Family stranded on Greek island after 6-year-old daughter threw up at the airport
A couple claim they have been left around £1,000 out of pocket after they were forbidden from boarding a plane after their young daughter vomited.
Hayley Waters and her husband Jason say they were left 'stranded' on a Greek island after Jet2 staff spotted their six-year-old spewing up in the departure lounge at Rhodes Airport.
According to the parents, an airline employee witnessed their daughter Addyson throw up at the gate and informed them that the firm's 'policy' meant she could not get on their flight back to the UK.
Hayley, 37, explained that they were waiting to board a Jet2 plane heading to Leeds Bradford Airport on 31 July when Addyson began feeling unwell.
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She was also travelling with her spouse Jason, 40, her three-year-old Xander, and five other people who they had also been holidaying with.
'No medical assessment was carried out'
After the Jet2 flight that was due to take off at 11:15pm was delayed, Hayley said her daughter struggled to cool down amid the temperatures in Rhodes Airport.
"She'd had no illness all holiday - she was simply exhausted after the delay, it was around midnight, and over 30°C in the airport," the frustrated mum said.
"While waiting at the gate, my six-year-old daughter was sick once. I cleaned it up immediately."
The performance analyst from West Yorkshire explained that a member of Jet2 staff observed Addyson being sick and allegedly then informed the family they were no longer permitted to board.
"The only explanation given was 'policy' because my daughter had been sick," Hayley said, before reeling off reasons why she believes the decision was unjust.
"Nobody asked whether she had any underlying medical conditions, whether she'd been unwell during the holiday, or how she was feeling," she went on.
"No medical assessment was carried out - the decision was based solely on a member of staff seeing her vomit once."
The mum claims that she was informed they would be unable to travel with the airline for at least another 24 hours - and that they would have to sort themselves out.
Hayley alleges they were instructed to arrange their own accommodation, transport and alternative flights - which cost them around £1,000.
As a result of Addyson's sickness, they were unable to board their original flight, which eventually took off at 12:05am, and instead had to book an easyJet flight to Newcastle for the following day to get home.
Jet2's response
Hayley added: "We have no written explanation for why we were denied boarding, no paperwork, no medical assessment, no duty of care, and we were left stranded abroad with two young children."
But Jet2 said its team in the holiday hotspot handled the situation correctly, insisting the procedure was followed and that staff in Rhodes helped the family find somewhere to stay.
The airline said staff also advised the family to retain their receipts so they could make a claim to receive their money back through their travel insurance.
A Jet2 spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our absolute priority, and our teams have processes in place to help prevent the spread of illness onboard our aircraft.
"We are sorry to hear that Mrs Waters was unhappy with her experience and we are in contact with her to discuss the matter further."
Despite this, Hayley says that she has not received an update on the sickness saga that ended up costing her a fair few quid.
Jet2 said it has been in contact with the customer and promised a response within 14 days, by 20 August, and remained on track to provide one.
However, Hayley claims she did not receive an acknowledgement that her written complaint has been received - and that they have not been told about the timescales Jet2 are working to.
LADbible has contacted Jet2 for further comment.
Olivia Burke