An elderly couple have vowed never to fly again after claiming they were stuck on a plane for three hours waiting for someone to help them off the plane.

Bill and Shirley George, both in their late 80s and both using wheelchairs, landed at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Thursday May 19 after a holiday in Malaga. After all the other passengers left, Bill and Shirley say they were left in their seats when the cabin crew and pilot disembarked, with staff saying they would return to help them off the plane Tui, reports the MEN.

However, after a considerable time no one had returned and Bill was forced to seek help for himself, his wife and four other passengers. Bill, who is awaiting knee surgery, said he had to walk two miles to get help.

READ MORE: Dad’s £1,400 all-inclusive holiday ruined after extra charge on flight from Manchester

He described the incident as ‘horrible’ and said: ‘They just left us on the plane and we were stranded. There were us and four other passengers but no one came to help. The airport was in the dark. No one was there so I went to see if my wife was ok and the door was locked. I had to walk about two miles to try and find someone.

Three hours after the plane landed, Bill finally found an airport staff member to help him. The couple have since sworn never to fly again.

“It’s diabolical,” added Bill, from Bury. “I’m not mad, I’m livid. My wife is knackered. She’s got a leaky heart valve. There’s no way she could have walked all the way here.”

A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of these passengers’ experiences and are working with the airline and other third parties involved to understand the circumstances which have delayed their disembarkation from the airport. airplane.”

A TUI spokesperson added: “We are very sorry to hear of Mr and Mrs George’s experience. Unfortunately, due to the flight delay, there were few ground handlers available upon landing. , which caused a delay in helping passengers get off the plane.We can confirm that our crew waited for all passengers to leave the plane and that no customers were left on board at any time. “

Download the LancsLive app for free at iPhone here and Android here.

To stay informed, follow LancsLive on Facebook and @LiveLancs on Twitter.

Do you have any news for us? Contact our press office at lancslive@reachplc.com.

Get all the latest news, sports and current affairs delivered to your inbox daily with the
LancsLive newsletter here.