An Edinburgh passenger has hit out at budget airline easyJet after her flight to the capital was cancelled, leaving her stranded abroad without her medication.
Pamela Carmichael was flying from Mallorca to Edinburgh with her husband Derick on Thursday, May 26, and had already boarded the aircraft in Palma when the captain made the announcement that their flight to the capital had been withdrawn, despite already taking off.
Pamela, from Harthill, has COPD, asthma and high blood pressure, so was immediately sent into a frenzy over not having her medication alongside her.
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She said that passengers on the plane were confused as to how the flight was cancelled despite them already being on the runway.
The 48-year-old told the Daily Record: "We were all ready to go, the plane started to move along the runway and then suddenly it came to a halt. I didn't know what was going on.
"We were then left sitting there for 45 minutes with no information given to us as to what was going on, for the captain to then announce our flight had been cancelled. He gave us no explanation as to why. I don't think he knew himself."
Pamela, an NHS support worker, and her husband Derick, 49, were removed from the aircraft when it grinded to a halt on the runway, then being forced to queue inside the airport for six hours.
Pamela added: "It was horrendous. Nobody had a clue what was happening. There were children and women crying.
"It was roasting hot. I was struggling because I had been standing for so long and I was trying my hardest not to get worked up because I knew my breathing would get bad.
"We all just wanted to get home, but they couldn't tell us when that would be."
When the couple finally spoke to airport staff, they were told the next flight to Edinburgh was not for five days and that they would have to be put up in a hotel.
Pamela was left panicking as she did not have enough medication to last another five days.
The mum-of-two said: "I panicked when they said this because we can't stay for another five days. It felt like we were stranded.
"I don't have enough medication to last me that long and I really depend on it.
"We've also both got work to get back to and our dogs are in boarding kennels due to be collected. It's not practical. I don't know how they can expect people to do that.
"The whole situation has been handled appallingly."
Luckily, Pamela and Derick were taken to a nearby hotel and have since booked a flight back home using another airline.
Pamela said: "We're now booked a Jet2 flight home to Glasgow tomorrow afternoon. It's a bit of a nightmare because our car is at Edinburgh airport, so we'll have to pay about £60/70 for a taxi.
"We did speak to someone from easyJet earlier today and they said there was possibly a flight to Glasgow that we could have got on tomorrow too, but I was terrified the same thing was going to happen again. I don't trust them.
"We spent a lovely week in Santa Ponsa and now it feels like it's been ruined."
An EasyJet spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, we experienced IT systems issues yesterday and while this was rectified later that afternoon, unfortunately around 200 flights due to depart between 13:00 and 15:00 UK time yesterday were cancelled, including Ms Carmichael’s flight from Palma to Edinburgh.
"We provided customers with options to rebook or receive a full refund, however we nonetheless fully understand the disruption this will have caused to people’s plans and we are very sorry for this. Our team are reaching out to Mrs Carmichael to assist her further."
