On January 2, 2023, 23 passengers of the low-cost airline Ryanair at London Stansted Airport probably had the feeling they were in a “wrong film”. They missed their flight between scanning their boarding pass at the gate and boarding the Airbus A320 operated by Lauda Europe with the registration 9H-LAX.

The travelers actually wanted to fly to the Croatian capital Zagreb on flight number FR2190. Boarding cards, luggage and IDs were initially checked at the gate as usual. All everyday routine and especially Ryanair passengers are mostly very familiar with the processes. However, things turned out differently for 23 travelers. While they were in the L-shaped "gangway" on their way to the plane, suddenly nothing worked. Neither forward nor back to the gate counter.

The ground staff had locked both the entrance (behind the counter) and the exit to the apron, through which the travelers were supposed to get to 9H-LAX. It has apparently been forgotten that not all passengers have boarded yet. It was obviously very uncomfortable for the passengers, because despite knocking, shouting and even calling Stansted Airport, no one responded. It was only when a traveler decided to simply press the fire alarm button that the predicament became apparent.

The crew of Lauda Europe obviously did not notice that the 23 passengers were not on board at all: Spicy: the passengers' checked luggage was flown to Zagreb. Actually, for security reasons, no "single traveling suitcases" may be transported, as there have already been attacks in the history of civil aviation. Incidentally, the passengers were patient, because the alarm button was only used after about half an hour of waiting.

This ultimately led to the liberation of the forgotten travelers, but they were still unable to fly because the 9H-LAX took off at 10:30 sharp – without the 23 people, but with their checked bags. Ryanair is extremely uncomfortable with the incident and the company didn't even try to sugarcoat the matter. “Due to human error on the part of check-in staff at London Stansted Airport, a small number of passengers were unable to leave the pre-boarding area doors and unfortunately missed their flight to Zagreb. The mistake was soon noticed, but the flight had already departed. Ryanair has offered affected passengers overnight accommodation and rebooked them on the next available flight," the company said in a statement.

Those affected then left for Zagreb on January 3, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. with the Boeing 737-800 with the registration EI-EFK. The 23 people were rebooked on Ryanair flight FR2190 and reached their destination almost 20 hours late.