EasyJet has issued an apology following an incident where a flight departing from Bristol Airport departed without six passengers with disabilities. One individual described feeling “left stranded at the gate” as their luggage boarded the aircraft without them.
The flight, destined for Porto and scheduled for departure on Sunday, February 18th at 6:25 pm, faced a delay due to foggy conditions. Upon boarding, passengers in need of assistance near gate one found themselves left waiting.
These six individuals endured nearly eight hours of waiting at the airport before being provided with accommodations and rebooked on a new flight for the following day. Among them was Liz Igoe, a resident of St Andrews in Bristol, according to BristolLive reports.
“I was shocked because the crew clearly did not do a head count before they left us stranded at gate one.” She also said it was “dangerous” that the plane went with their suitcases still inside, because bags without owners can be a big security worry.” said Liz.
“There seems little point in all the palaver we go through at security if things like this can happen.” Dave, another passenger from Taunton, shared his worries too: “I have a heart condition, and we had no clothes or luggage, not even toothpaste.” said Liz.
“The ground staff at Bristol were really helpful and kind but the problem lies with the EasyJet crew, who did not check they had all the checked-in passengers on board.” said Jennie, a third passenger.
The next day all six passengers made it to Porto. Two ended up travelling from Heathrow on flights they booked themselves after the incident, whilst the other four took a flight with another airline provider, Liz said.
However, she said not all their luggage arrived in Porto following the incident. She alleged: “Dave and Jennie’s luggage ended up in Germany. I don’t think EasyJet are safe.”
An airline spokesperson commented:”We are aware that flight EZY2875 from Bristol to Porto on Sunday departed without some customers who were being accompanied by the airport’s special assistance provider, which we have urgently raised with the provider to understand why this happened.”
“We did everything possible to support the group and arranged overnight hotel accommodation and meals as well as alternative flights to Porto on Monday. The wellbeing of our customers is our highest priority and we are very sorry for the inconvenience this will have caused.”
EasyJet further affirmed that the impacted customers are eligible for compensation and stated that they have been in contact with the six passengers affected by the incident. The spokesperson emphasized that the airline is actively investigating the situation to understand the circumstances surrounding the event.
