A couple were left terrified on a flight from Edinburgh to Ibiza after chaos erupted onboard with a group of '70-strong' passengers "swigging vodka and partying" in the aisle.
The pair have hit out at Ryanair for failing to control the rowdy group who reportedly left fellow passengers cowering in their seats. They said that after looking forward to a relaxing break at the end of September, they were subjected to three hours of "horrific" travel hell.
The duo, from North Lanarkshire, recorded video footage during the flight which shows passengers partying in the aisle as they blasted music and downed bottles of spirits. The woman, speaking anonymously to the Record, told how her husband has a heart condition and on his way back from the toilet, he was 'accosted' by a boozed-up youth who hit his hand before making a rude gesture.
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Other passengers were allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and harassment by members of the '70-strong group' with plane staff unable to keep a lid on their antics. After returning from their holiday, a formal complaint was made to the airline over the incident but they were left unhappy once again after receiving a 'copy and paste' reply on November 26.
The couple says the reply "took no responsibility and gave no assurances that it wouldn't happen again."
The 55-year-old mum said: "The response from Ryanair was a joke. I didn't expect any else though to be honest. They've got you there because it's cheap flights but even though it's a bargain, you shouldn't have to go through that. Passenger safety comes first.
"There was no control over that plane at all. It was horrific from the minute we got on. There were about 70 of them who all came from the same area. They had a big black speaker at the highest volume you could get which was blaring for three hours.
"They were banging on the roof, taking their tops off, and opening their drink that they had bought at duty free. The only time Ryanair came near them was to serve them more drink. I didn't even want to go to the toilet because they were getting drunker and drunker.
"My husband went to the bathroom and on his way back, this guy hit my husband's hand as if to do a high five but then gave him the fingers. The other passengers were getting really annoyed at this behaviour and it could have erupted into a full-blown war."
The mum added that a fellow passenger was forced to shove a young man out of her way after he refused to leave her alone. To add fuel to the fire, she said bad weather on the Balearic Island made for a bumpy landing.
The stressed traveller added: "When we went to land, there was a storm which was bad enough. The air hostess was shouting over the speaker to sit down or the plane wasn't going to land because they were all still standing up.
"There were no police waiting for them at the airport. I understand that they were happy and excited about going on their holiday. I've flown to Ibiza for the last 16 years to the same wee place. I've seen a bit of partying on the flights before but nothing like this.
"It could have been an absolute riot because they were banging into people, shouting in people's faces. There could have been a war on that plane.
"People were scared to go to the toilet but they were scared they were going to get head-butted or hit with a bottle of Grey Goose that was flying about that they had bought at duty-free.
"It was a horrible experience. I get that you've got to expect a bit of partying and I understand that. But my husband and I have had a tough year with lots of sad things happening so we thought we'd go away and chill out.
"We got off the flight and were like 'Oh my God, we need a drink'. I've got a boy at 22. If I thought he was behaving like that on a plane with children and a mixed age group, I would be so embarrassed about it because it was horrific."
The couple have vowed never to fly with Ryanair again after they took a month to reply to their complaint and simply apologised for "any inconvenience caused".
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "A group of passengers on this flight from Edinburgh to Ibiza became disruptive mid-flight.
"To diffuse the situation and minimise any disruption to passengers, crew made several announcements throughout the flight and refused to serve more than two alcoholic drinks to each passenger.
"Passengers ceased their disruptive behaviour before landing safely in Ibiza."
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