EasyJet flight cancellations - Refunds & Compensation advice/howto?

kaneti

I was due to fly with Easyjet from Gatwick to Budapest on 10th January. Before leaving I checked their website and there was no mention of this flight being cancelled. I arrived at the airport to find planes leaving as normal (there had been snow a few days early and light snow on that day) but my flight was cancelled.

I went to Easyjet information and was told that it was due to 'operational reasons' and was told it was not due to the weather.

I checked my e-mail and found that the plane had been cancelled with 12 hours notice.

They agreed a refund for the flight. I asked about compensation but was told that it was not payable as the cancellation was due to bad weather. I said I had been told it was due to operational reasons. The adviser checked the computer and confirmed it was in fact operational reasons but that Easyjet do not pay out in such circumstances. The supervisor confirmed this.

I rang back a few days later. The adviser checked the computer and now said that the cancellation was due to the weather. I said that other flights were leaving normally but I was told that bad weather leads to crews not being available so this represents extraordinary circumstances.

Does anyone know if airlines can claim bad weather even if the current weather is fine?

Can they claim that bad weather on previous days was affecting availability of crews and represents extraordinary circumstances?

Thanks in advance

smartpicture

I was supposed to be picking someone up from the airport when the snow was on, and their flight was delayed for 24 hours. Consequently I had the live arrivals board open permanently on my computer screen for most of that period to keep checking for the latest information.

What I saw over that period convinced me never to fly Easyjet again (although I've previously used them quite a few times), because they seemed to be the one airlane who were consistently cancelling flights rather than delaying them. Not sure why, maybe it's because they have fewer planes so when they end up in the wrong place they're a bit stuck?

Inactive

smartpicture wrote: »

What I saw over that period convinced me never to fly Easyjet again (although I've previously used them quite a few times), because they seemed to be the one airlane who were consistently cancelling flights rather than delaying them. Not sure why, maybe it's because they have fewer planes so when they end up in the wrong place they're a bit stuck?

Spot on correct.

apt

you seem to have a real bee in your bonnet about easyjet Inactive. I doubt you have any reliable evidence to back up your prejudice. Easyjet have plenty of spare aircraft during the winter. Whether it has enough crew and in the right places is a more open question. I had a flight cancelled by easyjet last Saturday when conditions were difficult, but both airports were open. However, easyjet did put me on a flight the following morning, pay for a 260 mile taxi journey and hotel and meals. As a result I only lost half a day of my holiday and have no hassle about reclaiming expenses. I'd far rather have that treatment than Ryanair telling I can have nothing but my fare refunded.

kaneti

Thanks for your reply, Cityboy. Much appreciated

Inactive

apt wrote: »

you seem to have a real bee in your bonnet about easyjet Inactive.

I do, but I will not bore you with the detail, suffice to say, I can substantiate everything.

Minihauk

Inactive -0 just wanted to say thanks - I had the same thing before Christmas and have been chasing Easyjet since then with no joy. I send an email to AUC and copied Andy@easyjet and within 48 hours they have processed my refund.
Thanks again.

Inactive

Minihauk wrote: »

Inactive -0 just wanted to say thanks - I had the same thing before Christmas and have been chasing Easyjet since then with no joy. I send an email to AUC and copied Andy@easyjet and within 48 hours they have processed my refund.
Thanks again.

Great result, well done..

ScottySmog

I'm in a similar postion myself. Flight cancelled on 23/12/09 and refund requested online on the same date.

I received a generic e-mail on 08/01/10 but have not heard anything specific to my claim.

I was wondering what sort of time scale others had experienced from applying for a refund to getting it paid?

CashSaver_2

ScottySmog wrote: »

I'm in a similar postion myself. Flight cancelled on 23/12/09 and refund requested online on the same date.

I received a generic e-mail on 08/01/10 but have not heard anything specific to my claim.

I was wondering what sort of time scale others had experienced from applying for a refund to getting it paid?

I posted earlier, having had a flight cancelled on 22nd December. I finally received an email yesterday confirming a full refund had been processed.

You should check the account that you paid from to see if a credit has been received. If not, I would suggest that you send a chaser email with the full details again, plus a recorded delivery letter. Obviously you can try their helpline, but you may have a long wait and added cost.