Mum left £3,400 out of pocket as easyJet cancels two flights at boarding gate
A woman who had two easyJet flights cancelled just as she was about to board the plane still hasn't been compensated by the airline despite being left thousands of pounds out of pocket.
Sarah Thomas from Rumney in Cardiff booked a holiday to Turkey for herself and her two daughters three years ago.
The holiday was delayed several times during the pandemic. However, on May 26 they were due to fly with easyJet from Bristol Airport.
When they got to the gate and were about to board the plane they were told the flight was cancelled.
After hours of trying to contact the airline they were told that they should go to Gatwick for a flight the next day with the airline telling them to get a taxi and that they would pay for their hotel.
At Gatwick Airport the next day they were yet again told at the gate it was cancelled.
Sarah and her children then had to get a bus back to Cardiff in the middle of the night. They did eventually manage to get to the holiday the next week but missed five days of their trip.
Six weeks later, Sarah still hasn't received any compensation.
She said: "I put my request for compensation in straight away. This was for the lost days of the holiday, the flights that were cancelled, as well as the travel to London and the hotel.
“I haven't heard anything about the compensation for the travel or hotel."
Sarah recently received an email saying that they were rejecting her request for compensation for the first flight from Bristol because it was cancelled 14 days before departure. However, Sarah was able to check in and go all the way to the gate before the cancellation was announced.
The airline has said it will compensate the remainder of the holiday that was cut short, but none of this money has been received yet.
On July 8 she received confirmation that she would get compensation totalling £1,050, however she is currently out of pocket by £3,455.
"It is still so stressful," she said. "All the money for the extra spending I borrowed because I was told I would get it back but they haven’t and I need to pay. We haven’t had an apology or anything from them. Not even a phone call."
A spokesman for easyJet said: "We are very sorry for the experience Ms Thomas and her family had due to the cancellation of their flights because of a temporary IT systems issue on May 26.
"We provided customers affected with options to rebook or receive a full refund however we nonetheless fully understand the disruption this will have caused to their plans. We would also like to apologise for the delay in processing her claim and expenses. Our customer support team is in touch with her and the claim for compensation and expenses has been processed."