EasyJet flight home cancelled! Nightmare - Can we claim?

skellington

I'm reaching out for some advice and support regarding a distressing experience we had with EasyJet. Our flight from Italy was cancelled with just three hours' notice, late at night. There were many upset passengers, and EasyJet provided no assistance whatsoever.

This is the first time ever this has happened luckliy to me, so just wanted some advice of any others who had been through this.


All we received was a piece of paper explaining how to claim compensation, but it seems like they are already trying to backtrack on their responsibilities. We were informed of the cancellation at around 9 PM, leaving us stranded in a foreign country.

EasyJet offered no help in arranging accommodation or transportation, so we had to fend for ourselves. We had to book a local hotel last minute, relying on intermittent Wi-Fi to do so, which was a huge inconvenience and expense. The cancellation resulted in additional costs, including hotel accommodation, local transfers, extra car parking at Manchester Airport, loss of work, and new flights with a different airline!

We've been advised to log and keep all receipts, but we're uncertain about what exactly we can claim back. We know EasyJet is already trying to avoid taking full responsibility, and we don't want to be left out of pocket.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? What steps did you take to ensure you were fully compensated? 

I've seen there are 3rd party flight compensation sites, but obviously I need to try EasyJet firstly

elsien

What reason did they give for the cancellation?

Voyager2002

Easyjet should have rerouted you: arranged flights as soon as possible after the cancelled flight, if necessary on another airline. If you could not contact them to ask them to book flights for you, you should have done what you did: booked your own flights home and kept the receipts. Easyjet should now reimburse the full costs of your new flights. Ask for this and use the word "rerouting". Whatever you do, do not accept a refund for the cancelled flight because that then lets EJ off the hook.

You are legally entitled to "care" during the delay until you could continue your journey: appropriate food and drink (not alcohol); hotel; transfers; telephone call or internet access to make arrangements because of the delay. EJ should have arranged all this but they did not do so you did the right thing by making arrangements and keeping the receipts. Ask them to reimburse you for these expenses and use the word "care".

Depending on the reason for the cancellation, you MAY be entitled to compensation. This is a fixed amount (depending on how long you were delayed and how far the flight was) and should cover expenses such as additional car parking and lost time at work.

NoodleDoodleMan

"Has anyone experienced a similar situation? What steps did you take to ensure you were fully compensated?"

Much the same as our awful experience awaiting a flight from Amsterdam to Edinburgh on 15th July.

Have a look at the thread I started a few days ago.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6541889/easyjet-e261-advice-please#latest

If you read Easyjet's A5 handout you can claim the prescribed amount under E261 regulations - there are 3 levels, depending on the appropriate flight distance.

https://www.easyjet.com/en/claim/EU261

What were your departure and arrival airports ?

Easyjet will try and bodyswerve responsibility by citing circumstances outwith their control - such as Air Traffic Control, weather, aircrew outwith allowable maximum working hours. In our case "night curfew" comes into the scenario - we are still unclear on the specifics there.

You'll need to gather all the relevant facts such as the aircraft's operational flight pattern movements that day - and it's first flight the next day.

I believe flightradar24 can provide this.

Regardless of this - you are entitled to claim reasonable expenses for the time between being abandoned (the only applicable word) by Easyjet and getting home, such as overnight hotel costs and meals etc. They won't entertain alcohol purchases unfortunately !!!

https://www.easyjet.com/en/claim/welfare?fbclid=IwY2xjawESBAJleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZTvXkROBSuMOVmT9G46qjbbGOXPabAYsJgGg0D77GPG1O_YgZQbp8p4dg_aem_-SrT8jGiUcOJ2BUPJAQQiQ

There is a Facebook group site dedicated to issues about Easyjet..........Easyjet Complaints Process - Not So Easy.

Good luck.

jimi_man

Not sure about Easyjet but with BA 'aircrew outwith allowable maximum working hours' is within the scope of 261.

bagand96

To add to the good advice above, Which? has the following which explains the rules well https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/i-had-a-flight-cancellation-can-i-claim-compensation-alAuW6y0rZX2

In the case of cancellation you are entitled to:

- Re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity. On other airlines if necessary. The regulations state the airline should arrange this, however in practice the customer often has to arrange this themselves and claim back.

- Care - meals/refreshments and if required overnight accommodation until the rerouting above. Again if the airline doesn't provide, keep receipts to reclaim reasonable expenses.

- Compensation - payable at fixed rates. However if the delay is due to extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline's control then they won't have to pay compensation. Most common reason here is ATC restrictions. 

Incidental expenses like extra airport car parking and loss of work are not claimable.

easyJet have claim forms for both expenses and compensation. Note they are separate forms:

https://www.easyjet.com/en/claim/EU261
https://www.easyjet.com/en/claim/welfare

The criticism about being "stranded" with "no help" is common with all airlines. Most don't have staff at all airports. With low cost airlines like easyJet you book in very much a self service manner and that's how they also operate customer service. They will refer you to their app where you can rebook other easyJet flights. After that, as you've found you're on your own and have to reclaim.

Booking a package holiday with a proper tour operator usually gives better care and assistance when things go wrong. 

eskbanker

jimi_man said:

Not sure about Easyjet but with BA 'aircrew outwith allowable maximum working hours' is within the scope of 261.

When you say 'within scope', are you meaning that it's considered not to be extraordinary circumstances?  I was under the impression that such matters are dependent on the root cause for crew going out of hours, i.e. if they'd be out of hours as a direct result of other extraordinary circumstances causing delays, then I'm not aware of this being automatically deemed to be within the airline's control?  Do you have any references to relevant case law, etc?

twopenny

" They won't entrtain alcohol purchases unfortunately !!!"

That should be included as medicinal necessity for the shock and stress

StuieUK34

Good reading the above (for advice), feel the thread starter

What i'm interested in, has anyone like the above, been in the same situation, made a sucessful claim themselves via Easyjet, and compensation for new flights/hotels/taxi, etc (all reasonable costs associated with the airline mis0management) ....
and if so, how long did it take u to get the compo, or did you use a solicitor to act for u ? (and how long for payout)

bagand96

StuieUK34 said:

Good reading the above (for advice), feel the thread starter

What i'm interested in, has anyone like the above, been in the same situation, made a sucessful claim themselves via Easyjet, and compensation for new flights/hotels/taxi, etc (all reasonable costs associated with the airline mis0management) ....
and if so, how long did it take u to get the compo, or did you use a solicitor to act for u ? (and how long for payout)

Last year easyJet cancelled a UK outbound flight of mine with 3 days notice.  Booked replacement flights with another airline at nearly 3 times the price.  Submitted my claim for replacement flight costs and EC261 compensation immediately using the forms on their website.

Claims approved within a few days and payed out a week or so after.  No drama.  Wasn't sure I was even entitled to EC261 as the replacement flight I arranged landed within 90mins of the original easyJet flight.  Still not sure I was entitled to it TBH.

Voyager2002

bagand96 said:

StuieUK34 said:

Good reading the above (for advice), feel the thread starter

What i'm interested in, has anyone like the above, been in the same situation, made a sucessful claim themselves via Easyjet, and compensation for new flights/hotels/taxi, etc (all reasonable costs associated with the airline mis0management) ....
and if so, how long did it take u to get the compo, or did you use a solicitor to act for u ? (and how long for payout)

Last year easyJet cancelled a UK outbound flight of mine with 3 days notice.  Booked replacement flights with another airline at nearly 3 times the price.  Submitted my claim for replacement flight costs and EC261 compensation immediately using the forms on their website.

Claims approved within a few days and payed out a week or so after.  No drama.  Wasn't sure I was even entitled to EC261 as the replacement flight I arranged landed within 90mins of the original easyJet flight.  Still not sure I was entitled to it TBH.

I think you meant that you were not sure that you were entitled to COMPENSATION.

Anyway, that was a good result. My only experience was more than ten years ago, and then Ryanair took about six weeks to make payment.