Friends were furious after snowfall cancelled their flights so they missed their £6,000 ski holiday to Austria for first time in 30 years. Mike Chapman, 65, was due to fly out from Bristol Airport at 12.15pm on Wednesday (March 8) with five others.
After waiting for hours, the group was informed that their easyJet flight was cancelled. With no other flights planned on Wednesday or Thursday, the group decided to abandon their holiday plans.
Mike Chapman, a fire safety manager, from Bristol said: "It's unacceptable - they don't seem to care. It has been a waste of money. We are absolutely devastated.
READ MORE: 'Trauma' for passengers waiting on planes for hours after snow cancels flights
"We were given no apology and no reason. I was a farmer for many years and we treated the sheep better than this. This is a massive inconvenience to everyone.
"We have been skiing for 30 years and nobody had ever had to abort a trip - shows the incompetence of the airport." Mike was looking forward to a five-day ski trip with friends at Zell Am Ziller, Austria.
The group paid £6,000 in total for the trip and are confident they will get a refund. Mike said: "The airport have known about the threat of snow for a week and they have done nothing about it.
"The airport is incredibly busy some, they didn't open the runway until after 11am. It is total nonsense, unacceptable and pathetic.
"Flights from 6am and 7am are all backed up - there is a huge back log. Lots of people are sitting around on the floor or standing around- there wasn't enough preparation."
A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said: "Bristol Airport reopened on Wednesday morning at 10.30am after a temporary closure for snow clearing operations. Additional staff are on-site to assist with the adverse weather response.
"It is a rapidly changing situation and passengers are advised to check with their airline prior to making their way to the airport, as some airlines have made proactive cancellations to their flight programme for the remainder the day. Passengers are advised to allow extra travel time for the journey to the airport."
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