A furious couple say they were left at an airport 'without accommodation' after their easyJet flight was delayed by 22 hours. Derek and Meryl Hesketh, from Southport, were due to fly back to Manchester Airport from Tenerife on Saturday evening at 8.30pm - but an afternoon email from the budget airline told them that their flight had been 'delayed overnight', throwing their travel plans up in the air.
They were told they would instead take off at 6.30pm on Sunday. The delay was blamed on air traffic control restrictions enforced due to thick fog causing havoc at airports across the UK, including Manchester. Derek, 59, and Meryl, 56, who is disabled, claimed the email from easyJet said they would be offered a hotel room for the night if they needed one and to "speak to our ground crew who will be happy to help you".
This email is said to have warned passengers against booking their own accommodation as they wouldn't be able to claim back the cost. However, after checking out of their rental villa and returning the keys to their hire car, the couple claimed they were told by easyJet staff that there was 'nothing they could do' for them.
EasyJet has since apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers booked on the flight, attributing the delay to 'adverse weather' in the UK. Speaking to Manchester Evening News while he was stuck in the airport, Derek said: "When we eventually found some easyJet staff, which wasn't easy, they said there was nothing they could do. They said they couldn't book us any hotels. But we got there early and I don't even think they had started trying.".
