Captain gets his holiday

OFF-DUTY Easy Jet captain Michael Bradley and his family were waiting to fly from Manchester to Alicante when their plane was delayed.

Their flight’s captain was missing, they learnt, so rather than face a long wait, he offered to fly the aircraft to Alicante.

Mr Bradley informed passengers over the tannoy that they were going to Alicante after all and he would be their Captain.

A video taken by a surprised passenger showed Mr Bradley receiving cheers from the passengers, as he explained that while going through security, he thought it was worth calling easyJet.

“I have my licence with me, I have my ID with me and I’d very much like to go on holiday and if you need a favour, I’m standing here ready to go,” he said to the airline.

Mr Bradley was told they would phone him back, which they did 38 seconds later.

An easyJet spokesman explained the delay was due to the failure of France’s Air Traffic Control which had impacted on crew.

The incident was “exceptional” easyJet said, stressing that Mr Bradley was well-rested after four days off and legally permitted to fly the aircraft.