A mother and daughter were left in shock after being ejected from a Jet2 flight due to concerns over the 17 year old’s health. Lee Kelly and her daughter, Tessy Kelly-Hester, were trying to return home from a week-long holiday in Lanzarote when they were ordered off the plane.
Tessy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four and a half years ago, and since then, her mum Lee has been helping her manage the condition. The duo have travelled extensively without any issues on flights, including their outbound journey to the Canary Island.
There were no problems when Lee and Tessy boarded the 8.50pm flight. However, things took a turn when Tessy checked her blood sugar levels on the plane, which were slightly below the standard range at 3.6.
It was at this point that Lee asked for a bag in case her daughter felt unwell, and the situation escalated from there.
Lee, 58, explained: “Tessy’s blood sugar levels can often dip below the normal level when she is a bit stressed, so it is a normal thing to happen when we’re about to fly,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
“When I spoke to a member of staff, they started asking a lot of questions, including when she had last eaten, so I told them that she had food in the airport. They kept going back and forth to the manager who was speaking to MedAire about what they should do, but I didn’t see what the issue was.
“After around half an hour of this, we were told that there was no one on the plane who was qualified to assist a diabetic, which I felt was strange as I am able to help her with anything she needs.
“They said we had to leave the plane which I was shocked about, and that we had to get a fit to fly certificate in order to get back on another Jet2 service home.
“My daughter was saying ‘I’ll do my blood sugar again’, as she had eaten something by this point, and she measured at 6.7, but we were told that the decision had been made and they were in the process of getting our bags off.
“I didn’t know what to think at this point, as it felt as if they were singling out Tessy for a condition that she can’t do anything about, and now we were going to be stranded in Lanzarote. I don’t know what she would have done if I hadn’t been there and it just felt unfair to me.”
Lee and Tessy, from Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, managed to secure a nearby hotel for the night at a cost of £250 with assistance from airport staff, before Lee forked out approximately £380 to fly home the next day with an alternative carrier. Following her return home, Tessy has had the opportunity to consider her feelings about being refused permission to fly.
Tessy added: “I felt like I was isolated and alone in that moment, and to be honest I just burst out crying, I couldn’t stop myself from getting really upset at what was going on. It all added to the stress and it made me not want to fly anymore because of the way that I felt.
“It would just be nice to know how it happened and to get a bit of an explanation, as I know other people who are in the same position as me and I think it wouldn’t be right for them to be kicked off a flight in the same situation.”
In response, Jet2 has stated that its staff were following the guidance of qualified medical professionals at MedAire, and urged Lee and Tessy to get in touch with them directly.
A Jet2 spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Ms Kelly alerted our team to the fact that Miss Kelly-Hester was feeling unwell when boarding the aircraft.
“Our crew followed standard procedure for any medical concerns and sought advice from qualified medical experts at MedAire, who advised that Miss Kelly-Hester should not fly on medical grounds.
“As an award-winning airline, our number one priority will always be the health and safety of our customers, which is why we take the advice of MedAire. Since returning from their holiday, we have not received any contact from Ms Kelly.
“We always encourage customers to contact us directly if they wish to discuss anything to do with their holiday, so that we can assist. We always advise customers to take out appropriate travel insurance in case of incidents such as this.”
Lee states she had insurance for the holiday and has no plans to contact Jet2 directly regarding this situation.
