A UNIVERSITY has staged a "second graduation" photoshoot for a father who missed his son's big day when an airline stopped him boarding.

David Podger was meant to be at the Leeds Trinity ceremony - but he was left stranded at Southampton Airport after being denied his seat on the plane because it was overweight.

He had booked to travel on the Eastern Airways flight to Leeds Bradford. But when he arrived at the gate he was told the pilot had to increase the fuel due to a forecasted thunderstorm and needed to offload two people.

Despite his pleas to other passengers to give up their seats a devastated Mr Podger was left behind - missing out on a "once-in-a-lifetime unrepeatable experience."

Now Horsforth-based Leeds Trinity has stepped in - organising a graduation photoshoot for the family in Petersfield, Hampshire, with a cap and gown provided by Graduation Attire.

After being turned away Mr Podger said: “ I was left angry and upset, demanding that I was given an explanation. My first thought was I am going to disappoint my son. He’ll be upset that his father cannot be at his graduation day."

But this week he said: "“We were delighted by the offer made by Leeds Trinity and on Sunday we had the opportunity to recapture a moment that we thought was lost to us. The photographs are fantastic, much better than I would have managed to take on the day. While I wasn’t able to be there for Tommy’s graduation ceremony, the generosity of the University has helped to make up for the frustration I felt on the day. If only Eastern Airways were as good as Leeds Trinity in offering excellent customer service."

Tommy, who graduated with a degree in journalism last week, said: "I was very disappointed that my Dad wasn’t able to attend and I would have loved to share the occasion with both my parents. Sadly, that was not possible."

He added: "I'm not sure how many other universities would have taken the trouble to send me my graduation robes and arrange a professional photographer to capture the moment for my parents and me and I am extremely appreciative."

Tim Leadbeater, Director of Student Support, said: "We were really disappointed to hear Tommy was unable to celebrate graduation with his whole family, and wanted to do something to make it right."

Now Mr Podger is calling on the airline to re-look at its policy.

He said: “ The airline should not be allowed to sell more tickets than the capacity. They know that there are certain circumstances when they cannot take all passengers on but they overbook the flight.”

A spokesperson for Eastern Airways said: “The decision to reduce the number of passengers was based on the safety of our passengers and crew, which is our priority."

"We sincerely regret this resulted in Mr Podger missing a special occasion. Our customer support team has not been contacted by Mr Podger, however he is entitled to a full refund."