A couple on their honeymoon have had to fork out £1,000 for accommodation after their easyJet flight back to the UK from Egypt was suddenly cancelled.
After tying the knot, Shaun Smith, 55, and Liam Thompson, 28, jetted off to Hurghada for their first holiday together as newlyweds.
The pair, from Scunthorpe, were supposed to fly back to the UK on Monday evening, but after arriving at the airport were told that their flight was cancelled - leaving the couple with no way of getting home.
Shaun, who is a landlord of the Penny Bank pub, described he and Liam's situation as 'traumatic', Grimsby Live reports.
The pair have since had to shell out a further £1,100 to stay at the Jaz Aquamarine hotel until the next available flight which is Monday, May 30.
Shaun claims the couple have received "no help" from Easy Jet with a reported 400 others in the same situation, all of whom are now scrambling around to find accommodation.
Some are in that bad a position that they have been forced out onto the streets because they can't afford to stay any longer at the hotel according to Shaun.
He explained: "We are currently at the Jaz Aquamarine hotel where we got dumped last night after being told our flight was cancelled. We were forced to pay £1,100 for another six days until we can fly home, otherwise we would have got kicked out.
"Our airline said the plane was delayed, but when we got to the airport we were told it was cancelled. We booked the holiday only three days before we left and we planned to be here for 12 nights. To be honest, my immediate reaction when we were told was to laugh.
"If you don’t laugh, you cry. Easy Jet haven’t even informed us of the situation and we’ve had to sort it off our own back." Speaking about his worries about his extended stay in Egypt, Shaun said: "We will be scared if we can’t get back Monday next week.
"The mood is alright amongst the other guests, some are distraught, a lot of people have no idea what's going on. Others who are here like us until next week are just taking it as they come, but not getting home is definitely the biggest fear.
"It's been very traumatic for us, my husband was meant to start a new job tomorrow and now he might lose it."
However, it is not just Shaun and Liam who have been affected.
He explained: "There are about 400 other guests in the same situation. Some elderly people have no idea what is going on and Liam has had to help them find accommodation as they've no clue what to do."
Shaun added: "We feel like no one wants to help, we've just been left to our own devices now."
A spokesperson for Easy Jet said: "Unfortunately we were unable to operate the EZY1886 from Hurghada to Manchester yesterday due to air traffic control restrictions earlier in the day leading to the crew reaching their maximum operating hours.
"We are very sorry for this late cancellation. We always aim to minimise the impact on our customers, providing them with the options to transfer to an alternative flight free of charge, or receive a refund or a voucher. Our customer team will be in touch with Mr Smith to talk him through his options.”
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