6 hour delay...EasyJet has not responded.....

[GengisKhant]

I experienced a delay of almost six hours on a scheduled Easyjet flight from Stansted to Alicante. The Easyjet staff were next to usless..., the Swissport staff even worse. Little or no information supplied during delay..., no refreshments at all for any passengers ..., and there were a number of children and elderly on this flight.

Sent formal complaint to Easyjet, and received an automatic response giving reference number.

Have hastened a number of times (incident took place on 16th march). but all I get is another automatic reference number.

Anyone know how I can contact Easyjet to get some form of response.????

GengisK

[Getoutofmygalley]

You could try telephoning the Customer Services Department on 0871 244 2366 to see if they can give you an idea as to how long it will be before you get a formal response, they might even be able to put you through to the specific department responsible for dealing with complaints.

[PPRuNe Radar]

Forget easyJet, complain to the top

EU Air Passenger Rights

Help and further information

If you are affected by denied boarding, a cancellation or a long delay and the airline does not give you what you are entitled to, complain to the relevant national enforcement body. For its name and address, contact the Europe Direct freephone on 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Europe Direct can also give you details of organisations that advise or help with other complaints.

You may also inform the European Commission’s Energy and Transport DG, B-1049 Brussels, of the follow-up given to your complaint, by fax [phone] or by e-mail to [email protected].

Leaflets with the information on this poster and more details may be found at the information desk and on the Internet (http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/.../index_en.htm).

YOUR CONTRACT WITH AN AIRLINE SETS OUT OTHER RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. ASK YOUR AIRLINE OR TRAVEL AGENCY FOR A COPY OF THESE.

Here is what easyJet are obligated to have provided:

Long delays

Immediate assistance

If you check in on time for any flight, including charters:

• from an EU airport, or
• to an EU airport from one outside the EU, when operated by an EU airline, and if the airline operating the flight expects a delay:
• of 2 hours or more, for flights of 1 500 km or less,
• of 3 hours or more, for longer flights within the EU, and for other flights
between 1 500 and 3 500 km,
• of 4 hours or more for flights over 3 500 km outside the EU,

the airline must give you meals and refreshments, hotel accommodation when
necessary (including transfers) and communication facilities.

When the delay is 5 hours or more, the airline must also offer to refund your
ticket (with a free flight back to your initial point of departure, when relevant).

If you do not receive these rights, complain immediately to the airline
operating the flight.

Later claims

When an EU airline is responsible for the delay of a flight anywhere in the
world, you may claim up to 4 150 SDR** for any resulting damages. If the airline does not agree with your claim, you may go to court.

You can claim from the airline with which you have a contract or from that actually operating the flight, if they are different.

I'd advise you to print out a copy of the flyer published by the EU which details this, and carry it with you every time you fly. Very useful to point to the relevant text if you are getting nowhere with the airline at the airport

EU Air Passenger Rights

[The SSK]

Mr Moderator, Sir,
The flyer contains a HUGE discrepancy compared to what actually appears in the legal text, and as such is extremely misleading to people in GhengisKhant's position.
The 'full refund and free flight back to origin' ONLY applies if, after 5 hours' delay,

the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan
(Article 8.1.a of Regulation (EC) 261/2004)

All it really means is that you can say 'I've missed my appointment/footy match/granny's funeral, I'm scrapping my journey and I want my money back'. In those circumstances the airline can't tell you that your ticket is non-refundable. The 'flight home' bit is if you have already flown a sector of a multi-sector journey before you give up.

[GengisKhant]

Easyjet delay

Many thanks to you all for the information.

Getoutofmy galley..., thanks for the number..., only trouble is that the 0871 number does not work from outside UK. As I am chasing this issue from outside the UK, I am getting nowhere fast.

PPRuNe Radar..., Thank you for the information..., on reaching my destination, I obtained a copy of the EU regulaton 261/2004, and quoted chapter and verse as to their non-conpliance in my original complaint, which was forwarded to Easyjet the day after the incident. I will be following up your pointers in an attempt to get some satisfaction from easyjet on this matter. I have now printed a copy of 261/2004, and will keep this with me in future, as I still fly regulary around Europe.

The SSK...; Thank you also for your contribution. My aim here is not compensation, but to get Easyjet to ensure something like this does not happen in the future..., though I am not holding my breath.

I have been involved in the movement of walking freight and the normal sort in one way or another (within the military AT fleet & A&D Industry) for 40+ years, and never have I experienced such tardy and disorganized service. A little communication, and some basic organization would have made this delay, whilst not acceptable, at least bearable. The Easyjet staff would not reveal the Easyjet Luton Ops number to me, and claimed that they did not know the formal passenger complaints process. On requesting the presence of the duty manager, the Swissport official gave me the same runaround. Totally unacceptable!!

I will feed-back any successes or otherwise...,

GengisK

[Shanwickman]

I have just dialled the 0871 from outside the UK and it does work for me.
Just drop the 0 from the number, hence dial [phone].
Hope this helps

[PAXboy]

Thanks for the link PPRuNe Radar but it's now a broen link and redirects to the main page. Given the size of the site...!!!!! Do you have a suggestion for a search string, once on the EU site?

Thanks

[PPRuNe Radar]

Link should work now

Whilst also no help for this thread (easyJet seem to have escaped being found out so far ), there is also a useful site which gives 'real' telephone numbers for 0870 ones (the latter attracting a higher call rate of course !!).

Worth a go if you ever need to get hold of a faceless organisation or company.

UK Say No To 0870

[VNAVSPD]

The Easyjet staff were next to usless..., the Swissport staff even worse

If the delay occured at Stansted, all of the staff would have been working for Swissport, even those wearing the Easyjet uniform. If your delay exceeded 2 hours, then I really don't understand why LRV's were not issued. Easyjet's ground handling manual states that for a delay of more than 2 hours, 3.00 GBP must be issued to every passenger, and then for every 2 hours subsequently, provieded that the ETD is more than 40min away. i.e. you will not recieve a refreshment voucher if the flight is due to depart in less than 40minutes. The airline believes that it is easier in these circumstances to provide the equivillant refreshments on board.

At Stansted, Easyjet LRV's are issued by swissport. They do not have to be authorised by the airline, as per the GHM above!

[XSBaggage]

Pprune Radar, having a flyer with you may not always work.
All handling agents or airlines are obliged to have copies available for pax. When a Ryanair flight is cancelled or delayed though, the ticket desk agents are to hand a copy to each pax they dealt with saying something along the lines of "this is what you are entitled to under the EU compensation laws. Ryanair do not accept these regulations though and you will not be receiving any of the compensation described. They would rather you took them to court."
Maybe EZY are trying the same, but in a less brazen way. I have not heard of anyone taking FR to court yet. Maybe other LCCs should follow their lead?

XSB.

[PPRuNe Radar]

Small claims court in the UK might be the way to go. Wonder if Ryanair would even turn up ?? (Judgement can be made even if they don't).

As for the EU Regulation and airlines choosing to comply or not, they have no choice and can't pick and choose which they like and which they don't. Enforcement and punishment by the EU is another matter of course !!

[occasional]

My experience is that the English small claims court is very effective - and some good publicity for that system would be welcome.

The Scottish small claims system is however considerably inferior.

[XSBaggage]

But are Ryanair governed by the Irish courts? They seem to have all angles covered. Personally I do not like the EU compensation rules, and I admire Ryanair´s "balls" in doing this, but I do think that a bit of customer service goes a long way. Even a meal voucher and a low value phone card would help. I think that the Easyjet situation that started this thread could have been alleviated by just a little understanding. I admire Ryanair´s balls but would not like to see them as a benchmark in the industry.

XSB

[TightSlot]

Originally Posted by XSBaggage

I admire Ryanair´s balls but would not like to see them as a benchmark in the industry.XSB

Ryanair ARE the benchmark in the industry - they make money!! That's precisely why so many people are worried about them IMHO.

[SelectMgt]

Speaking of taking the airline to court to get compensation, easyjet within the last 3 months or so have been in Belfast courts several time, and not winning either!

Anyone have any idea what ratio of loosing and winning is for FR when taken to court?

[Rupert369]

I'm struggling to understand how Easyjet and particularly Ryanair can get away with so obviously breaking the law. Are they exploitng a loophole or are they really getting away with flouting it? Please could somebody explain?!

It really makes me angry - they are happy enough to accept EU intervention when it works in their favour, such as the open skies policy, but not when it works for their customers, and I hope they will be taught that you can't have it both ways.

I fly with Ryanair regularly, and have never ever had a serious problem. Judging from what one reads online, however, it is only a matter of time, and if they don't offer me what I'm entitled too, I'll look forward to seeing them in court.

[Con-Trail]

From what I understand is that Ryanair and the likes are not complying with the regulations for compensation of IATA. They would obviously have to settle any claim made against them in court and they appear to willingly settle any amount with the claimant. The problem is when you want to make a claim, you have to pay for the trail (so does Ryanair). But ofcourse, Ryanair being a big established company can afford to drag a court case out indefinately so that you as an individual get to a point where you just cannot afford to continue this.

However, this is different for Easyjet because they are claiming to comply to IATA's rules and regulations concerning passenger travel.

I'd like to add that I do not know all the details and most of this is "hear-say" so please correct me if I'm wrong

C-T

[The SSK]

Nothing whatsoever to do with IATA. The Denied Boarding Regulation is EU law, directly applicable in every Member State.

To the best of my knowledge, IATA don't make rules any more (not enforceable ones anyway). The days when IATA inspectors would roam the world, counting the number of cherry tomatoes on each plate and fining over-generous miscreants, are long gone.

[Getoutofmygalley]

Originally Posted by Rupert369

I'm struggling to understand how Easyjet and particularly Ryanair can get away with so obviously breaking the law. Are they exploitng a loophole or are they really getting away with flouting it? Please could somebody explain?!
It really makes me angry - they are happy enough to accept EU intervention when it works in their favour, such as the open skies policy, but not when it works for their customers, and I hope they will be taught that you can't have it both ways.
I fly with Ryanair regularly, and have never ever had a serious problem. Judging from what one reads online, however, it is only a matter of time, and if they don't offer me what I'm entitled too, I'll look forward to seeing them in court.

Rupert, I can assure you that the 99.9% of times easyJet does comply with the EU rulings. I can only assume that there has been a MASSIVE break down in communications between the handling agents in Alicante and NMC in Luton.

And how do I know 99.9% of the easyJet complies? It's because I am crew and I always ascertain from the handling agents downroute when things have gone tits up that the pax have had what they are entitiled to!

[XSBaggage]

TightSlot, I agree. Meant though I hope they dont become a benchmark for customer service levels! That doesnt bear thinking about, but I fear that in Europe it is a situation we are edging ever closer to.

Con-trail I agree, Ryanair are once again using their sheer size to bully the customers on whos side they so often claim to be on. I think also (not 100% sure though) that they employ lawyers full time to deal with such court cases, therefore would be paying them a wage anyway, and not on a "per trial" basis. Luckily I have never had serious problems with FR (except a cancelled flight but was reaccommodated on one a couple of hours later) and I honestly think that despite having a lawyer in my immediate family would just let the matter go. Just the type of mug Ryanair screw on a regular basis .