More than 50 pensioners are missing out on first holiday since Covid after EasyJet nightmare

Dozens of pensioners aged up to 92 have missed their first holiday since the pandemic began after flight problems.

The group of 52 from Kent was due to fly EasyJet from Gatwick to the Isle of Man for four nights.

But after a nightmarish 12-hour day, they ended up back where they started.

Although their flight took off, it was forced to land in Manchester due to strong winds. They thought they could continue but after a three and a half hour wait they were flown back to Gatwick.

The group, aged 75 to 92, then waited 90 minutes at Gatwick before being told there was no hotel accommodation for them and they could not be booked on another flight for three days.

But the pensioners said other flights from the original day had made it to the Isle of Man.

The whole group ended up canceling their £675 trip.

EasyJet then said they would not refund the cost of the flight because the wind was out of control.

The pensioners – from Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable and Hythe – say they are disgusted with their treatment and will never use the airline again.

Eileen Booker, who organizes trips for over 70s through her Blean-based Booker Trip, said: “We’ve had people in their late 80s and even a 92-year-old.

“We were all hungry, tired, it was such a long day in vain.

“It was absolutely disgusting how they were treated. Other planes landed on the Isle of Man, other people had inflight apps showing that. I don’t know why they decided to abandon us.”

The group of 53 left Canterbury by bus at 7.30am on May 22nd.

Ms Booker, 77, said the captain on the return flight told them there would be a bus on arrival at Gatwick to take them to a hotel for the night and there would be a new flight in the morning.

She said: “We thought we could salvage something from our five day holiday.

“But when we got back to Gatwick nobody at EasyJet knew anything about us and they said there was no availability for a group of 53 people on one flight until Wednesday.

“I had to make the decision to cancel the trip. We lost our vacation because of them.’

The party didn’t get home until the early hours of May 23rd.

A spokesman for the airline said: “We have been in contact with customers to inform them of the cancellation and their options for rebooking or refunds, as well as information on arranging hotel accommodation.

“Unfortunately we are not able to provide rooms to all customers and we advise that anyone who sources their own hotel accommodation will receive a refund.

“Our team is reaching out to Ms. Booker to apologize for her experience and to reimburse her and her group for their expenses.

“Although this was out of our control, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.

“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority.”

As the reason for the cancellation was considered an extraordinary circumstance, EasyJet will not pay any compensation.

However, the company will reimburse the customer for all reasonable expenses.

It is understood that other aircraft may have been able to fly to the Isle of Man at the same time due to weather changes at the time of arrival.

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