THIS is the moment holidaymakers were left shocked when their flight was cancelled as they sat waiting for the plane to take off.
Grace and two pals had been hoping to jet from Dublin to Gatwick Airport with Aer Lingus for a break when the nightmare unfolded – leaving the three friends shocked at their misfortune.
And the friends captured the moment the unexpected announcement was made onboard.
In a TikTok video, a crew member can be heard explaining some workers had run out of hours they were allowed to work – meaning the flight had to be cancelled.
She filmed the moment passengers learned they wouldn't be going anywhere because some of the crew were over the allowance of hours they are cleared to fly.
In the clip, they explain: "Some of my crew have run out of hours.
READ MORE TRAVEL NEWS
Don’t throw away Shein clothing bags, it’ll make travelling a breeze
The real reason why planes have windows – and it’s not what you think
"This is a legal maximum that they're allowed to work per day and it's regulated by the aviation authorities.
"As such, we have no choice now, but unfortunately I have had to cancel the flight.
"There is an airbridge coming up to the door at the moment, we're going to be opening the doors shortly, we would ask that you take everything with you."
Grace is heard saying "no", as she realises she and her friends won't be getting to their destination as planned.
Her friend quickly jumps on her phone, later explained by Grace that she had to cancel their lift waiting for them at Gatwick.
The video has racked up more than 1.3 million views on TikTok, garnering almost 100,000 likes and more than 1300 comments.
Most read in The Sun
Haaland shows off sunburn after flying to Marbella following Man City win
Snorers 'can get up to £156 a week in DWP benefits' due to medical condition
My house is plagued by influencers taking SELFIES – it's costing me thousands
Inside Benjamin Mendy’s mansion where he ‘raped victims in panic rooms’
Some viewers of the clip were less than impressed with the short notice given to the hopeful travellers.
One person said: "Knowing hours in advance that they will need to cancel why do they let it go this far".
Others were sympathetic toward the flight staff, writing: "That must have been so difficult for the cabin crew. You can hear the sadness in the announcers voice."
Another agreed, saying: "Poor crew working hard short staffed. I know the feeling at the moment."
Someone else wrote: "Imagine the abuse they’re going to get. If they took off on time- then they would have been back by eg 4 hours- a delay means".
Another said: "It's amazing how many people know absolutely nothing about the aviation industry and crew. Crew are not robots and are there for your safety."
According to the Civil Aviation Authority regulations, staff are not legally able to work more than 12 hours in a day.
The Sun has contacted Aer Lingus for comment.
Ryanair, British Airways, EasyJet and other airlines are all cancelling flights, mostly last minute, and this results in long queues for long hours piling up across British airports.
It is a perfect storm of issues, including staffing problems, IT glitches, runway works and air traffic restrictions.
Both airlines and airports were haemorrhaging cash over the course of the pandemic, as Brits were put off foreign holidays thanks to either travel bans, the threat of quarantine or the ever-changing government travel traffic light system.
Read More on The Sun
Love Island star gets new £70k BMW – despite being booted out of villa on day 2
I got a cute dragon tattoo on holiday – but it all went painfully wrong
That meant staff had to be laid off, with many inevitably finding another career that they have no intention of returning from.
For airports and airlines looking to recruit new staff, the process is more complicated than in a normal occupation due to safety issues.
Source: Read Full Article