Grandma almost arrested for refusing to pay for $11 tuna sandwich during flight
A grandmother on vacation was left stunned after nearly being arrested for refusing to pay for a tuna sandwich that she sent back during an international flight earlier this month.
Lily Ifield described the sub as “soggy,” “cold” and inedible when she ordered the $11 snack on a Jet2 flight from London to Turkey on Nov. 3, she told the Sun. She said when it came time to pay up, she refused.
Once the low-cost airline’s plane landed in Bodrum – a city in the southwest part of Turkey – four officers armed with guns and batons stood by the plane to escort the 79-year-old grandma-of-one off the aircraft.
The cabin crew was reportedly fed up with her refusing to pay for the sandwich even though she claimed to have already paid around $63 for four mini bottles of wine that she drank with her daughter to deal with their anxiety in the sky.
“We had no idea what we had done. I was turning round to people, saying ‘I think I’ve been arrested over a sandwich,’” Ifield said.
The steward reportedly told the British resident to “shut up” and be quiet, according to Ifield, but she snapped back saying “excuse me, I can talk as much as I like’. We were being treated like convicts over a bap [sandwich].”
When the women were greeted by armed police in a foreign country, they were “shaking” and had initially no idea that the police response was over the fishy sandwich.
Ifield’s daughter suggested maybe she was being arrested because someone put drugs in their luggage, she told the Sun.
To add onto the confusion, airport police reportedly made Ifield walk “miles” through the airport. The trek was troubling for the older woman, who claimed she needed a new knee and used a walking stick. When she tried to ask for an update on where they were headed, officers reportedly said “no speak English, no speak English.”
Even her daughter was shocked about how the incident appeared to have escalated.
“My daughter said, ‘look, my mum just sent a sandwich back – what’s this all about?’” Ifield said.
Eventually, when officers realized the drama was over an unpaid sandwich, they decided to just move on from the entire ordeal.
“It only ended when they suddenly realized how stupid the argument was they had been called for and told us ‘just go.’ They were clearly so embarrassed,” Ifield said.
The New York Post has reached out to Jet2 for comment.
Ifield said the experience ruined her vacation.
“We were so upset we just stayed in our room for four days. We felt sick with worry. It ruined our holiday. All over a flipping tuna sandwich. No-one would have eaten that,” Ifield said.
