A 64-year-old woman is taking legal action against easyJet after being left to sleep on an airport floor just days before undergoing a major heart operation.
Carol Windmill and her partner Ian, 65, said they were left abandoned by crew members after the return leg of their holiday to Madeira, Portugal, was cancelled without warning.
The couple were due to return home from to Manchester on Monday 25 March 2019, after a relaxing pre-surgery holiday.
They said the weather was turbulent, however were reassured by staff after seeing other flights landing and departing.
"While we were waiting, in spite of the wind, we could see other flights landing," the couple from Sandbach, Cheshire, said.
"We kept our eye on the departure board and received an email from easyJet to say our flight had been diverted to Porto Santo, an island 20 miles away, in the hope that the weather would improve and it could then come to us."
At 11.30pm, however, they were told that the flight to Manchester was cancelled. Passengers were provided with accommodation for the night and given a replacement flight for 3pm the following day.
"We were waiting in the airport but all staff had gone"
"We returned to the airport on Tuesday afternoon to be greeted with the news that our flight was delayed again.
"The email explained that the delay was as a result of the weather, but compounded by crew illness. Shortly before midnight, we were informed the flight had been cancelled," Ian explained.
"There were no easyJet staff present and the handling agents didn't know what was going on. I think it all became too much for them. It was very tense for everyone."
Ian said he went to baggage reclaim to collect his suitcase, however on his return, was told that the coach to overnight accommodation had left without them.
"We were left in the airport with no information as all the staff had gone.
"I felt powerless as my phone battery had gone so we couldn't call anyone; I searched for a charger but to no avail.
"We were forced to stay in the building sleeping on the floor, which was particularly distressing for Carol because of her heart condition."
Carol has a heart condition called Ventricular tachycardia, which is made worse by stress.
"The idea of going to Madeira for a week was to get rid of any stress and prepare for the operation.
"She really struggled because the surgeon had told us before the holiday that under no circumstances should she get stressed because that exacerbates the situation. easyJet left us high and dry with nothing," Ian said.
"This stressful situation got Carol very worked up. It was a very worrying time for both of us; it was anything but a relaxing journey home."
After a night in the airport, the couple were told that their flight was rescheduled for 3.55pm on Wednesday 27 March. This was then delayed further to 5.25pm.
"More than 48 hours later, we departed back to Manchester and having endured so much emotional strain, we were exhausted.
"Once home, we decided to research claiming compensation on the internet. We studied the EU Regulation and discovered that crew sickness was claimable and also although some weather is extraordinary, the airlines have to show they had put reasonable measures in place to limit our inconvenience."
Initially, Ian made a claim through the easyJet website after his travel agent confirmed this was the correct process. But after he received an email back explaining it was beyond their control, he took on the task to look into it further.
"They said that their decision was final, but I felt upset that they didn't want to hear about our particular situation.
"I submitted another email to their customer service department and different people kept getting back to me. Every time I responded, the email bounced back as it was a no-reply email address.
"It was like a merry-go-round with emails asking me for the information that I had already submitted and I was passed from pillar to post. I think it’s a deliberate tactic on their part."
'Most vulnerable customers first'
When Mirror Money got in touch with easyJet, the airline denied any wrongdoing despite confirming Ian and Carol's account.
"easyJet can confirm that, like other airlines, flights to and from Funchal on 25 and 26 March were unable to land or depart due to high winds at the airport gusting above the limits of the aircraft. This resulted in some flights being overnight delayed.
"Mr and Mrs Windmill's flight was delayed overnight because high winds were well outside the safe operating limits of the aircraft.
"EasyJet did everything possible to minimise the impact of the disruption for our customers including providing over 130 hotel rooms and meals for passengers who required them and we worked hard to organise alternative travel arrangements."
However, it said due to the number of people affected, the airline wasn't able to accommodate all customers.
"Although we contacted over 80 hotels due to the high demand for hotel rooms, which were allocated to elderly and vulnerable passengers first, it meant unfortunately some passengers were asked to source their own accommodation. We provided passengers with refreshments and blankets to try and make their experience as comfortable as possible."
The airline said it "takes its responsibilities under EU261 very seriously" however refused to pay EU compensation on the grounds that its staffing issue was "outside of easyJet’s control".
"The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority. Whilst this is outside of our control we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of the weather."
Ian and Carol are now taking legal action against the airline.
"I’m hoping with solicitor intervention, easyJet will admit fault and we can put the stress of the matter behind us and focus on Carol's health," he said.
Flight delay compensation firm Bott&Co have taken on the case and believe the couple are entitled to €400 each in compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
"The airline had not put reasonable measures in place in anticipation of a crew shortage and also other easyJet flights were taking off and landing at the time," a statement said.
