She slept through the wrong flight and ended up many, many miles from home.
An Irish woman got the shock of her life when she woke up aboard a flight that was going in the complete opposite direction she had planned.
Gemma Cargin from Co. Down told BBC Northern Ireland that she had planned to board an easyJet flight to Belfast from Manchester, but ended up a little further south in Gibraltar instead.
Cargin explained that her boarding pass had been scanned at the gate and she boarded the plane as one normally would, with nothing said about the destination.
It wasn’t until she woke up from a nap that she soon realised she was about to end up 1,276 miles away, having got on a plane heading in the wrong direction.
“I woke up from my nap and I looked at the time, and I just asked ‘When are we landing, are we landing soon?'” Cargin told BBC Northern Ireland:
It was then that she was told the flight was landing in Gibraltar in 15 minutes, and the realisation that Gemma had gotten on the wrong flight.
EasyJet has issued an apology to Gemma, with a spokesperson saying the airline is investigating how this could have happened.
EasyJet works closely with all of our airports to ensure the safety of all passengers,” a statement read.
“We are investigating with the airport and our ground handling partner at Manchester how Miss Cargin was able to travel on the wrong flight.”
“As soon as the mistake was realised, it was arranged for her to fly back to Manchester and on to Belfast, her original intended destination.
“Miss Cargin was looked after by our team throughout and provided with refreshments.
“We would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Gemma was allowed to leave the plane for air and then brought back to Manchester on the same plane and on to Belfast, avoiding a two-week quarantine when arriving in the UK as she never left the vicinity of the airline.
And with a selfie to prove she landed in Spain, she’s happy to have a good story out of the experience.
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