.
Join Simon Calder’s email list for expert tips and discounts on travel.
Receive Simon Calder’s Travel newsletter.
A traveler on an easyJet flight, along with a group of other passengers, was stuck for an entire day due to a snowstorm in Iceland. They have labeled the ordeal as a “disaster”.
On Friday evening, 2 February, 79-year-old Robert Stephens was scheduled to board easyJet flight 8846 from Keflavik International Airport, located near Reykjavik, and travel to London Gatwick. The departure time was set for 7:30pm.
The plane that arrived had to circle over the Reykjanes peninsula, where there has been recent volcanic activity in Iceland, before finally landing safely. However, the flight was about 40 minutes delayed.
However, inclement weather and issues with de-icing caused the return flight to be postponed overnight.
Mr. Stephens and his wife were on their way back from Iceland, where they had gone to see the Northern Lights.
He reported that the passengers were unable to disembark from the incoming flight for a couple of hours due to severe wind and snow conditions.
The passengers heading to the UK were prepared to leave, but were unable to get on the plane until the incoming travelers had gotten off.
Mr. Stephens stated that the departing travelers were moved from one gate to another with very little information provided.
“We were eventually loaded onto buses to reach the aircraft, despite the harsh winds and snow at midnight. However, our departure was delayed due to the initial weather forecast.”
After the storm, the plane was covered in snow and the pilot had to ask for the ice to be removed. However, the weather was too severe for the de-icing team to work, causing additional delay.
Once the weather improved enough to begin the pre-flight procedure of removing snow and ice from the wings and other surfaces, the initial de-icing vehicle assigned to the aircraft malfunctioned.
After the plane underwent de-icing, the pilots were ready to depart. However, easyJet’s operations headquarters cancelled the flight because the crew had exceeded their allotted hours due to the significant delays.
According to Mr. Stephens, easyJet was not responsible for the delay.
The pilot did an outstanding job of keeping the passengers well-informed, even regarding the possibility of exceeding the maximum allowable working hours.
“After the flight was cancelled, we were removed from the plane at 2:30am. This is when the unprofessionalism began.”
According to Mr Stephens, he and the rest of the travelers had a 12-hour delay after checking in at Keflavik international airport on Friday night. They were eventually brought to a hotel at 6am on Saturday, but only stayed for a short period of time.
Upon their arrival at the hotel, the passengers were informed that the replacement flight was scheduled to depart at 6pm on Saturday.
Due to flight-time restrictions, the crew could not fly to the UK until the early evening, after a necessary amount of rest.
Mr. Stephens stated that since they were about to have breakfast, he and his wife chose to shower and eat first before getting some rest. They planned to go back to the airport either at 2 or 4 in the afternoon.
The speaker expressed that the situation had greatly deteriorated, stating that the passengers were woken up and instructed to take buses back to the airport at 9:30am. They also mentioned that they had lost six hours of sleep.
At approximately 10:45am, the travelers were informed that they would not be departing until 6pm at the earliest upon arriving at the airport.
According to Mr Stephens, travelers with checked baggage were notified that they could only drop it off at 4pm.
They had to wait for an additional five hours before going through the security checkpoint.
According to Mr. Stephens, the area for departing flights at the airport was loud and had minimal space for waiting and resting.
The only options for food were a snack shop and a general store that served hot dogs and pizza slices.
The originally planned departure at 7pm was pushed back by an additional hour due to inclement weather. The passengers did not arrive at Gatwick until nearly 24 hours after their scheduled arrival time.
A representative from the airline stated that easyJet has verified that flight EZY8846 from Keflavik to London Gatwick on Friday, February 2nd was delayed overnight due to inclement weather in Keflavik. This caused the crew to exceed their regulated operating hours for safety purposes.
Ensuring the safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is our top priority at easyJet. We made every effort to minimize the effects of the weather disruption on our customers, including providing hotel accommodations and meals for all passengers.
“The departure of the London Gatwick flight was rescheduled for the next day. Our transportation company coordinated earlier transfers to the airport due to concerns about the storm’s effects and potential delays and road closures. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers who had to wait longer than expected at the airport.”
“Our team puts in great effort to provide support for our customers during times of disturbance. We are grateful for our passengers’ cooperation and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the inclement weather.”
Mr Stephens disagreed with easyJet’s claim that the decision to leave the hotel early was due to concerns about road conditions, stating that the weather in the afternoon was actually quite pleasant for Icelandic standards.
He stated, “I used to view easyJet as superior to Ryanair, but now my perspective has been greatly damaged.”
The British Airways flight from Keflavik to London Heathrow, which was scheduled shortly before the easyJet flight, was swiftly cancelled. Passengers and crew were able to depart on Saturday afternoon after the crew had taken a rest.
Passengers cannot receive monetary compensation due to the classification of extreme weather as an “unforeseen circumstance” that is outside of the airline’s jurisdiction.
Source: independent.co.uk
