A team of walking footballers from Morecambe were caught up in chaotic scenes at Manchester Airport after the power failed causing flights to take off without passengers.
The Morecambe FC walking football team were heading to Alicante in Spain on Wednesday for a tournament when a power cut hit Terminal 3 at the airport.
This led to issues with checking-in and boarding, causing long queues and some flights to take off with passengers still trying to get through check-in through no fault of their own.
One of the Morecambe team, Andy Toft and his wife Michelle, were among those who missed their flight.
David Brayshaw, a member of the Morecambe FC walking football team, said there were scenes of "utter carnage" at the airport on Wednesday morning when he and his wife Carla arrived at around 8.40am.
"We walked into Terminal 3 and security guards said don't go in there and sent us to Terminal 1, but when we got there they sent us back to Terminal 3," said Mr Brayshaw.
"Nobody knew what was going on.
"We were stood on the concourse for three quarters of an hour until they opened things up again.
"A couple of our group had cabin bags, the conveyor belts weren't working, so their plane took off without them.
"Nobody from Ryanair was about. It was ridiculous."
Most of the Morecambe party of 14 made their flight with moments to spare, but the plane was half-empty as hundreds of people were unable to get through in time.
Mr Brayshaw said Andy would be getting another flight to Spain on Thursday to join up with the team, who will be playing in a competition on Friday.
'Walking football' is played at walking pace with no running, jogging or heading and reduced physical contact.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said on Wednesday: "The power outage that affected Terminal 3 shortly before 8am (on Wednesday) has been resolved and we are working to return services to normal. We are aware this means some passengers are facing long waiting times than usual as our airlines recover their check-in processes and we apologise or any inconvenience.
"Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the most up-to-date flight information."
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "Due to a power outage at Manchester Airport, which was entirely beyond Ryanair’s control, some passengers missed their flights from Manchester Airport (on May 24).
"Where possible, we have reaccommodated affected passengers on alternative Ryanair flights departing later (on Wednesday) and where alternative flights are not available today, we advise passengers to contact our customer service team. We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of this power outage at Manchester Airport, which was entirely beyond Ryanair’s control."
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