Full Analysis Summary
In-flight death and delay
An 89-year-old British woman was pronounced dead on board an easyJet flight from Málaga to London Gatwick.
Passengers said she had been wheeled onto the aircraft by relatives and was later found deceased, which forced the jet to return to the stand and prompted emergency services to meet the flight.
Travellers complained the long delay was only compensated with food and drink vouchers.
Multiple outlets reported the flight was delayed for about 12 hours as staff and authorities dealt with the incident.
Coverage Differences
Narrative emphasis
Tabloid outlets (Daily Mail, Daily Star, The Sun) foreground passengers’ allegations that the woman was already dead when boarded and stress the long delay and passenger complaints, while mainstream outlets (lbc.co.uk, El Mundo) present both passenger claims and airline-denied accounts and focus on the procedural outcome (death pronounced onboard and emergency response). Each source generally reports the same basic timeline (boarding, discovery, return to stand) but emphasizes different elements (allegation, airline denial, or official confirmation).
Passenger death dispute
Eyewitnesses in multiple reports said five relatives pushed a woman in a wheelchair to the rear of the plane, lifted her into a seat and told staff she was unwell or had fallen asleep, with at least one passenger claiming a family member said "it's OK, we're doctors", and that cabin crew later discovered she had died as taxiing began.
Those passenger accounts appear in tabloids and local outlets, while easyJet has publicly disputed the witness narrative, stating the passenger had a fit-to-fly certificate and was alive when she boarded.
Coverage Differences
Contradiction (witnesses vs airline)
Witness-based reports (lbc.co.uk, Daily Star, My London, Surrey Live, The Sun) quote passengers describing relatives wheeling and seating the woman and claiming they were doctors; in contrast, easyJet’s statements (reported by lbc.co.uk, Daily Star, My London) deny those claims and cite a fit-to-fly certificate and that the passenger was alive at boarding. The sources clearly label some material as passengers’ claims and other material as the airline’s response rather than presenting either as undisputed fact.
Official and repatriation details
Reports include official and procedural details, noting that Spanish authorities pronounced the woman dead on the aircraft, the plane returned to the gate, and emergency services attended.
Other outlets—especially the Daily Mail—outline later complexities if repatriation to the UK is pursued, such as potential costs, the need for specialist caskets, certification, and interactions with UK authorities.
These procedural descriptions are presented as context rather than eyewitness testimony.
Coverage Differences
Added context / informational depth
Daily Mail provides background on repatriation procedures and costs (an informational angle not present in tabloid eyewitness reports); mainstream outlets (lbc.co.uk, El Mundo) stick to the immediate incident and official statements. The Mail’s material is presented as general guidance about repatriation, while other sources concentrate on the event and responses from easyJet or Spanish authorities.
Controversy over boarding checks
Passengers and social-media posts quickly criticized both the family and airport ground or special-assistance staff for allowing the woman on board despite her appearance, and some travellers said staff had questioned the family multiple times.
Other reporting focused on the airline's statement and procedural response rather than assigning blame, but local and tabloid coverage recorded dominant on-the-ground anger and bewilderment at what many saw as a preventable failure of checks.
Coverage Differences
Tone (accusatory vs neutral)
Local outlets and tabloids (Surrey Live, My London, The Sun, Daily Star) emphasize passenger anger and social-media criticism of staff and family, adopting a strongly accusatory tone, while mainstream wire-style reporting (lbc.co.uk, El Mundo) presents those accusations alongside the airline’s denials and official actions, giving a more neutral or balanced frame.
Media coverage by outlet type
Coverage differs by source type.
Tabloid outlets (Daily Mail, Daily Star, The Sun) amplify vivid eyewitness claims and passenger outrage.
Local outlets (Surrey Live, My London) repeat eyewitness testimony and emphasise traveller frustration.
Mainstream outlets (lbc.co.uk, El Mundo) report both witness allegations and the airline's denial and tend to present official statements and procedural facts.
A couple of sources (Daily Record, Coventry Telegraph) did not supply article text in the provided snippets and instead requested the content, indicating incomplete coverage in those outlets' snippets.
Coverage Differences
Missed information / availability
Daily Record and Coventry Telegraph did not provide article text in the supplied snippets and explicitly asked for content, whereas other outlets provided full reports; this affects what each source contributes to the overall picture and demonstrates that not every named outlet produced a publishable article in the material provided.
Tone / sensationalism
Tabloids like The Sun and Daily Star present the most sensational, witness-led accounts (claiming the woman was 'carried onto the plane' already dead), while lbc.co.uk and El Mundo include those claims but clearly label them as witness reports and pair them with the airline’s denial.