easyJet slammed for treatment of passengers during chaos – ‘absolutely shocking’

Simon Calder outlines customer rights after EasyJet cancellations

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Which? said that easyJet passengers had not been informed of their legal right to cash compensation after the airline cancelled their flight. Some families said they were left to sleep on the floor or buy expensive flights home.

A husband and wife said they had received “absolutely shocking service” after visiting Santorini for their wedding anniversary.

Damian McConville, 33, and his wife had to sleep on the floor at Gatwick because there were no hotels available.

They claimed that easyJet did not inform them they could receive total compensation of £880.

Airlines are required to offer passengers an alternative flight at the “earliest opportunity” even if it’s on an alternative airline.

Which? said that easyJet’s ‘Manage my Booking’ section on its website only gave passengers the option to rebook with easyJet.

Matthew Siggins was on holiday in Athens when he received a text to say his flight home had been cancelled.

He requested a refund as he was not advised of his right to be rerouted and was also not told he could receive compensation.

He had to book a long journey home and the two tickets cost him £80 more than his original journey.

Matthew also had to spend money on airport transfers and food but by claiming a refund he had unknowingly given up his right to claim back his expenses.

Which? is now calling on the Civil Aviation Authority to investigate easyJet in light of these claims.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “easyJet has treated its passengers appallingly, but this is just the latest example of a systemic problem in the aviation sector, some airlines routinely ignore their legal obligations because they know they won’t face any consequences.

“With thousands more flight cancellations potentially to come, passengers face a miserable summer unless the CAA and Government act on their promise to stamp out consumer rights abuses.

“A major overhaul is desperately needed, so the Government must give the CAA stronger powers so it can hit operators with heavy fines when necessary.

“Ministers should also drop their ill-conceived plans to slash compensation rates for domestic flights.”

The CAA said it would review the latest evidence and added it had regularly called for stronger consumer powers.

easyJet said: “We provide customers with a leading self-service tool which enables them to reroute quickly and easily on alternative flights where their flight is cancelled.

“This includes the option to fly to/from different airport within the same country, if they wish to.

“Where we are unable to offer a direct flight on easyJet within 24 hours, customers are able to secure flights by alternative carriers via our customer contact centres, however, we generally advise passengers to book these flights themselves, as this offers more flexibility and is the quickest way to secure a seat on the alternative flight.

“In these circumstances, we reimburse customers for the full cost of the alternative transport. This information is clearly displayed on our delays & cancellations help page.

“We clearly inform customers that if there are no easyJet alternative flights within 24 hours, they can book flights via an alternative carrier and we’ll reimburse them in full or they can choose a full refund.

“We clearly inform passengers of their EC261 rights via our notice of rights and delays and cancellations pages on our website, which are provided to customers should their flights be disrupted.

“Customers are able to submit an expenses claim easily via our expense form. We advise customers to provide itemised receipts to ensure these are processed as swiftly as possible.”

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