The morning started like any other. Munich Airport was packed: people were rushing to catch their flights, some were drinking coffee at the boarding gate, others were trying to fit their suitcases into the luggage compartment. One of the EuroSky planes was boarding for a flight to Barcelona.
A pregnant woman named Anna was standing at the end of the queue. She was wearing a long coat, her face was pale — she was holding her stomach, trying not to show how difficult it was for her. In her hands she held a small bag, documents and a bottle of water. She was seven months pregnant, and her doctor had only allowed her to fly on condition that everything went smoothly.
When Anna entered the cabin, a flight attendant with perfectly styled hair and a professional smile asked: ‘How far along are you, madam?’ ‘Seven months, but I have a doctor’s note, everything is fine,’ Anna took the paper out of her bag. The girl glanced at the note and, frowning, whispered something to her colleague.
A couple of seconds later, another flight attendant approached with a cold expression on her face:
‘I’m sorry, but we can’t let you board. It’s against company policy without the captain’s written permission.’ Anna was confused.
‘But I have a connecting flight in an hour, I can’t stay! Please call the pilot, I’ll explain…’
‘I’m sorry, but the decision has been made,’ the flight attendant said curtly.
‘You must leave the plane.’ People in the cabin began to whisper. Someone supported Anna:
‘Leave the woman alone, she has her documents!’ But the flight attendants stood their ground. The captain did not leave the cockpit.
Two employees literally pushed Anna back down the stairs, one of them saying irritably: ‘It’s better not to take any chances, madam, it’s for the best.’ Anna struggled down the steps, holding onto the handrail.
Her breathing was uneven. At the check-in desk, she asked for water, but the attendant said she had to wait until her ticket was transferred. Only a few minutes passed.
The plane from which she had been kicked off was already taxiing onto the runway. Anna stood by the window, watching the plane pick up speed. Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded throughout the cabin. The people around her froze.
The display lit up: Emergency Runway Stop. The plane suddenly braked sharply, leaving a trail of smoke from its tyres behind it. Someone screamed, someone ran to the windows. Birds swirled in the sky above the runway, as if something had frightened them. A few seconds later, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: “Landing is temporarily suspended.
Technical malfunction on board EuroSky 417. Please remain calm.‘ Anna froze. Her heart was beating fast. She could feel her legs shaking. A few minutes later, the dispatcher burst into the hall with a walkie-talkie: ’They have a navigation system failure. If they had taken off, the plane would have lost control in five minutes!
People began to exchange glances. Someone whispered: ‘This is the same flight that kicked that woman off…’ ‘The pregnant woman?’ asked an elderly lady sitting nearby. ‘Oh my God…’ Anna stood looking at the plane through the window, unable to believe it.
She had been kicked off… and that had saved her life — and possibly the lives of all the passengers. Later it turned out that while the luggage compartment was being loaded, a short circuit had occurred under seat 14B, causing an electronic malfunction. If the plane had taken off, the malfunction would have turned into a fire.
When, two hours later, company employees approached Anna with apologies and a new ticket, she just smiled. ‘Thank you, but I don’t think I should fly today,’ she said calmly, clutching her stomach. Since then, there has been talk at this airport that sometimes fate intervenes and saves those who have been unfairly rejected.
