Darren Clark, 39, from Durham, told The Mirror Ryanair needed “punishing” after a flight allegedly left him and others behind after an airport was evacuated due to a fire alarm
A passenger was left furious after a Ryanair flight allegedly took off without him and other holiday goers who needed to go through security again after the airport was evacuated.
Darren Clark, 39, from Durham, was looking forward to a getaway to Krakow when his trip was thrown into chaos. The avid Sunderland fan was sat enjoying a drink after passing through security at Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) on February 3 when the fire alarm went off.
Airport staff then ordered everyone to evacuate the building as they investigated the cause of the alarm. Mr Clark said he was stood outside for about 30 minutes before needing to go through passport control and security.
A LBIA spokesperson told The Mirror: “For safety reasons, we had an evacuation of the terminal on Monday 3 February at approx. 11.20am due to a fire alarm sounding. Thankfully, it was a false alarm.”
“The staff at LBIA told us that all flights were grounded until everyone had passed through security,” Mr Clark told the Mirror. “Only to get to our gate and be told that Ryanair would not wait for remaining passengers and that they had taken off without is. The staff at LBIA told us it was not their fault [that] it was Ryanair’s call to take off.”
Mr Clark said he, his partner and another couple were at the very least those who were left behind. He claimed there were no last calls and that they had been told no one would be left behind.
Mr Clark claimed LBIA staff told the distraught passengers the situation was “a disgrace” and praised them for how they handled the situation. “The staff at LBIA ensured us it was not their call and [that] Ryanair took off and said they knew there were remaining passengers.
“There was no Ryanair help desk or nothing at the airport for us to speak too either.” Mr Clark said he and his partner were still keen for their Krakow getaway but needed to fork out extra cash for another flight.
“I had to pay £160 for a flight at 3:30pm with Jet2 who managed to get us on their flight,” Mr Clark added. “So it cost me more money.”
Mr Clark said he wanted Ryanair “punishing” after the flight allegedly took off without him and other passengers. He continued: “Not only have I lost my money from the flight, it also cost me an extra £160 to get another flight.”
The Mirror has contacted LBIA and Ryanair for comment.
