A passenger took to social media after alleging that airline Jet2 refused boarding to several people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The passenger, who was due to fly back to the UK from Gran Canaria, claimed he was refused boarding because he had been filming. However, he said he was unsure why the other passengers were refused, alleging that those denied boarding all appeared to be people of colour and Muslims.

The disgruntled passenger can be seen at the airport in the video, saying: “The five Muslim names that they see, they took us out and they’re removing us from the flight”. The man added that airline staff had told him he would not be flying back to the UK but would instead be “going on a West Midlands flight” before being put on “a coach all the way to the ends”.

The passenger repeatedly claimed that “everyone” was allowed to board “except for the five Muslims”, before urging viewers to “everyone go report this nasty company”. He further alleged that those singled out included “two South Asian guys, one Bangladeshi guy and six North Africans”, who “all got removed from the flight because it’s full and everyone else can go on the flight normally”.

Whilst the Gran Canaria holiday ended in what the passenger described as an unfortunate incident, allegations of discrimination are not new to Jet2. The British low-cost airline, based at Leeds Bradford Airport in England, has previously faced discrimination claims, including a hairstyle sex discrimination case in 2024. Former cabin crew member Marion McKay claimed she had been constructively dismissed and discriminated against after being told her undercut hairstyle breached the airline’s grooming policy. She argued that male colleagues with similar hairstyles were treated differently. An Employment Tribunal ultimately dismissed her claim.

A similar high-profile case arose in 2022, when a customer accused Jet2 of sexism after compensation for a delayed flight was addressed to her husband, despite her being the lead passenger and the person who booked and paid for the trip.

Jet2 has also defended other discrimination-related employment tribunal cases, including claims alleging sex discrimination, bullying and harassment. Whilst the majority of these claims have been dismissed in the airline’s favour, the UK’s largest tour operator since 2023 continues to face complaints that could pose a challenge to its famous tagline: “Nothing beats a Jet2holiday”.