So I had my daughter booked on the 19.45 Lcy - Bhd last night. She was waiting in the departure lounge at 7.00pm when the departure board is suddenly changed to flight cancelled. No warning emails or text. She was of the opinion that the load was very good. She believes that about 20 were transferred to the EI flight to Dublin, but that travel expenses from Dublin to Belfast would not be covered. Remaining pax to be put up in hotels. We were still at the hotel, close to Lcy, so she decided to return to our hotel. She has been told the hotel cost will be covered. Before leaving the airport, she was re-booked onto the 8.55am flight this morning and issued with a boarding pass. It was only later that I thought of the fact that the pax on the Bhd-Lcy last night were also left in Belfast or else were re-routed at cost to Flybe.
The first flight this morning left Bhd about 35 minutes late, arriving a few minutes late into Lcy. Departure board is changed to flight delayed, info at 9.30am. She heard ground staff on the phone and it seems the Stobart aircraft developed an engine problem. Now they are discussing transferring pax again that were from the cancelled flight to the 10.20 departure. I think by this stage ground staff were taking a lot of flak. So pax from last night's flight were called forward for re-booking. Now staff were dealing with the pax cancelled from last night, pax from the delayed 8.55 from this morning and pax on the 10.20. She was transferred onto the 10.20, but it left about 50 minutes late.
I have no idea of the exact number cancelled from last night, but this one example will cost Flybe a fortune, probably is a good example of why they are in the position they are in.