EasyJet passengers were stranded on the tarmac for over two hours in the middle of the night due to their diverted plane being unable to refuel at Stansted Airport (STN). It was one of many flights diverted from Gatwick Airport (LGW) after a British Airways plane temporarily blocked the runway due to a landing gear issue.
What caused the issue?
The BBC was told that the EasyJet flight might have been low on fuel after circling over Gatwick and inevitably had to divert to Stansted instead of landing at one of its bases.
EasyJet has no base at Stansted and no ground-handling staff, which made it difficult to disembark passengers and refuel. The source added that it’s unclear why it took EasyJet so long to solve the issue and get passengers off the aircraft.
EasyJet’s accountability
The flight was already delayed when it landed at Stansted, and passengers were only able to leave the aircraft after 3 a.m. Due to the late hour, they had to arrange their onward journeys with limited public transport options.
EasyJet claimed this issue was due to a lack of ground handling staff, and the plane couldn’t refuel. They apologised “for the inconvenience caused by the diversion and delay in disembarking” and added:
“While we worked to make onward arrangements for customers, as no ground handling staff were available for the unscheduled arrival, the aircraft was unable to refuel and so customers disembarked in Stansted and were advised they would be reimbursed for their onward travel.”
Comments from Sammy
Sammy, a passenger on the redirected flight, told the BBC she couldn’t get home until around 6 a.m. due to further delays in getting her luggage caused by the lack of staff at Stansted:
“I’m sitting there waiting in baggage claim and it’s on the screen and it says… ‘awaiting baggage’, something like that, and it just disappears, like it’s gone from the screen. But maybe 50 minutes to an hour goes past and a couple of people come out and basically get everyone’s attention – at about 04:30 at this point – and go: ‘Sorry, but there’s no one working that can get your bags’.”
Eventually, staff did turn up to get her luggage.
Other passengers had to make their own travel arrangements after the incident and claim back costs later. Sammy added that luggage could be delivered to passengers if they didn’t want to wait.
In situations like these, it is important to know your rights and what you can do to get compensation.
What would you do if you were one of the EasyJet passengers? Let us know in the comments.
