Thursday's Meltdown: report from Geneva
Aug 26, 2023, 4:54 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: LAX and LHR. UA lifetime Gold 1.9MM 1K , DL Gold Medallion, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, Avis President's Club
Posts: 3,596
Thursday's Meltdown: report from Geneva
London Gatwick was closed down on Thursday afternoon/evening due to thunderstorms. (NB: These closures are often blamed on ATC. This is nonsense, ATC do not have the power to close down airports. It's the airports themselves who do it.)
EasyJet did a last-minute cancellation of two evening flights from Geneva to London Gatwick. The cancellation did not happen until half an hour before the first of the two flights, by by which time a large number of passengers, of whom I was one, were already at the gate. Total chaos ensued. There were no EasyJet personnel present at the gate, or indeed anywhere, to assist passengers a disgrace in itself. (We were told that when these things happen, they simply go home so as not to have to deal with frustrated travellers.) Worse still, it proved impossible for a proportion of passengers to exit the terminal as the passport control only operates in one direction.. A good 60 of us were effectively trapped in the terminal for almost an hour. Eventually I called the airport police who quickly alerted airport personnel to unlock a door and let us out. Even then, trying to process 60 pax through one small lift proved impossible. Eventually an escalator was opened up to ease the situation.
Further delays then ensued at passport control, where people who thought they had "left the country" an hour or two before were being held up by passport officials because the honest answer to the question "Where are you going?" was "I don't know".....
The most disgraceful aspect of the whole episode was that EasyJet effectively abandoned a planeload of passengers, as well as allowing many of them to be effectively imprisoned in the terminal for a considerable length of time. There should have been at least some staff seconded to handle rebooking, hand out hotel vouchers (I paid for my own hotel, despite the EasyJet website telling me that I would be offered hotel accommodation I wasn't), etc. Airlines have a duty of care to their passengers. EasyJet evidently don't care.
The only option offered was to return to Gatwick via Faro, a 15-hour journey, starting on a plane that was due to leave in 4 minutes' time from a different terminal in the airport and therefore impossible to take. All flights back to London were fully booked for three days, so the only realistic option was to cancel and rebook with another airline, which I did, hoping that my travel insurance will pick up the tab. I eventually reached Gatwick 24 hours later than planned, with no help whatsoever from the airline. I was lucky. Some people are still in Geneva, two days later.
EasyJet did a last-minute cancellation of two evening flights from Geneva to London Gatwick. The cancellation did not happen until half an hour before the first of the two flights, by by which time a large number of passengers, of whom I was one, were already at the gate. Total chaos ensued. There were no EasyJet personnel present at the gate, or indeed anywhere, to assist passengers a disgrace in itself. (We were told that when these things happen, they simply go home so as not to have to deal with frustrated travellers.) Worse still, it proved impossible for a proportion of passengers to exit the terminal as the passport control only operates in one direction.. A good 60 of us were effectively trapped in the terminal for almost an hour. Eventually I called the airport police who quickly alerted airport personnel to unlock a door and let us out. Even then, trying to process 60 pax through one small lift proved impossible. Eventually an escalator was opened up to ease the situation.
Further delays then ensued at passport control, where people who thought they had "left the country" an hour or two before were being held up by passport officials because the honest answer to the question "Where are you going?" was "I don't know".....
The most disgraceful aspect of the whole episode was that EasyJet effectively abandoned a planeload of passengers, as well as allowing many of them to be effectively imprisoned in the terminal for a considerable length of time. There should have been at least some staff seconded to handle rebooking, hand out hotel vouchers (I paid for my own hotel, despite the EasyJet website telling me that I would be offered hotel accommodation I wasn't), etc. Airlines have a duty of care to their passengers. EasyJet evidently don't care.
The only option offered was to return to Gatwick via Faro, a 15-hour journey, starting on a plane that was due to leave in 4 minutes' time from a different terminal in the airport and therefore impossible to take. All flights back to London were fully booked for three days, so the only realistic option was to cancel and rebook with another airline, which I did, hoping that my travel insurance will pick up the tab. I eventually reached Gatwick 24 hours later than planned, with no help whatsoever from the airline. I was lucky. Some people are still in Geneva, two days later.
Aug 27, 2023, 5:18 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 294
Why cancel and rebook? Easyjet has to get you to London even if it is on another airline. If they neglect their legal obligation of duty of care you can book the next available flight yourself and get it reimbursed.
The only open question is the additional 250. If the flight was canceled due to weather you do not get it on top but always hotel and new flight on any airline.
The only open question is the additional 250. If the flight was canceled due to weather you do not get it on top but always hotel and new flight on any airline.
Aug 27, 2023, 12:07 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: LAX and LHR. UA lifetime Gold 1.9MM 1K , DL Gold Medallion, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, Avis President's Club
Posts: 3,596
If I had followed your advice, I would still be in Geneva now. EasyJet is an "online airline". They don't really do phone customer service have you tried?. Apart from the Faro possibility mentioned above, everything else was booked up for the next three days, and no options to use another airline (I flew Swiss/Lufthansa in the end, the earliest reasonable alternative I had no expectation that EasyJet would reimburse me for this expenditure).
Aug 27, 2023, 3:19 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 294
It is the law. In such cases, I give the airline 60mins to rebook me otherwise I do it on my expense and my lawyer does the rest. Especially Easyjet ignores the law regularly and paid already a lot of money for rebooking to other airlines and legal fees.
Aug 30, 2023, 6:47 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Isle of Man
Programs: IHG Platinum Elite, BA Pleb
Posts: 347
The legal obligation is rebook or refund.
The sensible option is to rebook on another airline at your expense, and then submit a reimbursement claim upon your return to the UK. Easyjet has a dedicated reimbursement form here
If they decline the reimbursement request you can then always take the refund. But by pre-emptively taking the refund you lose the right to claim reimbursement of your expenses.
The sensible option is to rebook on another airline at your expense, and then submit a reimbursement claim upon your return to the UK. Easyjet has a dedicated reimbursement form here
If they decline the reimbursement request you can then always take the refund. But by pre-emptively taking the refund you lose the right to claim reimbursement of your expenses.
Aug 30, 2023, 7:18 am
#7
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 294
The legal obligation is rebook or refund.
The sensible option is to rebook on another airline at your expense, and then submit a reimbursement claim upon your return to the UK. Easyjet has a dedicated reimbursement form here
If they decline the reimbursement request you can then always take the refund. But by pre-emptively taking the refund you lose the right to claim reimbursement of your expenses.
The sensible option is to rebook on another airline at your expense, and then submit a reimbursement claim upon your return to the UK. Easyjet has a dedicated reimbursement form here
If they decline the reimbursement request you can then always take the refund. But by pre-emptively taking the refund you lose the right to claim reimbursement of your expenses.
So in your case I would have arrived with the next possible flight (even if it is a connection somewhere else) and Easyjet would have had to reimburse this plus a hotel if needed as well as my lawyers as usually they decline any reimbursement coming directly from the passenger.
Result: I am happy, my lawyer is and I got to fly with a much better airline even earning miles.
Seems that you got less lucky...but for the next time you know.
Sep 3, 2023, 12:44 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2023
Posts: 35
The legal obligation is rebook or refund.
The sensible option is to rebook on another airline at your expense, and then submit a reimbursement claim upon your return to the UK. Easyjet has a dedicated reimbursement form here
If they decline the reimbursement request you can then always take the refund. But by pre-emptively taking the refund you lose the right to claim reimbursement of your expenses.
The sensible option is to rebook on another airline at your expense, and then submit a reimbursement claim upon your return to the UK. Easyjet has a dedicated reimbursement form here
If they decline the reimbursement request you can then always take the refund. But by pre-emptively taking the refund you lose the right to claim reimbursement of your expenses.
Sep 4, 2023, 7:20 am
#10
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Isle of Man
Programs: IHG Platinum Elite, BA Pleb
Posts: 347
Lawyer. The choice is yours, not theirs.
Vueling are particularly badly behaved, though, and it's often better to vote with your wallet and simply not fly with the worst airlines. I wouldn't ever choose to fly Vueling because they are renowned through the industry as being terrible to deal with. WizzAir, likewise.
EasyJet, for their faults, will generally play ball. I was caught up in the ATC chaos last week and had to take a ferry instead. The reimbursement of my ferry fare is already back in my bank account. I really can't say fairer than that.
Vueling are particularly badly behaved, though, and it's often better to vote with your wallet and simply not fly with the worst airlines. I wouldn't ever choose to fly Vueling because they are renowned through the industry as being terrible to deal with. WizzAir, likewise.
EasyJet, for their faults, will generally play ball. I was caught up in the ATC chaos last week and had to take a ferry instead. The reimbursement of my ferry fare is already back in my bank account. I really can't say fairer than that.
Sep 4, 2023, 10:24 am
#11
Join Date: Aug 2023
Posts: 35
Lawyer. The choice is yours, not theirs.
Vueling are particularly badly behaved, though, and it's often better to vote with your wallet and simply not fly with the worst airlines. I wouldn't ever choose to fly Vueling because they are renowned through the industry as being terrible to deal with. WizzAir, likewise.
EasyJet, for their faults, will generally play ball. I was caught up in the ATC chaos last week and had to take a ferry instead. The reimbursement of my ferry fare is already back in my bank account. I really can't say fairer than that.
Vueling are particularly badly behaved, though, and it's often better to vote with your wallet and simply not fly with the worst airlines. I wouldn't ever choose to fly Vueling because they are renowned through the industry as being terrible to deal with. WizzAir, likewise.
EasyJet, for their faults, will generally play ball. I was caught up in the ATC chaos last week and had to take a ferry instead. The reimbursement of my ferry fare is already back in my bank account. I really can't say fairer than that.