Jet2 flights: Gran, 79, escorted off flight by armed police in Turkey after refusing to pay for £9 'soggy' sandwich

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A grandmother was escorted off a Jet2 plane by armed police after she refused to pay for a £9 tuna sandwich.

Lily Ifield, 79, and her daughter were accused of “unacceptable” behaviour and warned they could be blacklisted by all UK airlines after complaining about the sarnie, it is understood. However, Lily believes the sandwich served on the flight from London Stansted Airport to Bodrum, Turkey, was frozen, and still "soggy" and "cold".

According to The Mirror, cabin crew allegedly said "this isn’t a restaurant - it’s a plane" and called for officers armed with guns and batons to escort the passenger from the plane in Bodrum on Sunday 3 November. Lily, who is a retired secretary, said the experience ruined her holiday.

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She told The Mirror: "The police were standing at the entrance to the plane, waiting with guns like we were master criminals. We had no idea what we had done. I was turning round to people, saying ‘I think I’ve been arrested over a sandwich’. The steward said, 'will you shut up' he said, 'I don’t want you talking'. I said 'excuse me, I can talk as much as I like'. We were being treated like convicts over a bap."

A grandmother was escorted off a Jet2 plane by armed police after she refused to pay for a £9 tuna sandwich. (Photo: Lily Ilfield Facebook/Getty Images)A grandmother was escorted off a Jet2 plane by armed police after she refused to pay for a £9 tuna sandwich. (Photo: Lily Ilfield Facebook/Getty Images)
A grandmother was escorted off a Jet2 plane by armed police after she refused to pay for a £9 tuna sandwich. (Photo: Lily Ilfield Facebook/Getty Images) | Lily Ilfield Facebook/Getty Images

After allegedly frogmarching Lily and her daughter through the airport, officers eventually dropped the case - after realising "how stupid the argument was". The mother and daughter, who are nervous fliers, shared four mini bottles of wine on the flight to calm their anxiety - spending £50 before refusing to pay for the tuna sandwich, reports The Sun.

A spokeswoman for the airline told The Sun: "We can confirm that these customers displayed continued disruptive and unpleasant behaviour on board flight LS1609 from London Stansted to Bodrum, including the illicit consumption of alcohol that had been purchased in duty free and brought on board. As a result, police met the aircraft on arrival at Bodrum to escort Mrs Ifield 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. We will always support our crew in instances when they are subjected to disruptive, rude or unpleasant behaviour while prioritising the comfort of all customers and crew so that they can enjoy their flight.”

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