A former island resident is urging people to pursue flight operators for refunds after she won a long battle to have her cancelled journey refunded.
Liz Peters grew up in the island, attending St Ninian’s High School, and her parents still live in Ramsey. She left the island in 2003 and now works as a TV presenter in London.
Liz was booked on flight EZY855 from Gatwick to the island at 7pm on Monday, July 18, which didn’t leave until the afternoon of Tuesday, July 19, at 2.50pm.
She told us: ‘Over the next couple of months, I contacted easyJet no less than 12 times, and was continuously fobbed off. I was told initially that my flight wasn’t delayed long enough. Then I was told it was “extraordinary circumstances”. Then I was told there were delays at Gatwick earlier in the day. No one would give me a straight answer.
‘Frustrated by this, I contacted easyJet’s chief executive Carolyn McCall at the start of August. Her office responded with a generic email, telling me that they had now decided our flight was cancelled due to “earlier air traffic control [ATC] delays”, at an airport that they weren’t prepared to name, therefore was not payable as a compensatory flight.’
However, Liz wasn’t willing to give up easily.
She said: ‘When I responded, and asked for clarification of the airport where the alleged ATC action happened, she told me the they would “not enter into any more correspondence with me”. Only when I threatened legal action and small-claims court did they finally give in and agreed that my flight was entitled to compensation. I eventually received a cheque for £212.’
Liz is now urging all passengers who were on the same flight to contact the company to claim compensation.
She continued: ‘Last year, easyJet saw record profits, and frankly the only way to make them address the shambolic service they provided this summer is to hit them where it hurts – in their pocket.
‘As a knock-on effect, passengers on the Isle of Man to Gatwick that night, July 18, were also cancelled, and they are also therefore entitled to compensation. The entire episode was a shambles.
‘I work internationally and in the last five months, I’ve taken 26 flights, and not one of them even came close to the disgraceful experience that easyJet provided. Manx people have been totally let down by easyJet this summer.
‘I would really encourage everyone on the flight that I was on and the subsequent cancelled flight to reference this article to guarantee they get the compensation they deserve.’
We have previously reported how only 22 per cent of easyJet’s Gatwick to Ronaldsway evening flights during the summer were on time and more than 40 per cent of easyJet’s evening services to the island have been ‘excessively late’.
Liz is happy to answer any questions from other passengers and you can contact her via www.liz-peters.com or find her on Facebook.
EasyJet were contacted for comment but did not respond.
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Update - 2.36pm - Thursday, September 29
easyJet responded to our story with a spokesman saying: ‘We are sorry that Ms Peters flight from Gatwick to the Isle of Man on July 18 was delayed overnight as a result of the crew being unable to operate due to exceeding their operating hours as a result of air traffic control delays earlier in the day.
‘We received Ms Peters claim on July 31 and we are sorry that this was initially incorrectly denied.
‘This should have been paid and on August 31 we made payment to Ms Peters of the 261 euros compensation she was due.’