Pensioner, 79, escorted off plane by armed police after tuna roll row

Woman hits out at ‘awful’ ordeal – but airline claims passenger ‘displayed a catalogue of disruptive behaviour’ on board

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A 79-year-old woman was escorted off a Jet2 plane by armed police following a row over a frozen tuna roll.
The pensioner, who only gave her name as Lily, was flying from Stansted Airport to Bodrum, Turkey, on Nov 3 when she became embroiled in a spat with the cabin crew.
She said it came after she refused to pay for the £9 food trolley tuna bap after discovering it was frozen in the middle.
However, Lily, from Hertfordshire, claimed airline staff insisted on payment because she had opened the wrapper.
Upon landing, she said all passengers were instructed to remain in their seats while she and her daughter were approached by armed police.
The pensioner told The JVS Show on BBC Three Counties Radio: “They called the police. Not one … but four police at the end, at the door. I was in shock, I was saying to people: ‘I think I’ve been arrested over a sandwich.’
“The policemen were there with their guns.”
The pair handed over their passports at the request of the police, but the officers said “just go”, she added.
Jet2 said Lily had “displayed a catalogue of disruptive behaviour on board”, including the unauthorised consumption of her own alcohol.
The 79-year-old said she had slept for most of the flight but found the cabin crew’s persistent request for payment to be “so stressful”.
“And then the end [with the police] was just awful,” she said.
Lily’s daughter later sent an email to Jet2 complaining about their “upsetting” experience.
A Jet2 spokesman told The Telegraph: “We can confirm that [she] displayed a catalogue of disruptive behaviour on board flight LS1609 from London Stansted to Bodrum including the unauthorised consumption of her own alcohol that she had brought on board.
“As a result, police met the aircraft on arrival at Bodrum to escort [her] and her daughter off the aircraft.
“As a family-friendly airline, we take a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour, and we make it very clear that customers cannot consume their own alcohol on flights.”
The spokesman added: “We will always support our crew in instances when they are subjected to rude or unpleasant behaviour while prioritising the safety and comfort of all passengers and crew.”
Lily rejected Jet2’s comments as “disgusting”.
She said: “I don’t know what they’re talking about. I think they’re so embarrassed over this sandwich and the police and the way we were treated.
“They are the ones that behaved disgustingly and disturbed me all the way through the flight.”
Lily initially denied taking her own alcohol on board but later admitted that the pair had brought on “two wines each”.
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