‘Stranded’ easyJet passengers miss wedding, baby scan and work due to canceled flight

Declan Lally and his friend Richard, from Helensburgh, Scotland, had a nightmare coming home from the Europa League final after their easyJet flight was canceled at the last minute

Two British friends were left “stranded” in Portugal after their flight home was canceled at the last minute.

Declan Lally and his pal Richard eventually missed a wedding and baby scan and lost wages after their easyJet flight from Faro to Bristol on Thursday night was cancelled.

The couple from Helensburgh, Scotland traveled to Seville, Spain last Tuesday for the Europa League final between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt.

They were said to have returned home after a bus trip via the neighboring country Bristol Live.

Self-employed hairstylist Declan, 29, said he and Richard, 28, made it through passport control and could see the plane with passengers on board on the runway when he was told it was 10 minutes late.

However, at 11pm, 40 minutes after they were originally scheduled to fly, they were told the flight was canceled altogether.

Have you had experiences similar to Declan’s? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk

Along with other travelers, they had to spend the night sleeping on the airport floor.

Seven hours later, around 5.30am on Friday, they spoke to easyJet third party representatives who gave them a phone number to call the airline.

They were eventually booked on a flight to Liverpool on Saturday night after paying for a nearby hotel for Friday night.

The couple then had to take a taxi and bus to Manchester Airport as there were no trains available until 10.30am.

They eventually got a train to Preston, another train to Carlisle and a replacement bus to Glasgow before catching another train home to Helensburgh.

The couple had traveled to Portugal on a Ryanair flight from Dublin and Glasgow but used easyJet to get home.

Declan said: “I’m a self-employed hairdresser so on the Friday I was supposed to be home I lost my fully booked schedule.

“I also lost on Saturday, which was also fully booked.

“I had booked two wedding receptions to go to the hairdresser – one on Friday and one on Saturday and I had to let them both down.

“I was even supposed to be going to my buddies’ wedding on Sunday so had to let them down too – although I managed to show up very late on Sunday night but I fell asleep in the car so there wasn’t much of a guest.

“It means she lost the money she spent on me to attend her wedding because I didn’t make it in time to see her at her wedding and I missed her dinner.”

Richard meanwhile missed a baby scan with his partner, but Declan thankfully said he didn’t miss work on Monday.

The pair were due to meet up in Bristol with another friend, William, so they could all three fly back to Scotland together.

Declan’s plan had been to fly easyJet from Faro to Bristol and then take another easyJet flight from Bristol to Glasgow with his friends.

However, with the Faro flight cancelled, he did not board his Glasgow flight, claiming easyJet told him he would not receive a refund.

While using the easyJet app to book alternative flights in Faro, Declan says the app kept crashing and “never worked”.

Declan took to Twitter for answers, asking the airline if he could get a refund for his missed flight.

EasyJet replied: “For the flight you missed due to the disruption you would need to claim this through any valid travel insurance you may have.

“If you have booked a connecting flight with easyJet or another airline, this constitutes a separate contract of carriage.

“We do not guarantee or accept liability for missed onward carriage on a subsequent flight.

“Where you decide to book such a connecting flight.”

But Declan said: “It was a third party so there were no easyJet staff around when it was canceled and we didn’t see anyone again representing easyJet at the airport until 5:30am the morning after our canceled flight.

“The only time I met anyone from easyJet was on the plane to Liverpool.

“Liverpool or London were the only destinations they could change our flight to for two people together. EasyJet said it was not their responsibility to take us back to Glasgow.”

Declan says the experience put him off booking with easyJet again, but he’s not done with it.

“I unfortunately have five flights due with them,” Declan said. “I’m nervous that the same thing could happen again.”

An easyJet spokesman said: “We can confirm that this flight EZY6010 from Faro to Bristol has been canceled due to a technical issue on board the aircraft due to the operation of the flight.

“We did everything we could to minimize the disruption, by helping customers transfer free of charge to alternative flights that were available on subsequent easyJet flights from Faro on the same day and for those who needed them, Hotel accommodation and meals provided.

“All customers who have obtained their own hotel accommodation will be reimbursed for this and all other reasonable expenses, and anyone who no longer wishes to travel can receive a voucher or full refund.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation. The safety and well-being of our customers and our crew is our top priority.”