Elderly couple miss flight after staff 'forgot' about them

An elderly couple from Saddleworth missed their flight after assistance staff ‘forgot’ about them, leaving them for eight hours in a Manchester Airport lounge.

Bernard and Doreen Crowther had spent months planning their holiday to Spain.

Doreen is in a wheelchair and has serious medical conditions, including heart problems and diabetes. Their family has to carefully ensure they have the support they need at every stage. This included booking help via Ryanair from OCS - the firm which handles passengers in need of assistance.

Their son Stephen took them to the airport. On arrival they were told OCS was short staffed meaning Stephen's wife Rachel had to help them to check in.

The couple were then taken to the Escape lounge at Manchester Airport, two hours before the Ryanair flight to Murcia was due to take-off.

During their wait, Bernard approached the lounge reception three times to ask if they should be heading to the gate - the second time just 25 minutes before take-off.

Eventually, the receptionist took the couple herself - only to be told by Ryanair they were too late and their luggage was being off-loaded.

The couple were taken to the assistance reception where they then waited for nearly five hours. At around 6pm, a hotel was finally arranged and they were rebooked on a flight on Monday afternoon. But the incident left the couple feeling stressed and unwell.

An OCS spokesman has apologised to the family and said the incident is under investigation.