TRAVELLERS have faced ongoing chaos on Sunday through to Monday as large parts of the UK were hit by snow and temperatures across the country plummeted.
Many were forced to sleep in the airport as others scrambled to find hotels for the night - including James McCall, a 50-year-old from Dorset who will forfeit thousands after cancelled flights from Edinburgh to Gatwick meant his cheese company could not make it to a Christmas market at the busiest time of the year for his business.
“(We are) frustrated and tired. We just want to get home,” McCall told the PA news agency.
“People with young babies and families were stranded… Some people were crying on the phone with relatives – really sobbing.
“I’m due at a Christmas market today which I’ve had to pull out of at the busiest time of year… (That’s) probably £2000.
“My wife is a teacher and it was her nativity play today. She’s director and apparently it will be a disaster without her.”
McCall, his wife, Kelly, and two others have children at home they cannot get to after being in Edinburgh for a family wedding.
They were meant to fly on the ten past seven flight with EasyJet on Sunday but kept getting pushed onto later flights due to snow at Gatwick before the airline’s app crashed and they were encouraged to find a hotel.
“We managed to find a hotel overnight, others were staying at the airport,” he explained.
“EasyJet provided zero help to anyone – we were basically told to go away.
“Shocking way to treat people.”
McCall and his wife hope their flight on Monday evening will take off as planned.
A spokesperson from EasyJet said: “Airlines operating to and from the UK last night have been experiencing disruption to their flying programmes due to adverse weather, including flight EZY812 from Edinburgh to London Gatwick which unfortunately had to be cancelled as a result of the snow closure at London Gatwick.
“We are doing everything possible to minimise the disruption for our customers, notifying them directly of their options including a free transfer to an alternative flight or a refund as well as providing overnight hotel accommodation and meals and are advising any customers who source their own that they will be reimbursed.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and while this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused as a result of the weather.”
