Flight cancellation (EuroJet) - Aircraft out of position following bad weather

Seekerofguidance

We were booked to return home from Lanzarote to Gatwick on the evening of 12th June.
Flights into and out of Gatwick were cancelled on 11th June, due to bad weather, which I understand to be an "Exceptional Circumstance".
Does "Exceptional Circumstance" also apply to cancellations the following day (12th), because aircraft are "out of position"?

EasyJet notified us and we re-booked for 14th June with no problem.
We incurred additional costs for accommodation, subsistence, car hire & parking at Gatwick.

I submitted a claim to Easyjet and received an automated acknowledgement, but no communication since.

Should EasyJet pay fixed compensation and/or reimburse my additional costs?
Alternatively, do I need to claim for the additional costs from my Travel Insurer?

eskbanker

Seekerofguidance said:

We incurred additional costs for accommodation, subsistence, car hire & parking at Gatwick.

EasyJet should have arranged hotel accommodation for you, or reimburse you if you paid for this yourself - same for reasonable meals.

They were obliged to get you from the airport to that accommodation and then back again for the rearranged flight, typically via taxi, but car hire reimbursement seems unlikely, so you might need to take that up with your insurer.

They wouldn't have any liability for extra parking in the UK, so that would also be for your insurer.

As far as compensation is concerned, they have to pay this if it wasn't extraordinary circumstances, so it'll depend on the strength of the arguments for and against.  Delays or cancellations on the day after such weather events are less likely to be considered to be extraordinary circumstances, but it's often a grey area - see:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6457624/knock-on-effect-caselaw

In your shoes I'd argue that by the evening of the following day I'd have expected them to have been able to get a plane and crew lined up from one of their main bases to operate your flight....

Seekerofguidance

eskbanker said:

Seekerofguidance said:

We incurred additional costs for accommodation, subsistence, car hire & parking at Gatwick.

EasyJet should have arranged hotel accommodation for you, or reimburse you if you paid for this yourself - same for reasonable meals.

They were obliged to get you from the airport to that accommodation and then back again for the rearranged flight, typically via taxi, but car hire reimbursement seems unlikely, so you might need to take that up with your insurer.

They wouldn't have any liability for extra parking in the UK, so that would also be for your insurer.

As far as compensation is concerned, they have to pay this if it wasn't extraordinary circumstances, so it'll depend on the strength of the arguments for and against.  Delays or cancellations on the day after such weather events are less likely to be considered to be extraordinary circumstances, but it's often a grey area - see:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6457624/knock-on-effect-caselaw

In your shoes I'd argue that by the evening of the following day I'd have expected them to have been able to get a plane and crew lined up from one of their main bases to operate your flight....

Thankyou eskbanker,

Within the "manage flights" section of the EasyJet website, there was an option to select hotel accommodation, however, when selected it stated "none available", therefore it was necessary to arrange this ourselves. Fortunately the accommodation we were in was available.

A 2-day extension to car hire was significantly less expensive than a taxi, both for them and me, since I would have needed to return the car on the original date, then get a taxi back to my accommodation, then another taxi to the airport for the new flight.  In fact, the total car-hire cost was less expensive than airport transfers both ways.

I agree with your argument regarding getting planes in place the following day, but the "case law" discussion doesn't provide a definitive answer.

I would also argue that the extended parking charge is their responsibility, in the same way that they are responsible for getting you to the original destination airport, if the new flight goes to a different airport.

I will follow-up with EasyJet, if I can find the best way to contact them.

eskbanker

Seekerofguidance said:
A 2-day extension to car hire was significantly less expensive than a taxi, both for them and me, since I would have needed to return the car on the original date, then get a taxi back to my accommodation, then another taxi to the airport for the new flight.  In fact, the total car-hire cost was less expensive than airport transfers both ways.

No harm in trying a claim, but it may not be accepted.

Seekerofguidance said:
I agree with your argument regarding getting planes in place the following day, but the "case law" discussion doesn't provide a definitive answer.

Yes, that was my point, there isn't a definitive answer, so such matters tend to be decided on a case by case basis.

Seekerofguidance said:

I would also argue that the extended parking charge is their responsibility, in the same way that they are responsible for getting you to the original destination airport, if the new flight goes to a different airport.

Those aren't the same though, and (unlike getting passengers to the booked destination) the costs of extended parking aren't a liability covered by the regulations.  Again, no harm in trying to claim, but they're not under any obligation to refund those, so you'd be expected to reclaim from your insurer.