This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pilot-turns-around-plane-elderly-couple-dying-grandson-etihad-airways-airline-a7686371.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Pilot turns plane around for elderly couple so they could visit dying grandson Pilot turns around flight from Manchester Airport to Australia so couple could say goodbye to dying grandson
(about 17 hours later)
A pilot has been praised for turning a plane around moments before take-off so an elderly couple could visit their dying grandson in hospital.  A pilot who turned back a plane preparing to take off at Manchester Airport so a couple could say goodbye to their dying grandson has been praised as “truly amazing”.
The pair found out their grandchild was in intensive care while on board an Abu Dhabi-bound plane taxiing towards a runway at Manchester airport. Becky Stephenson, a travel agent from Bradford, said two of her customers were preparing to set off for Australia via Abu Dhabi when they received the news that the boy was seriously ill.
After the pair told the crew, the pilot turned the plane back towards the gate while staff arranged for their luggage and a car so they could get to their ill grandson's bedside. She told The Independent they had already boarded the Etihad Airways flight and were switching off their mobile phone when they noticed a missed call from their son-in-law.
He died later that same night on 31 March. “They were taxiing on the runway when they got the text message saying their grandson was in intensive care and they needed to get there,” Mrs Stephenson said.
“I've been in the travel business for 25 years and never heard of this happening,” the couple's travel agent, Becky Stephenson, told the BBC. “They passed the message to the crew, who spoke to the captain and he turned the plane back.”
Ms Stephenson praised the Etihad Airways pilot, adding that her customers were “so grateful that staff were very helpful and they were taken care of”. The pilot returned the aircraft to the boarding gate while staff arranged to get the couple’s baggage and assist them back through the airport and collect their car so they could drive straight home.
The airline said the couple could use their tickets to Abu Dhabi whenever they chose. Their grandson died the following day, 31 March, when the passengers were scheduled to be arriving in Australia.
Mrs Stephenson said the couple, who did not wish to be named, were grateful to have had the chance to say goodbye to their grandson.
“They are so happy,” she added. “They never in a million years expected to the crew to go so far for them.
“You shudder to think what would have happened if they hadn’t been able to get off the plane.”
The travel agent wrote a post thanking the airline in a Facebook group, where the pilot was praised by commenters as “truly amazing” according to the Travel Mole website.
Etihad are reportedly allowing the couple to re-use the tickets for a future trip to Australia, where they have relatives.
The airline has not yet responded to The Independent’s request for a comment.