Rome alone: 11-year-old boy flies from Manchester to Italy without ticket

Kotek Besar

An investigation has begun at Manchester airport after an 11-year-old boy boarded a flight to Rome without a passport, boarding card or ticket, by apparently tagging on to another family.

At least five members of Jet2.com staff who work at the airport have been suspended following the incident on Tuesday afternoon at the start of the busy summer getaway as the airport was bustling with thousands of people.

Liam Corcoran had apparently run away from his mother while she was shopping at the Wythenshawe civic centre, close to the airport, on Tuesday and had been reported missing. He made his way to the airport, probably on foot.

When he arrived at terminal one, he followed another family, going unnoticed with thousands of people heading off on their summer holidays. Security staff scanned him but failed to realise he was on his own and had no boarding card, passport, tickets or money.

The boy then arrived in the departure lounge and headed to one of the gates where passengers were boarding Jet2.com flight LS791 to Rome. He managed to bypass a security check at the gate without being asked to show either a passport or a boarding card.

Once on the aircraft, none of the crew realised he did not have a boarding card as he took a seat. A headcount failed to alert them to the discrepancy.

The jet took off as normal and it was only during the journey to Italy that passengers became suspicious of the boy and told the cabin crew. The crew members alerted the captain who radioed back to Manchester.

Police at Manchester airport then called the boy's mother to tell her that her son had been found safe and well – but that he was on a plane travelling to Italy.

The plane landed at Fiumicino airport in Rome where the boy was asked to remain on board while the other passengers left the aircraft. He remained on the plane, accompanied by flight crew, as it took off again to return to Manchester.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/25/11-year-old-flies-rome-manchester?newsfeed=true

smash

:eek: Kevin :eek:

Kenno90

smash wrote: »

:eek: Kevin :eek:

Danm You, you got there first :pac:

skinny90

Legend!!bit harsh to have 5 airline staff suspended

Kotek Besar

"On Tuesday an 11 year old boy cleared security at Manchester Airport, without the necessary paperwork but had been through a full security search. The boy then boarded our flight bound for Rome. We have launched a full investigation into what is a serious incident, and the staff involved have been suspended pending the outcome. The boy has been returned safely to his family.”

http://www.wirefm.com/news/local/rome-alone-update-statement-from-jet2-com/

Translation: "we didn't bother to check his passport or boarding pass but at least we remembered to confiscate his Ribena".

py2006

I'd say he cleverly walked real close to the parents of another family to give the impression he was with them.

Tazio

Grand lad he is... he'll go far.....

Kenno90

py2006 wrote: »

I'd say he cleverly walked real close to the parents of another family to give the impression he was with them.

Thats what i was thinking , i can understand the security people would just assume he was with a nearby family.

Not many children are going to have their own boarding pass and passport.

Though the people at the gate , really messed up. There should have been the usual "and who are you travelling with?" question

Postgrad10

He must have decided to go on a holiday . I must try it !

mattjack

Its Peter Quinn dressed as an 11 year old,,, I tells ya....

Father Damo

Kenno90 wrote: »

Thats what i was thinking , i can understand the security people would just assume he was with a nearby family.

Not many children are going to have their own boarding pass and passport.

Though the people at the gate , really messed up. There should have been the usual "and who are you travelling with?" question

Budget airline staff are paid McDonalds wages. It is not a huge surprise that they are not particularly arsed about their job.

opinion guy

He'll be on the Late Late Show so

Plazaman

skinny90 wrote: »

Legend!!bit harsh to have 5 airline staff suspended

Not at all. What if he was asked to carry a bag on by a bearded gent? What if he had 200mls of shampoo instead of the regulated 100mls? What if his name was Albert Kyeeda? What if he said he was the relief pilot and the co-pilot said OK?

Heads should roll

Conchir

Doesn't beat the story of the two kids from north Dublin who got from Dublin to New York using a combination of DART, ferries and planes. All without tickets or passports or much money.

super_furry

Al Quida Juniors - coming to an airport near you soon!

Seedy Arling

opinion guy wrote: »

He'll be on the Late Late Show so

Too high profile. Twink it'll be. To infinity.

"Hi, er, Mum. Can you come pick me up? Uhm, yeah, you're not going to believe this but, er, I'm in Rome"

apoeiguq3094y

Plazaman wrote: »

Not at all. What if he was asked to carry a bag on by a bearded gent? What if he had 200mls of shampoo instead of the regulated 100mls? What if his name was Albert Kyeeda? What if he said he was the relief pilot and the co-pilot said OK?

Heads should roll

What have you got against bearded men? So you don't like Santa Claus or Ronnie Drew? Despicable

bigneacy

Staff were first alerted the child was alone when a stewardess was hit in the face with a can of paint on a rope.

Plazaman

apoeiguq3094y wrote: »

What have you got against bearded men? So you don't like Santa Claus or Ronnie Drew? Despicable

Nothing against beards, had one myself once so did the wife. And in all fairness, I think it would be out of the scope of Airport Security to handle the situation if Ronnie Drew turned up recently. Although I surmise his voice would be even deeper now - "Here son, takes on me auld bag, deres a good lad".

As for SJ Claus Esq. everyone knows he's not allowed near Manchester Airport since the incident with the Virgin Airways Flight Stewardess in '98 :rolleyes:

Father Damo

Conchir wrote: »

Doesn't beat the story of the two kids from north Dublin who got from Dublin to New York using a combination of DART, ferries and planes. All without tickets or passports or much money.

When was this?

How does a trip to Dublin airport from North Dublin involve a ferry.....or even the dart?

Sappa

An article in the independent about a polish family going on holiday to Greece,2yr old daughters passport out of date and cryanair wouldn't let her travel.
They abandoned the child at the airport and fecked off on hols leaving a screaming baby alone in the airport.

opinion guy

Pimmy_Jage wrote: »

Too high profile. Twink it'll be. To infinity.

I was making an obscure reference to two boys who snuck onto a flight to New York in the 1980's, got caught in JFK, brought to NYPD who became enamoured with them, treated them to some tourist things before sending them back home to Ireland only to end up on the late late show

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-dont-go-far.html

Conchir

Father Damo wrote: »

When was this?

How does a trip to Dublin airport from North Dublin involve a ferry.....or even the dart?

Sorry, it was DART to Dun Laoghaire, ferry to Holyhead or Liverpool or something, train to London, then a flight to New York.

The guy is in his 30's now, he was on RTE radio a while ago talking about it, I'll try and find it somewhere.

EDIT: Here it is http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-dont-go-far.html

Ms.M

Sappa wrote: »

An article in the independent about a polish family going on holiday to Greece,2yr old daughters passport out of date and cryanair wouldn't let her travel.
They abandoned the child at the airport and fecked off on hols leaving a screaming baby alone in the airport.

:eek:

Links please?

foxyboxer

"Look what you did, you little jerk!!"

wilkie2006

Wow, someone should make a film about this.

A Dub in Glasgo

Surely his first check was through security when they check boarding passes. That is not Jet2, that is Manchester Airport

stovelid

He was doing a dry run for drug smugglers or terrorists.

Expect to find him floating in the Manchester Ship Canal in the next fortnight.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Conchir wrote: »

Doesn't beat the story of the two kids from north Dublin who got from Dublin to New York using a combination of DART, ferries and planes. All without tickets or passports or much money.

Father Damo wrote: »

When was this?

It was in 1985 I think. They were caught after they left the airport in New York and asked a policeman which way to town.

Stinicker

This doesn't surprise me one bit, a few years back I was on my first flight to continental Europe (Prague). Anyway whilst waiting around in Cork I put my watch forward by 1 hour for European time. I was very early for my flight and I went to the gate which was indicated on the notice board for my flight, presented my ticket and got back my stub, walked out and got on the plane, sat down and was just about to put in my earphones when this old lady who had sat in alongside me asked me, Is this your first trip to London? I replied umm no, I'm actually going to Prague, are you on the wrong plane? I asked the stewardess and it was me who was on the wrong plane. Had I turned on the iPod and ignored the old lady I could have ended up in Heathrow and not Prague.

I had to get off the plane and people were looking at me like was I a terrorist or something. I laughed it off with the gate crew and I was at the right gate and the right time except my watch had tricked me as I had put it forward by 1 hour.

croker1

What was the story with the kid? Did he do it on purpose or what?

Because if it was an accident he's a fairly dumb 11 year old!

getz

croker1 wrote: »

What was the story with the kid? Did he do it on purpose or what?

Because if it was an accident he's a fairly dumb 11 year old!
he has learning difficulities,and he said he was looking for the toilet,at least he was heading in the right direction.

croker1

Ah fair enough I wasn't aware of that. My bad

irelandspurs

Its ok the pope just ordered a take away