Tearful grandmother left unable to board flight at Birmingham Airport

Kate Langford said her grandmother was "really quite vulnerable" because of her age

A family said they felt let down when their 91-year-old grandmother was left stranded at an airport because staff failed to get her to her plane.

Maria Twamley, who had been due to return to her home in Belfast, was left tearful when she was forced to miss the flight, her granddaughter said.

Because of her age, special assistance had been arranged at Birmingham to put her on to the plane with a wheelchair.

Birmingham Airport said it had "great sympathy" for Mrs Twamley.

Her granddaughter, Kate Langford, said the family felt angry and "let down by the people we entrusted her care to".

Maria Twamley's family fear the experience will put her off visiting her family again

Mrs Langford said Mrs Twamley usually visits her family in Nuneaton twice a year and was originally booked on to an Easyjet flight on Monday.

When that flight was cancelled, she was booked on to a Flybe flight instead, which was due to depart at 15:20 BST the same day.

The flight was delayed by several hours and the family left Mrs Twamley with the special assistance team at the airport.

But later that evening they had a call from her grandmother to say the flight had taken off without her.

They had to arrange a third flight with Aer Lingus.

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Mrs Langford said her grandmother had been "incredibly stoic and isn't one to complain" but had clearly been upset.

Being stranded at the airport "must have been extremely daunting" for her, she said.

A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: "A cancelled flight followed by a delayed flight made things extremely difficult for our assisted travel team.

"It's always distressing to miss a flight, so we have great sympathy for Mrs Twamley."