to less than a cent per mile.
Let’s not pick on Gemma. Word is it was the first mistake she made all year.
Matt, see Richard’s comment above.
The Irish Channel is a neighborhood of New Orleans.