A Scots couple were left stranded after an EasyJet alternate flight left them in Manchester with no travel home.
James Russell, his partner Lennon Docherty and his gran, Elaine O'Neill, had enjoyed a family holiday in Krakow, Poland before chaos ensued. As they waited for their return to Glasgow on April 14, they were hit with repeated delays and were eventually informed their flight home had been cancelled.
Lennon and James had booked their trip as part of a package holiday deal, meaning they were booked on a flight back the next day to Manchester by easyJet - but Elaine had organised her own individual holiday which didn't fall under the same conditions, leaving her stranded alone in Krakow.
James told Glasgow Live: "Once we arrived at the airport and looked at the board there was no delay. We kept checking the flight tracker and bag drop, which was supposed to open half an hour after we got there but it didn't.
"There was no update from staff but eventually the bag drop opened and we went through security. Before we got through security Lennon checked flight tracker again and we were now even more delayed.
"That's when me and his gran looked at the last flight out of Krakow, which was 11pm, so I didn't think we'd be going anywhere. We sat at the departure gate and they eventually cancelled it.
"We were told to go to gate 17 to receive a bit of compensation paper. We never heard anything until we were told that we'd been booked on a flight to Manchester on the Saturday.
"Lennon's gran never got anything because she wasn't a package holiday, she just paid for the flight. She phoned easyJet and they told her there was another flight on Tuesday, which wasn't good enough.
"Since she said no they told her that she needed to find her own means of transport home. We never heard again until they sent us details about the hotel. We googled the hotel and the reviews were shocking.
"People said they were bitten by bed bugs, there were faeces all over the towels and the doors didn't lock. We went to the Hilton across the road and we got our room paid for by easyJet but his gran had to pay."
Eventually the trio stepped foot on their flights back to the UK, however, once they arrived in England they were hit with further issues trying to return north.
James added: "We got a flight to Manchester the next day. Lennon's gran got a flight to Birmingham with Ryanair which cost her £410.
"Once we arrived Lennon's dad had to drive from Glasgow to Birmingham to pick her up then Birmingham to Manchester to get us because easyJet never provided transport. We had to drive from Manchester to Edinburgh to get my car, where I was told that I needed to pay overstay parking fees because I stayed an extra night.
"Easyjet said in an email that they were going to sort a transfer from Manchester but nothing ever came of it."
Passengers were told by the airline that they were unable to fly due to the aircraft being damaged by adverse weather conditions in Edinburgh, this also means that no compensation is due according to easyJet's regulations.
However, James says they are still waiting for their expenses to be reimbursed.
He explained: "They've paid £70 of our expenses even though we have paid more than that. They told us that we weren't entitled to any compensation because the plane was struck by lighting.
"They also told us that there was a replacement flight deployed to bring us home but it never arrived. That initial plane never turned on its engines to leave the tarmac. We also checked the weather and there wasn't any thunder and lightning."
The 21-year-old chef says he will never fly with the company again after they tarnished his holiday with loved ones.
James said: "I don't think I will ever use them again. We can't even look back fondly on the holiday because it was that stressful.
"That was the most stressful two days I've had. We had the time of our lives but that ruined it. If we didn't get home on the Saturday I don't know what I would've done."
The company have stated that they are still in contact with the family and that they will reimburse them for Elaine's travel and accommodation costs.
A spokesperson from easyJet said: "We are sorry that the family’s flight from Krakow to Edinburgh was unable to operate as, following a lightning strike, the aircraft was delayed undergoing a technical inspection which led to the crew reaching their safety regulated operating hours. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.
“While this was outside of our control, we always look to take care of our customers and get them home as soon as possible. We notified customers directly of their options which include free transfer to an alternative flight or a refund, as well as links to book hotel accommodation online of via the app. We understand that flights on some routes were limited at this busy time of year and are sorry for the difficulty this will have caused.
“Our easyJet holidays team rebooked Mr Watson and Mr Russell on an alternative flight the following day and arranged overnight hotel accommodation. We advised Ms O’Neill, who was on a separate booking, that she would be reimbursed for any alternative transport and accommodation arrangements, and we have since been back in touch with the family to apologise for their experience and reimburse them.”
