Becky Stephenson, a travel counsellor from Bradford, added in a comment on the travel industry Facebook page Travel Gossip that the couple were about to turn off their mobile phones when they were informed of a critical condition of their grandson.
“They alerted the cabin crew who managed to get a message to the pilot as the plane taxied to the runway,” Stephenson was reported as saying. "He took the decision to return to the gate so the couple could disembark, but not only that, the crew also arranged for the couple to be assisted at the airport and they even got their car delivered from the car park.
“Everything little thing you could think of, they took care of. Sadly my customers’ grandson passed away the day after but had they not been allowed off the flight and had to fly back from Abu Dhabi they may not have made it to his bedside.”
I read this on Daily Mail a few days ago, it’s amazing that Etihad actually allowed it and didn’t discipline the pilot as surely it would have caused delays for the other passengers or cost the airline money. At least they put customers first
That is so good to read!
It must have cost the airline a fortune.
Very humane.
One thing though.
The writer is a little thrill focused and wanted to make it look more exciting.
Returning while taxiing is not the same as an aborted take-off. They had to have started the actual take-off first, to make it an aborted one.
Journalism, I guess. “Let’s spice it up!”. Shame.
Yep it said aborted on the Daily Mail article but or the plane enthusiasts made it clear in the comment section that you can’t Abort unless you have started to take off :)