Lawrence Weston family 'abandoned' by easyJet

A Bristol family say they were “abandoned” on holiday by

budget airline easyJet – and left with a bill of nearly £900 to

get home.

Nicola Starkie, her husband Robert and their two children,

from Lawrence Weston, flew out to Gran Canaria for a family

wedding.

But they were stranded after their flight home last Monday

was cancelled and had to stay in a hotel.

They say the company told them it would only pay for two

nights in a hotel while they waited to get home – but said the

next available flight for them would not be for another five

days.

After paying for a third night themselves the family

eventually found a flight home with another airline last

Thursday and say easyJet said it would not pay the bill.

But after the Bristol Evening Post contacted the airline it

promised to reimburse the Starkies for any costs incurred by

their delay in returning home and has apologised for the

inconvenience caused.

Mrs Starkie, 31, a care assistant from Lawrence Weston, said

their initial flight home had been cancelled because the pilot

had worked over his permitted hours.

The family and four other relatives travelling with them

were put up in a hotel for two nights – last Monday and Tuesday

– by easyJet.

But Mrs Starkie says they were then told no more of their

stay would be paid for, even though the new flight home easyJet

was offering them was not until Saturday night. They also

claimed they were told that they were not guaranteed a seat on

this flight.

Mrs Starkie, who is five months pregnant and whose two

daughters are aged three and six, said: “It was a very

traumatic way to end the holiday. I spent two days crying.

“EasyJet just dumped us there and left us – it is absolutely

diabolical. We felt abandoned.”

She said a letter provided by easyJet stating their rights

had said the company would pay for any nights they had to spend

in a hotel.

The family paid for their extra night's stay at the hotel on

Wednesday, and then Mr Starkie's brother decided to pay extra

for flights home on Thursday night.

The new flights home cost the group of eight nearly £900 in

total.

The family arrived home in Lawrence Weston on Friday and

wrote to easyJet requesting compensation.

When the Bristol Evening Post contacted easyJet yesterday to

raise the Starkies' case, the company apologised.

A spokesperson said: “We have advised the passengers that

they will receive a refund for the flights with an alternative

carrier, the additional night's hotel accommodation and also EU

passenger compensation for the amount of 400 Euros per

person.

“The flight from Las Palmas to Gatwick was cancelled due to

an administration error which meant the pilot's licence had

expired and he could not operate the flight (which is the

pilot's personal responsibility to keep updated), due to other

issues with weather in the Gatwick area there was no standby

cover and the flight was subsequently cancelled.”

The spokesperson told the Bristol Evening Post that “easyJet

would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to

passengers.”