FELLOW passengers of two women kicked off a holiday plane amid claims they had tried to open a door at 30,000ft have rubbished their protests of innocence.

And the airline has vowed to recover costs of the emergency landing from them.

Leanne Connor, 26, and pal Lynette York, 27, were booted off a flight from Kos to Manchester after allegedly hurling abuse at cabin crew and passengers and swigging from a bottle of vodka they took on the plane with them.

Their actions forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Frankfurt, where they were arrested by German police.

Click here to see the girls being escorted off the plane in Germany.

The women, from Salford, claimed the incident was `blown out of all proportion'. They denied trying to open a door and said they were `just two girls who went away for a week and had a drink on the plane'.

But their story has prompted a deluge of scathing comments on the M.E.N website.

And a number of passengers on the same flight have contacted the newspaper claiming the women's version of events is `utter nonsense'.

Beverley Allott, 49, a veteran of 28 visits to the Greek island, said: "They were absolutely out of their heads. I was behind them at the airport when they tried to get through control with a different bottle of vodka.

"Security wouldn't let them through so they turned round, put towels down in the car park and drank it out there.

"They should never have been let on the plane in the first place."

Beverley, from Dukinfield, said their behaviour on the flight was `appalling'.

"Leanne did try to open the door - she said she needed some `fresh air'," said Beverley.

Her comments were echoed by 20-year-old student Nick Simpson, who had been away with his girlfriend.

He said: "It was an absolute nightmare. What they said in the papers is complete rubbish."

The airline, XL Airways, said it was intent on recovering the cost of the diversion.

A spokeswoman said: "We will not tolerate any behaviour considered a threat to the safety of our passengers, crew or property."

The women were released and paid more than £1,000 for flights home. They now face an anxious wait to learn of their fate from German authorities.