A Birmingham father has launched a furious complaint against easyJet and Birmingham Airport, alleging his children with disabilities were abandoned on a freezing, snow-covered tarmac in the middle of a storm.
A Chilling End to a Sunny Holiday
Danny, a 39-year-old local businessman, says a dream holiday for his family of ten ended in distress and danger in the early hours of Saturday, January 10. Having returned from a warm break in Gran Canaria, the family disembarked their easyJet flight at Birmingham Airport (BHX) at around 1am, only to be left waiting near the aircraft for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
The wait occurred during Storm Goretti, with the airport's apron covered in snow and temperatures plummeting. Danny, who runs Harding's Gardening and had saved all year for the trip, described the scene as perilous. "They kept us near the runway in the cold, in the snow, with six children and four adults," he said. "It was dangerous. It was 1am and freezing and we'd just left a hot country."
"They Shouldn't Have Let Us Get Off the Plane"
The father expressed particular outrage over the treatment of his children, some of whom have disabilities. He claimed the family was waiting for a special assistance bus to transport them to the terminal, but it failed to arrive promptly.
"Workers on the ground shouldn't be doing that to kids with disabilities," Danny stated. "They shouldn't have let us get off the plane." He explained the immense difficulty of managing six children in such conditions, especially with the aircraft's propeller still blowing. "It's not that the kids don't listen, it's just they don't understand fully [what's going on]."
Footage from the incident, provided to BirminghamLive, appears to show an airport staff member telling the stranded family, "there's nothing I can do guys." Danny concluded that the recklessness of the situation had completely spoiled the holiday.
A Blame Game Between Airport and Airline
In response to the allegations, easyJet and Birmingham Airport have pointed the finger at each other. A spokesperson for easyJet stated the family's experience was "not acceptable," but clarified that the provision of special assistance on the ground is the responsibility of the airport.
Birmingham Airport, which suffered significant disruption and flight cancellations due to Storm Goretti, issued a firm rebuttal. A spokesperson said: "We do not recognise the account of this incident. We encourage the passenger to contact us directly via our customer service channels so that we can investigate further."
The incident has sparked serious questions about passenger welfare protocols, especially for vulnerable travellers, during extreme weather events at UK airports.
