Chocs away! Police bring cheer to passengers stuck on jet at Prestwick Airport
POLICE turned up with chocolate and bottled water to calm "fraught" passengers who were stuck on board a Ryanair plane for almost six hours.
Strathclyde Police officers brought the gifts for 168 passengers on the no-frills airline ho had grown increasingly impatient about the delay to their flight from Prestwick Airport to Girona in Spain.
The flight was supposed to take off at 2pm yesterday, but because of delays caused by a French air traffic controllers strike, it did not leave Prestwick until just before 8pm.
One passenger said parents of young children aboard the flight became increasingly agitated when they were not allowed to return to the airport to buy food and drink. Passengers cheered when police boarded the jet with sweets and drinks for everyone.
A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: "Officers decided to monitor the situation and a decision was taken to purchase refreshments and hand them out to all the passengers on board.
"Some of the passengers were slightly fraught after a delay in their flight departing."
One passenger, Sarah Toom, said: "It was quite hectic in the aircraft earlier. A lot of parents with young kids were getting quite upset and raising their voices because we weren't allowed off the aircraft to buy food and drink."
She said that officers from Strathclyde Police came on to the plane and announced they were looking at ways to get passengers some water and food.
She said: "Five minutes later they showed up with bottles of water for everyone, which was met by a loud cheer."
A spokesman for Ryanair – which cuts costs by charging for drinks and refreshments on its planes – said:
"While the aircraft was on the ground, passengers on board were allowed to use mobile phones and toilet facilities, and, in accordance with legal restrictions, the bars on board remained closed."
(The Scotsman)
POLICE turned up with chocolate and bottled water to calm "fraught" passengers who were stuck on board a Ryanair plane for almost six hours.
Strathclyde Police officers brought the gifts for 168 passengers on the no-frills airline ho had grown increasingly impatient about the delay to their flight from Prestwick Airport to Girona in Spain.
The flight was supposed to take off at 2pm yesterday, but because of delays caused by a French air traffic controllers strike, it did not leave Prestwick until just before 8pm.
One passenger said parents of young children aboard the flight became increasingly agitated when they were not allowed to return to the airport to buy food and drink. Passengers cheered when police boarded the jet with sweets and drinks for everyone.
A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: "Officers decided to monitor the situation and a decision was taken to purchase refreshments and hand them out to all the passengers on board.
"Some of the passengers were slightly fraught after a delay in their flight departing."
One passenger, Sarah Toom, said: "It was quite hectic in the aircraft earlier. A lot of parents with young kids were getting quite upset and raising their voices because we weren't allowed off the aircraft to buy food and drink."
She said that officers from Strathclyde Police came on to the plane and announced they were looking at ways to get passengers some water and food.
She said: "Five minutes later they showed up with bottles of water for everyone, which was met by a loud cheer."
A spokesman for Ryanair – which cuts costs by charging for drinks and refreshments on its planes – said:
"While the aircraft was on the ground, passengers on board were allowed to use mobile phones and toilet facilities, and, in accordance with legal restrictions, the bars on board remained closed."
(The Scotsman)