Family removed from plane for mid-flight row before leaving son at Portugal airport
Thomson flight, stock image. PA
A teenage boy was abandoned at an airport in Portugal after his family got into a row that became so heated during a flight to Lanzarote that the pilot diverted the flight and have them removed.
The Daily Mirror reports that David Laughton, 39, and his partner Sarah Wilson, 28, were taking his stepson Lee Doran, 17, on his first holiday abroad, along with his son Dylan, 14, and the couple's son Harry, three.
According to reports, Mr Laughton and his stepson got into a furious fight, and the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Porto to have them removed.
The Thomson flight from Newcastle to Lanzarote had been in the air for more than three hours when the pair started fighting in the aisle.
Holidaymakers were forced to wait as the whole family were marched off the plane by police officers. They were questioned at Porto airport and eventually released without charge.
The couple, from Hartlepool in Cleveland, spent the night in Porto before booking another flight to Lanzarote with the two younger children. They left Lee behind, who had to be rescued by foreign office officials.
The Mirror reports that the 17-year-old ended up outside the airport police station where he spent almost 24 hours without food or water.
After making a frantic phone call to his mum in London, he was taken in by embassy staff and his mum paid for his flight home.
His mother, Jannine, said she was 'in shock' about her son being abandoned.
"To leave Lee by himself in a foreign country is just appalling," she told the newspaper.
Speaking about the mid-air brawl, Mr Laughton told the Mirror: 'We were 50 minutes from landing and Lee pulled his hood up and I pulled it down.
Lanzarote, where the family are currently on holiday. Rex
"The next thing I knew, he had his arms around my neck and we ended up in the aisle.
"When we got to Porto he wouldn't take any money from me. Lee is 17 and lives on his own in London. This has been blown out of all proportion."
He apologised to his fellow airline passengers and added: "I understand this caused a great deal of upset, but we would not continue on the trip as was planned.
"I am sorry that the plane was diverted and I can understand why that action was taken."
The row started during the 2pm Thomson flight on September 13 as the family were heading for a two-week all-inclusive holiday.
A spokesman for the airline also apologised to passengers for any disruption encountered during the flight, saying:
"Unfortunately a party of passengers became disruptive on board and as a last resort the flight had to be diverted to Portugal.
"Upon landing, the aircraft was met by local police and the passengers were removed from the flight for further questioning.
"Thomson operates a zero tolerance policy with regards to any disruptive behaviour on board and incidents of this type are extremely rare."
The couple has been banned from the return flight and will have to make their own arrangements to get home.
The incident is estimated to have cost Thomson £35,000 and the airline may try to recoup some of the bill from Mr Laughton when he returns from his holiday next Thursday.
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