Leeds Bradford Airport Ltd.

Jet2 is the UK’s third largest airline

Jet2, Britain’s third-largest airline, wants passengers to act before they are due to depart. The travel operator is urging those set to fly with them this year to take action “at least 12 hours before your flight”, according to their most recent guidance.

In its “latest travel information” section, Jet2 advises holidaymakers to check the site at least 12 hours prior to their flight for any updates. The alert continues: “Further information can be found by using the [above] search panel by entering your flight number or route. We recommend arriving at the airport at least 2 hours before your scheduled departure time.”

Passengers are also reminded that check-in desks close 40 minutes before departure. In case of any flight disruption, Jet2 assures that its dedicated Operations teams at its UK-based HQ are working tirelessly to get passengers “on their way as soon as possible”.

Jet2 currently operates from several airports across the UK including Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Manchester Airport, Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Newcastle Airport, Leeds Bradford Airport, East Midlands Airport, Birmingham Airport, London Luton, London Stansted, Bristol Airport, and Bournemouth.

The carrier operates flights to over 75 destinations across Europe, including Spain, Turkey and Italy. Jet2 recently announced it is launching Palermo as a brand-new city break destination in Summer 26, with trips available from Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle International – from May 1 until October 23.

Michael, 64, and Kathryn, 72, Roper were enjoying a drink in the departure lounge at Leeds and Bradford Airport when they found the sharp knife in her bag, prompting alarm

A British couple inadvertently caused a security stir when they breezed through airport checks with a 10-inch steak knife in their luggage.

Michael, aged 64, and Kathryn Roper, 72, were left gobsmacked after sailing through Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) security, only to discover the sizeable blade nestled in her bag while sipping pints in the departure lounge, eagerly anticipating their flight to their Spanish holiday home.

The sharp discovery, featuring a six-inch blade, was made as the couple from Oxenhope, near Bradford, Yorkshire, were about to embark on their sunny getaway. Kathryn recalled how the knife ended up in her possession after using it to slice some cake during a visit to her stepfather earlier that day, an innocent oversight that led to the alarming find.

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Upon realising the blunder, the Ropers promptly alerted the security team, who confiscated the blade.

Michael criticised the effectiveness of the security process: “It’s pretty rubbish, either the scanners were not working properly, or the bloke looking at the bag station has not been paying attention.

“My wife had been down to see her elderly step-dad, she took a knife and some cake for him. She put the knife in her bag, picked up our passports, bags, etc. and off we went. We went through security, sat having a beer and she pulled it out and she was like ‘oh my God’. Both of us fought it was shocking no one noticed – we couldn’t believe it.”

The pub-owning pair noted that upon their arrival at LBA, they passed through modern scanners designed to allow passengers to keep liquids inside their carry-ons.

After discovering what they’d brought through with them, the couple were initially uncertain about how to proceed, but ultimately Michael decided to pocket the knife, return through security, and alert the head of security.

Michael recounted: “We were stuck with an offensive weapon, a sharp steak knife, airside. You can’t put it into a bin, you’ve got a responsibility, it could get into the wrong hands, we all know what can happen. You can’t just give it to a member of the public there.

Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), located in Yeadon, confirmed that an internal investigation is currently in progress. An airport spokesperson said: “As the incident is under investigation internally, we can’t comment any further.”

This summer hoolidaymakers have been urged to plan ahead and do their research before travelling abroad to avoid being caught out by hand luggage rules. The Transport Secretary has told air passengers to assume the 100ml limit on liquids in hand luggage remains in place, after two airports changed their policies.

To avoid confusion, make sure you check out guide of the UK’s major airports and their security policies.

One of the UK’s busiest airports has resorted to issuing a seemingly bizarre warning after unveiling its new e-gates, as the hub continues with its major £100m regeneration scheme

A long-awaited revamp to a tiny UK airport has resulted in a rather strange passport warning being issued to Brits.

Earlier this month, Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) revealed it had completed the first phase of its ambitious terminal expansion project, which is slated to cost a whopping £100 million. The upgrade boasts a host of new facilities including additional seating, two new lounges, an improved baggage reclaim area, and an upgraded passport control area.

The new terminal, which all arriving and departing passengers will go through, has 83 per cent more seating, a range of food and drink offerings including a Burger King and a new bar, as well as a brand new Six Eight One Premium Lounge. LBA chief executive officer Vincent Hodder said it was the ‘first major improvement to our terminal since its opening in 1968 and is long overdue’.

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Details of the refurbishment were first announced back in 2018 as part of bold plans to create a new terminal at the south end of the runway. However, the original blueprints were axed several years later due to ‘excessive delays’. Buildings for the new extension then started in 2023.

Part of the upgrade also includes new e-gates – which have appeared to have sparked confusion online. In a recent TikTok video, LBA showed off the machines, which require passengers to scan their boarding pass before being allowed through automatic gates, stating: “Do you hear that? You don’t need your passport. You don’t need your passport. You don’t need your passport.”

LBA captioned the post: “You only need your boarding card (paper or digital) to go through our e-gates, NOT your passport!” However, some viewers misconstrued the post into thinking they no longer need to bring their passports along to the airport at all.

“How would one get back [to the UK] if one never took a passport?” one person commented. Another wrote: “Oh this ain’t going to go down well when people start turning up without passports,” while a third pointed out: “Bold move from the graphic design team.” Others criticised the airport for relying on the ‘common sense’ of the public to understand the post properly.

The airport clarified in the comments section, that travellers ‘obviously’ do need a passport to leave the country, and that the post was explicitly referencing the e-gates. In a separate video, the hub joked about the confusion with a video captioned: “Can’t believe we’ve got to say this but please don’t try [and] travel without your passport…”

Speaking to the Mirror about the humorous TikTok videos, a spokesperson for LBA said: “It’s often best to take a light-hearted approach with some of the more routine airport processes that help us ensure customers are prepped and ready to travel in the best possible way. We’ve recently shared some light-hearted content to help customers use our newly installed security e-gates as well as responding to customers wanting to smoke after security.

“For most, travelling through an airport is a fun time. We want to ensure customers have the necessary information to help make their journey run as smoothly as possible.”

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The new terminal is part of the first phase of Leeds Bradford Airport’s £100 million terminal expansion project

Passengers at Leeds Bradford Airport have hailed the new terminal as ‘brill’ and even ‘better than Manchester Airport’ on its opening day.

The airport’s £100 million terminal expansion project has unveiled a host of new facilities, including additional seating, two new lounges, an improved baggage reclaim area, and an upgraded passport control.

From Tuesday, all passengers arriving and departing via LBA will move through the upgraded terminal facilities. The terminal expansion includes a modernised arrivals process, including a new baggage reclaim area and an upgraded passport control facility incorporating advanced security technologies.

The new terminal has 83% more seating, an “food and drink offering” and two premium lounges, including the brand-new Six Eight One Premium Lounge.

Travellers heading to Krakow on Tuesday, June 17, shared their thoughts on the new amenities and how they stack up against Manchester.

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Polish couple Szymon Machynia and Agata Koc, who were off to a religious ceremony related to their Rodzimowierstwo faith, which inspired elements in ‘The Witcher’ Netflix series, praised the new setup, reports Leeds Live.

Szymon, a mill operative, expressed his disdain for Manchester Airport: “I hate Manchester, I despise that airport. It’s hard to get in there, it’s easy to get lost around. If they change something you suddenly have to go from one spot in the airport to the other. It’s awful.

“Leeds is nice and small. Security was brill, it was fast and simple. The new gate was great and the new machines improve the process. I still had to take my shoes off – but maybe one day we’ll get there.”

Agata, a photographer, also shared her approval: “I think this terminal is better than the other one. The old one was small but this one is open and everything was [clearly] signposted where to go.”

Doncaster-based plumber Filip Dziegielewski, 39, set to embark on a European jaunt with friends, praised the convenience of his departure point, remarking, “It looks very nice and tidy, very modern. Good connections. Security was very fast today, everything was working.”

He added, “Leeds will be better than Manchester once they finish work on the bus from Doncaster to Leeds. It’s 40 miles but it takes one and half hour. Manchester is busy and here it is very quiet.”

Wakefield local, technical logistics supervisor and father-of-three Slawomir Baokowski, 38, on his way to see family, expressed enthusiasm about the airport. He said “It’s fantastic, honestly. It’s really nice and fresh, good job. There’s loads here. Honestly, and it’s the first time I say this, but it’s better in Leeds than Manchester Airport. In Manchester, there’s too many people there.”

Alan Brytan, 23, who specialises in quality control, heading to reunite with relatives, was not aware work was underway.

“It’s quite surprising, to be honest, I wasn’t aware of it. It’s come together really nicely. This was completely new news to me. I got a notification on my phone saying ‘gate seven’, and I asked some guy about it. It’s a whole new terminal, like a whole new world. It looks much nicer.,” he said.

“If you want to travel, it’s still better just to go to Manchester. If you’re going closer to home then this is the better airport.”

Natalie Sadler, 43, was travelling from Magaluf, Majorca to Leeds Bradford Airport on May 20 when she was told by a member of staff at the gate to put her suitcase in the baggage sizer

A mum managed to board her Ryanair flight without paying the baggage charge by ditching her suitcase and using a bin bag, leaving a ‘jobsworth’ gobsmacked.

Natalie Sadler was preparing to board her flight from Palma de Majorca to Leeds Bradford on 20 May when she claims a staff member asked her to place her suitcase in the baggage sizer. The 43-year-old caterer had purchased priority boarding for her family holiday to Magaluf, which entitled her to a small personal bag (40x20x25cm) and a 10kg bag (55x40x20cm).

However, Natalie admitted that her 10kg suitcase was a ‘thumbnail’ too big with one of the wheels sticking out. She alleges that a Ryanair staff member then informed her she would need to pay €70 (£58) to take the bag on the flight.

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The mother-of-three claims the same Ryanair staff member told her she had to pay the fee or she wouldn’t be allowed to board the aircraft. Natalie refused to pay the fee, citing the staff member’s ‘rude’ behaviour.

Thinking quickly, she approached a nearby bar at the boarding gate and requested a bin bag. Upon returning to the gate, she emptied all of her clothes from her suitcase into the blue bin bag and left her case behind.

A victorious Natalie boarded the plane with the bin bag and stowed it in the overhead locker, triggering applause of from onlookers. Footage shows Natalie discussing her experience and the blue bin bag containing her belongings.

In a dramatic turn at the boarding gate, Natalie was told by Ryanair staff that her suitcase was a mere thumbnail too wide. She recalled: “It [the suitcase] was literally a thumbnail too wide and the wheel was slightly out, so I’m not going to dispute that.”

A Ryanair staff member then gave her an ultimatum: “She [a Ryanair staff member] was like, ‘if you don’t pay €70 (£58) you’ll get a new flight home. I’ll send the flight without you.’ It wasn’t the money, it was the principle at this point because she was so rude.

“But I said to my husband, ‘open the case’ and I ran over to where the bar was near the boarding gate and I went, ‘have you got a bin bag?’ I opened the case at the door for boarding and she [the Ryanair staff member] was stood next to me and I filled the bag with everything out of the case.”

Determined to avoid the additional fee, Natalie flung it over her shoulder “like Santa” and told the Ryanair crew that they could keep her bag. “And off I went onto the plane. When I got on everyone was clapping, it was hilarious, it was so funny,” she added.

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“Everyone was just laughing. They were clapping as I walked on with this bag. I couldn’t get down the aisle because it was so big. Everyone found it highly amusing. I told them [the passengers on the plane] there was no way after the way she spoke to me was I giving her any of my money. Not a chance.”

Natalie noted that she had used the same suitcase on a Ryanair flight before without any trouble. She claims she had flown out to Palma de Majorca on Ryanair just seven days prior with the same suitcase and experienced no problems.

Natalie, who had received the brand new suitcase as a gift from her parents, was willing to part with it rather than pay the extra fee. She explained: “I was quite happy to forfeit the suitcase. It’s just a suitcase, it’s not the end of the world. I was like, ‘I’m not leaving all my clothes, what am I going to put it in?”.

Natalie decided not to pay the £58 fee for the oversized suitcase, considering it was only worth £45 new.

“It is absolutely ridiculous but I’m glad I stood my ground. There’s so many people who would have just gone, ‘get the card out, pay them’,” she concluded.

A Ryanair spokesperson clarified the airline’s bag policy: “Ryanair’s bag policy is simple; if the bag fits in our bag sizer, which is bigger than our agreed dimensions, it gets on free of charge. If the bag doesn’t fit within our sizer, it will get charged for. This passenger’s bag exceeded the permitted dimensions, and they chose to repack their items in an alternative bag that would fit the sizer instead. There is a very simple solution to this, which is that passengers simply comply with their agreement at the time of booking and travel with bags that fit or are smaller than our agreed bag dimensions.”