[Travel] Easyjet

[One Love]

Looking for some advice.

Booked a weekend in Hamburg, flying out with Easyjet Friday 8pm and returning same time Sunday. I booked the hotel independently.

Just finishing my meal at Gatwick around 7pm, there's a ping on my phone and the flight's cancelled, turns out because of industrial action in France.

The app directed me to a flight 11:30 the next morning but I was attending a workshop Saturday and Sunday so didn't know whether I'd be able to attend at all arriving that late, estimated 3pm.

Found out that I could attend arriving late but then all the 11:30 flights were taken.

So wife picked me up, booked a flight with my Avios with BA from Heathrow next morning and got the coach to Heathrow early.

Rest of the weekend went smoothly.

So I go to get compensation from Easyjet.

I get £48 refund for the flight out (the return was £140). They won't refund me for my unused hotel room as I didn't continue the trip with them. I can't claim the EU 250 compensation as the flight was cancelled because of industrial action.

Can they get away with this?

I've booked with them for 4 of us going to Amsterdam but after that I'm never flying with them again.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I fly with them a lot. You should be due a full refund on both flights if you cancelled both because of the outbound issue. The hotel isn’t their concern as it was booked independently.

If you used the return then you will only get a refund on the outbound.

 

[drew]

Travel insurance?

 

[B-right-on]

If you used credit cards they also can claim the refund for you for the flights if needed.

Hotel, as HT said, no chance.

From the other point of view, hardly Easyjets fault that the French are just being, well, French.

Doubt BA etc would refund the hotel either.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If you’re in this situation again, my advice is to get on the app asap and check if there’s any other flights which are more convenient than the one they suggest; they will often suggest a flight which is convenient for them and not you. It’s also better to re-book a seat and then think about options and maybe move it again, as opposed to think and then book; you need to move quickly as there’s a whole plane load of punters in the same boat.

I appreciate this isn’t brilliant but it’s the trade-off for cheap air travel. When I flew to Marseille I needed certain guarantees and a through ticket as I was changing flights (EasyJet don’t do through, or return tickets), so I flew Lufthansa with the knowledge if there’s an issue I’m moved to the next flight automatically and there’s almost one an hour….but this comes at a premium.

 

[Weststander]

In an identical scenario on the moneysavingexpert website, your only hope is claiming on travel insurance.

 

[scooter1]

In my experience with EasyJet and problems, is that you just have to keep plugging away at them. A lot of people can’t be arsed to continue pursuing them after the first or second no, and they play on this. Know your rights and keep at em, as long as you’re not asking for more than you’re due, you will get it

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

With flights being flakey as they are nowadays due to one flavour of shite or another, it makes sense to book hotels that are cancellable as close as possible to the point where your flight gets cancelled. Booking.com springs immediately to mind. Other sites are doubtless available

 

[Rookie]

Put in a compliant and see what happens. If nothing use https://www.resolver.co.uk/.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Put in a compliant and see what happens. If nothing use https://www.resolver.co.uk/.

What’s there to complain about though? The OP bought 2 separate flights and a separate hotel. One flight was cancelled and an alternative or a refund was offered. I don’t see what more can be expected.

 

[One Love]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Balders]

Easyjet don't sell return flights, you are effectively buying 2 separate flights. If you'd have bought your flights and hotel through Easyjet Holidays, then that's covered under the Package Travel Regulations and if your delay to the replacement flight is greater than 12 hours, you get refunded the whole lot.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

If you’re in this situation again, my advice is to get on the app asap and check if there’s any other flights which are more convenient than the one they suggest; they will often suggest a flight which is convenient for them and not you. It’s also better to re-book a seat and then think about options and maybe move it again, as opposed to think and then book; you need to move quickly as there’s a whole plane load of punters in the same boat.

I appreciate this isn’t brilliant but it’s the trade-off for cheap air travel. When I flew to Marseille I needed certain guarantees and a through ticket as I was changing flights (EasyJet don’t do through, or return tickets), so I flew Lufthansa with the knowledge if there’s an issue I’m moved to the next flight automatically and there’s almost one an hour….but this comes at a premium.

Good advice. Easyjet did it to me on a day trip to Belfast in August ,I received a text from them to say they had cancelled my return flight whilst l was in the taxi enroute to the airport.

If it wasn't for their app l would have bben totally stranded. All remaining flights that day were already full, and the airport was just a sea of "app less"stranded passengers not knowing where to turn, but the app rebooked me on the first flight to Gatwick early the following morning, and paid for a room at an airport hotel for the night.

 

[Weststander]

With flights being flakey as they are nowadays due to one flavour of shite or another, it makes sense to book hotels that are cancellable as close as possible to the point where your flight gets cancelled. Booking.com springs immediately to mind. Other sites are doubtless available

That came into its own during the lockdowns, using that booking.com option on a sizeable proportion of its hotels saved us some hits.

 

[Albion Robster]

In my experience with EasyJet and problems, is that you just have to keep plugging away at them. A lot of people can’t be arsed to continue pursuing them after the first or second no, and they play on this. Know your rights and keep at em, as long as you’re not asking for more than you’re due, you will get it

THIS!
Airlines hope customers won‘t pursue claims after multiple unanswered attempts. Keep badgering EasyJet. There’s a few websites who offer free letter templates when trying to claim for cancelled flights.