19 Easy flights cancelled in one day

[LTNman]

So what’s this I hear? Easyjet are suffering delays after 19 flights in and out of Britain were cancelled. The company is blaming the cancellations on crewing problems stemming from technical hitches with aircraft.

[ajamieson]

21:22BST XTG-HOME
AIRLINE CANCELS FLIGHTS
By Louisa Nesbitt, PA News
EasyJet today cancelled 19 flights to and from Luton and Liverpool airports as a result of air traffic control problems and technical problems.
Passengers were put on alternative flights as planes to destinations including Amsterdam, Geneva and Barcelona were cancelled.
The cancellations were partly due to traffic control problems yesterday which had a knock-on effect today, a spokeswoman for EasyJet said.
Two planes also had to be taken out of service due to technical problems, adding to the cancellations, she said.
“We have had to cancel flights as a last resort,” the spokeswoman tonight said.
She said passengers were being put on to other flights and that no more flights were expected to be cancelled.
A spokeswoman for National Air Traffic Services said problems had occurred due to bad weather and the large volume of air traffic yesterday.
“Thunderstorm activity and the sheer volume of traffic were to blame,” she said.
“Yesterday was one of our busiest days of the year. Saturdays in the summer, especially August, are the worst for air movement.”
She said the problms were not due to any system failure.
The cancelled flights included two routes to and from Liverpool Airport and six to and from Luton.
end

[Self Loading Freight]

From the BBC...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2172537.stm

"Passengers with low-cost airline Easyjet are suffering delays after 19 flights in and out of Britain were cancelled.
The company blamed the move - which comes a week after passengers staged a protest sit-in at Nice airport - on crewing problems stemming from technical hitches with aircraft.

Crews caught up in the delays worked up to their maximum hours and then had to be allowed home to rest."

The company isn't commenting further... but that seems a lot to lose due to the quoted reasons.

Is the rostering too tight? Not enough crew, full stop? Amazingly bad luck? Is this sort of thing going to happen often in the cheap seats?

R

[Gaza]

EZY also seemed to have handling problems at LTN yesterday. The flight from EDI arrived at 12:40 but pax didn't get their bags until 14:00. Delayed blamed on staff shortage.

[Puma Driver]

I had the misfortune to be booked on the EZY488 18:15 from EDI - BFS yesterday, the aircraft went tech just as the previous flight EZY484 boarding, I arrived BFS 01:40, refund in post me thinks.:mad:

[Capitano]

The trouble with easyJet is that they always blame someone else (thunderstorms etc.....no other airline cancelled flights because of that...). They would not look at mirror. The company is proud that they have managers who do not have any experience in aviation before ej, and thus are not "polluted" with traditional airline ideas. Yet you can not run airline without some basic principles related to the number of crews per a/c, duty time limitations etc. The managers are expecting to get millions in bonuses after the GO acquisition, yet they should be sacked after all the mismanagement. ej probably have the worst management of any airline around. City investment fund managers should look very carefully where their money is going to!

Apparently the pilots union is very close to industrial action, with a number of items that the company is refusing to talk about.

There are no pilot managers at ej in charge of anything, that is due to the fact that pilots are simply loathed at ej. The management pilots at ej only look after things like reprimanding pilots who are too tired to fly (and refusing to fly fatigued), or delaying upgrades of F/Os if they refuse roster changes etc.

EasyJet is a mess. The best hope would be to get Barbra Cassani to rescue it! Where r u Babs...

[Crash_and_Burn]

Oh I don't know, RyanAir seem to be pretty badly manged as well!

I wouldn't call QueasyJet the worst run airline, just quite low down the list!

[gul dukat]

Puma ...you got home though !! perhaps a few quid to spend in the bar..but why a refund??

[Robert Vesco]

Nothing new if you work for SWISS... :eek:

[Golf Charlie Charlie]

And it would be a good day for United Airlines's domestic network.

[Flap 5]

Puma,

You should be entitled to a refund as the policy is 4 hours or more delay and they pay out a refund to all passengers.

It's the usual problem with any shorthaul airline. The aircraft are used for many sectors throughout the day. If there is a delay at the start of the day it will effect all of the susequent sectors, especially with the low cost airlines with their short turn round times. With 20 minute turn round times at Scottish airports if you arrive 5 minutes late at Edinburgh you have to turn round in 15 minutes to make up the time - clearly impossible.

Part of the reason for being 'so close to industrial action' is the stress that such short turn round times causes. If the work environment was more relaxed I am sure there would be less insentive for possible industrial action.

[skeet surfer]

I was on ezy (818 I think) last night, BCN - LGW. Absolutely full a/c with several LTN bound pax added at last minute due to the earlier delays.....

Cabin crew were very professional dealing with the few LTN pax who were complaining, nipping any 'problems' in the bud....

Just as we were boarding (on time) the last LTN bound ezy was delayed 45 mins....... Don't know if this delay increased........

[Buster the Bear]

I think you will find problems today (Monday). Prime A300 and a JMC sub chartered from Luton and a number of large delays. One flight inbound earlier did have to div into East Mids due crew unable to Cat 3 it.

[Vortex what...ouch!]

I was on the easy flight form Amsterdam to Liverpool this morning. It is usualy delayed but this morning by almost 3 hours. It is definately getting worse. This flight has been delayed for the last 5 weeks in a row. And this is only the second flight of the day on this route!

[t'aint natural]

I was on BA EDI-LGW on 29/7, delayed 3hr by "traffic congestion at Gatwick" then they fessed up it had gone tech. Not a low-cost problem; time to spare...

[fmgc]

You pays your money and takes your choice.........EJ are cheap, but with it you have to accept the fact that you could be delayed etc.

[yankee charlie]

I worked in EZY OPS last Sunday we just lost control of the entire operation as a result we cancelled 19 flights.


Stranded passengers were fed up, our ground handlers just gave up at the end and the police were called at different outstations.

To make things worst crew refused to go on discretion (by the way I don`t blame them).

Passengers had to wait for hrs in Ltn to collect their luggage because of shortage of staff

On Monday same senario again we subcharterd a 757 from JMC, a 737 from Titan and a 737 from GO to rescue the delayed passengers again another day in hell many flights were delayed for over 4 hrs.


Senior management were walking around in easyland telling us things will get better soon.

Many of my colleagues are looking for jobs somewhere else we do not believe in easyJet anymore. Cain Crew, Flight deck and ground services are taking strike action soon.....watch this space.


If you are a passenger ring the res centre and ask for a refund for your flight and book with another airline.

[Patagonia]

I understood that all EZY flights are non-refundable, so ringing the res centre and asking for a refund to rebook elsewhere will only cause more non-revenue generating work.

That is a surefire way to reduce the efficiency and profitability of any company - is your goal to put your employer out of business?

[LTNman]

Easyjet have a policy of automatic refunds on flights over 4 hours late

[Patagonia]

LTNman - yeah I know they have that policy, but I was referring to what YC seemed to be asking people to do - canx their existing untravelled res, ask for a refund and rebook elsewhere.

[AA717driver]

I thought ej, go and ryanair were the 'second coming' when it comes to deregulation in Europe.

Maybe in the Airline Management Handbook they should start with the fact that to run an airline, you have to have your **** together...TC

[Golf Charlie Charlie]

Yankie Charlie

"If you are a passenger ring the res centre and ask for a refund for your flight and book with another airline."


Is that possible ? I thought that once booked, that was it, you couldn't claim a refund on the low-cost no-frills carriers. Sure, refunds for 4 hours' delay and all that, but before you travel ?