The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet crashed within minutes of its take-off from Addis Ababa, losing and gaining speed dramatically in its final seconds after setting off for Nairobi.   

British victim Joanna Toole, from Exmouth, Devon, was among at least 12 passengers who were travelling to a UN environment meeting in the Kenyan capital.  

Paying tribute today, her father Adrian called her a ‘very soft and loving person’ whose work with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation was ‘not a job but a vocation’. 

Mr Toole said she had flown around the world but added: ‘Personally I never wanted her to be on a single one of those planes.’  

Within the first few minutes after take-off the plane’s vertical speed, the rate of climb or descent, varied from 2,624 feet per minute to -1216.

According to Swedish flight-tracking website flightradar24 the plane, which was new and was delivered to the airline last November, ‘had unstable vertical speed’ shortly after take off.  

Aviation experts describe this as extremely unusual because once a plane has taken off the vertical speed should rise or remain stable. 

Among the 149 passengers and eight crew members killed on flight ET302 were seven Britons and one Irishman – named tonight as Michael Ryan – as well as 18 Canadians and eight Americans. 

Another victim was named as Joseph Waithaka, a native Kenyan who lived in Hull for more than a decade and was on his way home from visiting his family in the city. 

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The graphic shows how the plane’s vertical speed fluctuated in the minute before it crashed near Addis Ababa airport 

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The wreckage of the plane – showing the colours of the Ethiopian flag on the plane’s livery – lies at the scene of the crash 

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Rescue team collect bodies in bags at the crash site of Ethiopia Airlines near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa

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Passengers are increasingly nervous about booking with lesser known carriers in the run-up to March 29, despite the EU’s agreement that British-based and British-owned airlines will be able to fly to and from the Continent and overfly Europe for at least nine months after the UK leaves.

The company’s owner, Airline Investments, must also take a hefty share of blame for its financial travails, but Flybmi’s problems are also a reflection of a far broader malaise in the airline industry.

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The East Midlands-based airline had 376 staff and operated 17 planes that flew to 25 cities

 The rise of a new generation of discount carriers, challenging the dominance of established no-frills players such as EasyJet and Ryanair, means that there is huge overcapacity in the industry.

In essence, the numbers of seats outstrips the volume of travellers. This has meant a bonanza for consumers who are able to travel to Europe, and more recently cross the Atlantic, at super low prices.

But it has been destructive for the discount carriers.

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People were left in the lurch at airports across the country due to Flybmi’s sudden collapse

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Alex Brummer believes a new generation of discount carriers has led to an oversupply of flights

Transatlantic carrier Norwegian has, after initial success and growth, plunged into losses and is desperately looking for an injection of cash. Hungarian-owned Wizz Air has plunged into losses. Even Ryanair, Europe’s most profitable airline, owned up to losses in the last quarter.

Meanwhile, tour operator Thomas Cook has put its profitable airline up for sale as part of a drive to raise new funds, while Monarch went bust last year.

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The airline say that the passenger exploited the airline ticketing system which places a premium on non-stop flights and got a bargain by buying a multiple-stop ticket. 

The man was said to have not used all the legs of a journey from Seattle to Oslo and taken a separate flight from Frankfurt, where he was due to catch a connecting flight, to Berlin back in April 2016. 

Lufthansa has been granted permission to appeal after an original ruling found in the passenger’s favour, it has been reported.

Lufthansa ‘looks to SUE passenger who did not turn up for the last leg of their journey in crackdown on trick used to get cheap flights’

German airline Lufthansa is trying to sue a passenger it says wilfully booked a cheaper ticket with no intention of making the final leg of their journey, it is claimed.

The airline say that the passenger exploited the airline ticketing system which places a premium on non-stop flights and got a bargain by buying a multiple-stop ticket. 

The man was said to have not used all the legs of a journey from Seattle to Oslo and taken a separate flight from Frankfurt, where he was due to catch a connecting flight, to Berlin back in April 2016. 

Lufthansa has been granted permission to appeal after an original ruling found in the passenger’s favour, it has been reported.

Lufthansa jets are seen at Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt – a major hub which is hit hard by ‘tariff abusers’

The man reportedly booked a return ticket from Oslo to Seattle via Frankfurt, but instead of completing his journey – took a separate flight to Berlin during the changeover in Frankfurt on the return leg

The defendant reportedly booked a business class ticket from Oslo to Seattle via Frankfurt for 6224NOK (€657).

On the return flight, however, the passenger flew from Frankfurt to Berlin on a separate ticket. Lufthansa says that he should have paid €2769, and demanded €2112 plus interest. 

According to German court documents, the case was thrown out because the airline failed to fully explain how it had arrived at the compensation figure of €2112. 

The court documents said the pricing was ‘lacking in transparency’ in a summary of their verdict. 

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The Taylor family arrived early at Mahon airport to get their allocated seats after a holiday on the Balearic Island, as they all wanted to sit together on the flight back to Birmingham.

They were given seats 41 D, E and F, but when they boarded the TUI plane in June last year, under the numbers was just an empty space, rather than seating.

Paula Taylor, from Alcester, Warwickshire, told BBC One’s Rip-Off Britain, Holidays:  ‘We made sure we were 3 hours early at the airport to check in early just to make sure we got seats together.

‘We went straight to the front and we were very excited the fact we had managed to sit together.’

But when tried to find their seats all they could see was an empty space.

Mrs Taylor added: ‘We all just looked at each other As if to say where’s our seats gone? There are no seats where our seats should be!’

When alerted to the problem, crew members checked the boarding passes, hoping to resolve the problem. 

But after all the other passengers had boarded there was only one empty seat left on the aircraft.

The solution proposed by the crew was that for take-off and landing 10-year-old Brooke would take the last spare seat on the plane while Paula and her husband would sit in two spare flip-up ‘jump’ seats tucked into the crew station.

However, once the plane was in the air, the attendants needed access to the food and duty free supplies which were stored behind those seats. 

So Paula and her husband had to move and set up camp with Brooke on the floor in the space where their allocated seats were supposed to be.

She said: ‘It’s hard and its uncomfortable and it’s just filthy.

‘It’s just not an experience I ever want to repeat.’

The Civil Aviation Authority said passengers are not allowed to be left unseated at any stage of a flight.

They have contacted TUI for an explanation about why the family were left sitting on the floor for the two-hour flight.

They are also investigating for a possible breach of regulations.

Mrs Taylor added: ‘The co-pilot came and sat with us on the floor and said he just wanted to thank us for our co-operation and understanding.’

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