Nervous flier claims Jet2 marched her off plane 'like criminal'
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A holidaymaker has claimed she was 'marched off a Jet2 plane like a criminal after telling staff about her flight anxiety.
Beth Milligan was travelling from Glasgow Airport to Spain on Monday with her boyfriend Declan Gillen for a four-night getaway in Alicante.
The couple paid £1,300 for a Jet2 package holiday, and arrived at the airport when Beth began feeling anxious about the upcoming three-hour flight.
The 25-year-old admits she's a 'nervous flyer' but always feels fine once she's on board the plane.
After informing Jet2 staff about her anxiety, the make-up artist says she reassured cabin crew that she was 'absolutely fine' – and that her nervousness stemmed from a recent health issue.
Weeks before flying, the make-up artist had experienced pain in her chest and ribs but was told by doctors this was muscular and it would not affect any travel plans.
But after telling the flight attendants about the chest discomfort – and the doctor's okay – Beth claims she was deemed a 'medical liability' and ordered to leave the plane.
Stunned, Beth said she was then 'marched off' the flight and told she was unable to fly with Jet2 without a 'fit to fly' certificate.
Beth said she was 'discriminated against' after telling Jet2 staff about her anxiety and is demanding a full refund after she and her partner were unable to go on their holiday.
Jet2 said their 'number one priority is always the health and safety of our customers and colleagues' and that Beth was deemed 'not fit to fly'.
Metro has contacted Jet2 for a statement.
Beth, from Johnstone, Renfrewshire, said: 'I was absolutely fine. I got on the flight and told the attendant I just needed a bit of fresh air because the doors were still open, and she said that was absolutely fine.
'I kept telling her I was absolutely fine and she didn't need to worry. She assured me I was okay.'
But after mentioning her medical worries weeks ago, Beth said she returned to her seat when three of the cabin crew rushed towards her and began 'screaming'.
'I told them it was muscular, and it was like having a sore leg. I reassured them that I'd been checked over and nothing could happen in the air.
'They kept telling me my story was changing. Next thing, a manager was on the flight and marched me off the plane like I was a criminal.'
Beth says she and Declan were unable to board any other Jet2 flight and that they would not be refunded.
Beth said: 'I'm getting demonised for being a nervous flyer and being open and honest about my feelings, even though that's what I was told to do. More Trending
'That's discrimination. You can't use someone's mental health against them. If they thought I was so unwell, why did no one phone a medic or check me over? I just thought they didn't want to miss their take-off slot and thought they couldn't be bothered with the hassle of me and thought 'get her off'.
A Jet2 spokesman said: 'We can confirm that Miss Milligan alerted our team to the fact that she was feeling unwell when boarding the aircraft.
'Our crew followed standard procedure for any medical concerns and sought advice from the qualified medical support team, MedAire, who advised that Miss Milligan was 'not fit to fly'.
'As an award-winning airline, our number one priority is always the health and safety of our customers and colleagues, and we can confirm that our team did all they could to support Miss Milligan.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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