EasyJet Under Fire for Refusing £472 Passenger Refund After Air Traffic Meltdown
A furious holidaymaker has exposed EasyJet's refusal to honour a promised £472 refund after an air traffic control outage caused travel chaos, forcing passengers to purchase expensive alternative flights at their own expense.
The Disrupted Journey to Budapest
The passenger, writing to the Guardian, detailed how their travel plans were thrown into disarray in July last year. A major UK air traffic control system failure created significant disruption at Gatwick Airport, where their EasyJet flight to Budapest was scheduled to depart.
Upon arrival at the airport for check-in, EasyJet staff delivered devastating news. The airline had substituted the original aircraft with a smaller plane featuring fewer seats, leaving 35 passengers, including the complainant, unable to board their booked flight.
A Costly Alternative and Broken Promises
Faced with being stranded, the passenger was advised by EasyJet staff to book another flight independently and subsequently claim the cost back through the airline's official website. The next available option was a British Airways service, costing a substantial £472.
However, when the passenger submitted their claim for reimbursement, EasyJet entered a cycle of refusal. Customer service representatives provided a series of conflicting excuses for rejecting the refund request:
- Initially denying the aircraft had been downgraded.
- Then stating the claim was invalid because the original booking was made through a third-party agent.
- Finally incorrectly classifying the passenger as a 'no-show' for the cancelled flight.
It was only after national newspaper intervention that EasyJet, which operates flights from Birmingham among other UK bases, finally conceded and provided the passenger with the owed cash.
EasyJet's Official Refund Policy
This incident stands in stark contrast to the airline's published policies. According to EasyJet's own website, passengers are entitled to a full refund, minus a cancellation fee, if they choose to cancel their booking within 24 hours of making it.
The process outlined by the carrier, which competes with rivals like Jet2, Ryanair, and British Airways, involves:
- Signing into the EasyJet website using the email and password from the original booking.
- Viewing the booking under the 'View Bookings' section.
- Selecting the specific booking to cancel.
For cancellations made after the 24-hour window, EasyJet states it is unable to offer a refund, though changes to the flight or passenger name may still be permitted. This case highlights the significant gap between policy promises and real-world customer service experiences during operational crises.
