May 27, 2025, 12:44 pm | Read time: 3 minutes

A Swedish senior citizen accidentally boarded a flight to Italy instead of Berlin at Copenhagen Airport. The mistake apparently went unnoticed during boarding, and the airport is now investigating the incident.

Consequences of a Wrong Transfer

Lena, a 79-year-old Swede who prefers not to disclose her last name, originally planned to travel to Berlin via Copenhagen. She booked her flight with EasyJet, with a transfer at Kastrup Airport. However, during boarding, she apparently followed another group of passengers by mistake–and boarded the wrong plane.

In the cabin, she noticed some inconsistencies. “Wait a minute, I was supposed to fly with EasyJet,” she initially thought, as Lena told the Swedish newspaper
“Expressen.” But since no one was sitting in her seat and she could imagine that the two low-cost airlines Ryanair and EasyJet might collaborate, she stayed on board.

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Bologna Instead of Berlin

During the flight, she wondered about the duration of the journey. “I thought maybe we were delayed,” Lena told Expressen. The surprise came upon arrival–a sign at the airport announced: “Welcome to Bologna!”

She immediately contacted her son, with whom she was supposed to meet in Berlin. He promptly reached out to EasyJet and Ryanair–initially without success. It was only hours later that Ryanair responded: airline staff put Lena in a taxi to Venice. From there, she finally flew to Berlin.

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Security Gap at the Gate?

How it was possible for a passenger to board the wrong plane unnoticed remains unclear. Lena believes she showed her boarding pass at the gate. According to Expressen, Ryanair stated via email that each passenger is responsible for boarding the correct plane. Additionally, an external service provider conducted the boarding in Copenhagen.

The airport management in Copenhagen has announced an investigation into the incident. Lena expressed significant concerns about the situation to Expressen: “What if it had been a terrorist?”

Lost Passengers Are Not Uncommon

Other travelers have also found that even multiple boarding pass checks do not guarantee a correct flight route. In fall 2023, two British retirees, Linda Trestrail (69) and Wendy Russell (71), who intended to fly from Bristol to Mallorca, accidentally ended up in Menorca–as reported by TRAVELBOOK. It was only when the pilot announced the landing on the smaller neighboring island that the women realized the mistake–despite their boarding passes being checked five times in Bristol.

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Similar to Lena’s case, the responsible airline Jet2 attributed the incident to a “human error” by an external service provider. The two women, who were brought to the plane in wheelchairs due to limited mobility, were apparently taken to the wrong Jet2 plane on the tarmac. The short-haul flight turned into a more than 17-hour odyssey for the two women.