Thousands of passengers are waking up on Friday morning hundreds or thousands of miles from where they hoped to be, after large-scale flight cancellations on British Airways and easyJet on Thursday (24 August).
Thousands more travellers have been told their flights on Friday (25 August) are grounded, with BA cancelling 50 domestic and European flights to and from London Heathrow.
At London Gatwick, easyJet has made at least 10 cancellations on Friday.
Passengers have complained of being left to fend for themselves at airports across Europe after their flights were cancelled or held overnight following air-traffic control and weather delays.
The broadcaster Sangita Myska was booked on one of the three British Airways flights cancelled from Edinburgh to London on Thursday.
Addressing BA on X, formerly known as Twitter, she wrote: “You cancelled our Edinburgh to London flight with two hours’ notice.
“An entire plane-load of people (inc a v frustrated elderly lady) are at the airport now stuck trying to find last minute hotel rooms during the busiest part of the year – when those rooms are at their most expensive.
“The ground staff have given no reason for the cancellation, and passengers have been told to make their own hotel arrangements. Seems particularly unfair on those who aren’t used to travelling, older people or those that don’t have ready cash.”
Hotel rates are very high due to demand from people attending the Edinburgh Fringe and Television Festival.
Ms Myska, a presenter for LBC, wrote that she had been told the airline would cover only £250 in costs. She later told The Independent that she and and her husband had paid £400 for a hotel in the city.
Under air passengers’ rights rules, airlines are required to provide hotels, meals and alternative flights – regardless of the price.
From Nice, British Airways cancelled two out of its four evening flights to London; a third was delayed overnight; and the one that operated departed three hours late.
One passenger, David, contacted The Independent to ask: “Does British Airways make a habit of abandoning families with children at midnight?
“We have just had a cancelled flight at Nice after being sat on the Tarmac for an hour. BA couldn’t get us off the plane fast enough. Then washed their hands of us.”
British Airways flights were also held overnight at Dusseldorf,…
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