Manchester United have apologised to fans who missed Thursday night’s Europa League game in Porto due to a cancelled flight organised by the club’s official travel partner.
Supporters endured a lengthy delay at Manchester Airport and then sat on the tarmac for hours before being told that they would not be leaving.
The AlbaStar flight, which was arranged by Sportsbreaks solely for the purpose of shipping United fans to Portugal, was originally scheduled to take off shortly before 8am (BST) on Thursday morning.
Time started to look tight for the 8pm kick-off when the departure was pushed back to 2.30pm due to the plane breaking down in Rome prior to arriving in Manchester. After finally boarding the plane, giddy fans, some of whom had paid £500 per person, were told there were no landing slots available in Porto to get them there in time for the match.
It meant around 180 supporters were denied the chance to watch United at Estadio do Dragao, and the club have taken action.
Their statement read: “Manchester United is very sorry for the disappointment experienced by the impacted fans. They will receive a full refund from our travel partner Sportsbreaks, and as a thank you for their continued support a complimentary ticket for our Europa League home game against Bodo/Glimt.”
The devastating blow for fans came the day after United players and staff encountered their own travel trouble. Bad weather in Porto meant they landed at their destination three hours later than planned, hampering their preparation for the match.
United were scheduled to take off at 3pm on Wednesday but didn’t end up leaving until just after 6pm due to rain and fog. Upon landing, Erik ten Hag was whisked straight off to a press conference, which was pushed back from 7pm to 8.30pm.
With pressure mounting on the Dutchman, the questions were never going to be easy. “Everyone has to take responsibility and that starts with me as the manager,” he said, with his side still reeling from Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham.
“But on the pitch we have leadership skills and they have to stand up. Every game for us is important and every opponent is 100 per cent motivated. We have to be ready to compete and fight with them.”
