Latest news with #Gatwick
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Scary moment plane passenger tries to open cabin doors at 30,000 feet - as screaming passengers feared they were about to die
This is the terrifying moment passengers onboard a flight were left fearing for their lives after a fellow traveller attempted to open the cabin doors while at 30,000 feet. Oore Fabunmi, 25, was flying from the Dominican Republic to London Gatwick on a TUI flight on Sunday, June 29 when she said that the man seated in front of her suddenly stood up and ran towards the front of the aircraft. Ms Oore then said she heard screams begin to erupt from terrified passengers at the front of the plane as the man made a frantic attempt at opening the cabin doors. The confused passenger watched on as fellow travellers onboard tried to halt the man from opening the doors, immediately alerting staff to the incident. Thankfully, quick-thinking TUI passengers are then said to have intervened - stopping the disruptive passenger in his tracks. Video footage has shown the scene of chaos onboard the flight, as disorientated passengers anxiously stood in the aisles. One member of cabin crew onboard the flight is heard attempting to reassure passengers, stating: 'There is nothing to concern your health about, please return to your seats'. They added: 'We do hope you had a fantastic holiday.' The man remained sat with staff for the rest of the eight-hour flight before being escorted off the plane by police officers upon his arrival into London. A later announcement onboard the flight insisted that 'there was nothing to worry about' and everything was under control' and apologised for the 'disturbance'. It continued: 'We do ask those who are not involved to please return to your seats and let the cabin crew do their job and deal with the situation.' Recalling the shocking ordeal, Ms Oore, a hearings officer from south London, described the moment the man frantically attempted to open the cabin doors as 'pretty scary'. She said: 'I remember just seeing him leave the row in front of me and run forward. 'Next thing I heard was just screams coming from the front. 'My first thought was that we were being hijacked and we might die - like in the movies.' Ms Oorre, who been returning from a holiday in the Dominican Republic, recalled interacting with the man at the beginning of the flight as she had helped him find the correct seat. She said: 'I had chatted to him earlier in the journey. 'I got onto the plane with some friends I'd made on the holiday and he was actually sitting in one of their seats. 'They asked him to move and he seemed confused about his ticket so I helped him find his seat. 'He seemed all right after that until he started getting agitated halfway through the flight.' But four hours into the flight, Ms Oore began to notice that the passenger had become restless and was acting in a 'strange' manner. She added that at one point he 'stood up on his seat' before then making a quick dash for the plane doors. Remarking that she believed the man was clearly in need of assistance, Ms Oore said that she had 'no idea' what prompted his erratic and bizarre behaviour onboard the flight. The man remained sat for the rest of the journey, accompanied by staff, while passengers were asked to remain seated after landing as police escorted him off the flight. Ms Oore, who described the remainder of the lengthy journey as 'tense', added: 'The rest of the flight was definitely calmer after that but still tense. 'The flight attendants were really good at keeping us informed and announcements were made explaining what had happened. 'It was such a nerve-wracking experience - it definitely made me think twice before flying again.'
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
The 10 most irritating, outdated things that airports and airlines must ditch
Given that commercial aviation is one of the most impressive feats of the 20th century, today's airports and airlines aren't always known for pushing the boat out when it comes to new technology. Whether you're departing from Gatwick or Glasgow, the process of catching your typical flight is riddled with outdated processes that could easily be scrapped. If we want to transform air travel into a truly 21st century experience, here are ten things that need to change: Check-in The three-stage boarding process – buy ticket, check-in for flight beforehand, scan boarding pass at the airport – has been around for so long, you might assume it's a fixed law of nature. Yet in today's AI-powered world, there are plenty of ways that the process could be trimmed. The UN-backed International Civil Aviation Organisation has put its weight behind a new 'digital credential' scheme, by which your smartphone will become your ticket and automatically check you in when you arrive at the airport. They hope to have a prototype running within three years. In the meantime, hats off to the airlines and airports who aren't resting on their laurels. Spain's Iberia has just launched a 'dynamic' boarding pass, which updates on your phone with details of your gate and any delays. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport uses facial recognition to remove the need to scan your boarding pass in the first place. Liquid rules Scrapping the irritating 100ml rule has been on the table for so long now that flyers can be forgiven for thinking they're having their leg pulled on this one. But rest assured, the change is coming, as soon as airports have been able to bring their scanning machines up-to-speed. Being able to bring a slightly bigger toothpaste is one thing, but the best thing about the new system is that you won't have to take your liquids out of your suitcase in the first place, as the more advanced scanners can get all the information they need without items needing to be separated beforehand. The whole thing speeds up the process massively and removes the risk of leaving behind your toiletries when you end up having to repack in a rush. Announcements 'Schiphol is a silent airport,' reads the advice on the website of Europe's fourth busiest aviation hub. Indeed Amsterdam was one of the first major airports to do away with all audio announcements except for in cases of genuine emergency, giving passengers a break from those irritating 'bing bong' noises and crackling announcements about flights which aren't yours, and which you can't really hear anyway. As for what it means for partially sighted travellers, Schiphol says it has dedicated assistance staffers happy to help and is working on a system to guide visually impaired passengers around the airport. Queues at the gate You might think that having 180 passengers queue to board a Ryanair plane in a sweltering Algarve airport is the only way to do it, but in fact you'd be quite wrong. Anyone who has taken a domestic flight within the US will be familiar with the system in which passengers are assigned a queuing group and called up accordingly. If you want to be first on the plane, you can purchase a speedy boarding perk. Failing that, the system used by the likes of Southwest prioritises those who check in first. Queues at restaurants Waiting in line at Heathrow Wagamama may have become an inadvertent holiday ritual for some of us. But does it have to be this way? Again, it's the Americans who have taken a giant leap towards a queue-free future, with certain airports (including JFK and Chicago O'Hare) trialling an in-house delivery app that will bring your meal directly to your gate. Admittedly, US airports tend to have spacious seating areas between gates (making it easier to tuck into a pungent Chick-fil-A sandwich without disturbing people) but it would still be good to see similar ambition in our airports. Awful toilets Catching an early morning flight is a horrendous enough experience without having to deal with the striplight glare of the typical airport toilet. Just why are our airport toilets such an assault on the senses? Are the cheap wooden doors (always with a gap at the bottom) and white surfaces compulsory? Surely, we can do better than this. Bad Wi-Fi Plane Wi-Fi has come on leaps and bounds since the pandemic, but still has some way to go. The biggest problem, though, is that all three budget airlines – Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air – are still entirely offline, imposing a compulsory digital detox on all passengers. Yes, it would cost money to put Wi-Fi antennas on planes, but surely they could rake that money back – and then some – by charging customers to connect to it? Trolley service Am I the only one who finds the compulsory trolley service to be the most annoying part of the Ryanair flight? Not only does it block off the toilet for ages, and mean aisle-seat passengers risk bashed elbows – but if you're unlucky enough to be seated at the back on a short flight, you'll often hardly have time to gulp down that G&T you've waited so patiently for. Why not follow airlines like flyDubai in having in-seat ordering via an app, and then scrap the trolley service entirely? The cabin crew would breathe a sigh of relief, surely. In-seat screens Are in-seat screens on their way out? British Airways is trialing a new BYOD (bring your own device) system on short flights, letting passengers access the entertainment library on their own phone or laptop. While BA has been clear that it isn't scrapping the screens just yet, there are some airlines toying with doing just that. Not only are the screens usually out-of-date and poorer quality than your average tablet, but they are also a hefty maintenance cost, sucking up money that could be better spent elsewhere. Set mealtimes What do strict parents and British Airways business class have in common? They both insist on eating your meals at a certain time. But when you're already dealing with different time zones, sometimes your stomach doesn't want to have lunch at the same time as everyone else. Step forward Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier, which offers the luxurious perk of letting business class passengers choose when they get their meal. No more being roused from sleep – after it's taken you hours to finally dose off – to groggily hear the words 'chicken or fish?'.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
London Heathrow's £1 Billion Scanner Challenge Eats Into Profit
London Heathrow Airport said the installation of next-generation security scanners has dented half-year profits because the project is proving so large and complicated. The UK's largest hub is still working with authorities on a completion date for fitting the computed-tomogrophy machines, a project valued at just over £1 billion ($1.4 billion), Chief Executive Officer Thomas Woldbye said on Wednesday. Other London hubs, including Gatwick and City, have already finished switching over to the new devices.
Times
5 days ago
- Times
It's last orders for the onboard bar. Flying is no fun any more
Flying used to go something like this. Turn up at the airport, perhaps slurp a cheeky beer at Gatwick's Red Lion before you board. Switch your smartphone to flight mode, knowing you have a few hours' reprieve to watch something brain-dead like Mission: Impossible without being pestered. Listen intently for the rattle of the in-flight trolley, which still has the ability to reduce me to a panting Pavlovian dog (just me?). And if I'm flying in premium, a discreet slope off to the onboard bar once the seatbelt sign has been switched off. This long-conditioned ritual at 37,000ft skidded to a halt this month. Virgin Atlantic — our 'fun' airline to the more sensible British Airways — said it would axe its beloved bars by 2028; the space will instead be used for more premium seating called 'retreat suites'. It also said it would introduce free Starlink wi-fi across its fleet by the end of 2027. Blame sober Gen Z obsessed with wellness, blame squeezed airline margins, blame our hyperconnected world. I'm dismayed — and thirsty. I have fond, and squiffy, memories of in-flight bars. One of the most ridiculous flights I've been on was — no surprise — a Virgin service to New York for 2019's World Pride, staffed entirely by LGBT crew. The DJ Jodie Harsh took over the bar on the Airbus A330 and we passengers, giddy on gin miniatures and mini pretzels, jumped around to Spice Up Your Life somewhere over Newfoundland. It's hard to imagine that kind of stunt today. Other times it's more prosaic. These extra social spaces — installed on all Virgin aircraft at great expense — are an escape valve from your seat, particularly if you're flying long haul. That there are gin and tonics and delicious little bags of crisps and sweets on tap is neither here nor there. 'We have loved the bar, but we have a new vision for social spaces: the retreat suites, the private space built for sharing and socialising,' Virgin Atlantic said. Meh. Onboard bars still do exist, but increasingly limply. The Gulfies, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, all offer social spaces only on their monstrous Airbus A380s, but on the few times I've sneaked in they have been pin-drop quiet. When I flew on the weird Global Airlines inaugural flight in May — the founder's aim being to take the airline back to the golden age of flying — I spent a lot of it propping up the SkyPub on the upper deck of the A380. Qantas's A350 aircraft, which it uses for ultra-long-haul flights from London to Australia, instead have a 'wellbeing zone' for stretching and hydrating … and not the fun kind. The advent of free onboard wi-fi is a further dent to the in-flight experience, forcing us to stay connected to the ground. Lots of airlines, like British Airways, offer free wi-fi to their premium passengers and members of their loyalty schemes. Others, like JetBlue and Air New Zealand, offer it to everyone, regardless of cabin. Other carriers are trialling streaming entertainment straight to your phone — which I guess is fine and perfectly logical. But, but, but. I spend my life looking at my phone — is it too much to ask to stare at a slightly bigger screen to watch some mindless guff for a few hours? The sky is the last sanctuary we have. Rhys Jones, aviation editor of the frequent-flyer website Head for Points, agrees that 'it's a shame to see the bar go'. He adds: 'It was part of what set Virgin Atlantic apart. Without it, Virgin will lose a little bit of its sparkle. That said, I understand why it has made this decision: attitudes have changed and competition has become cut-throat. Increasingly we are seeing airlines maximise every square foot of space on board planes and, unfortunately, the bar just simply didn't pay its way.' I think I speak for a lot of frequent flyers when I say: one for the road?
The Independent
18-07-2025
- The Independent
Smell of ‘used socks' why BA flight made u-turn back to Gatwick
On Tuesday, 15 July, a British Airways flight (BA2203) from London Gatwick to Cancun was forced to return to the airport shortly after take-off due to a strong "smell of used socks" that caused dizziness among the crew. The Boeing 777 circled for approximately 30 minutes before landing safely back at Gatwick, where it was met by emergency services. British Airways confirmed a technical issue led to the diversion, apologised for the disruption, and provided passengers with overnight hotel accommodation before they re-boarded their flight the following morning. Minutes after the BA incident, an easyJet flight (EZY8520) from Funchal also requested a priority landing at Gatwick due to a suspected bird strike. The easyJet aircraft landed normally and was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution, with the airline stating that customer and crew safety is their highest priority.
