I’m an easyJet fan – or at least I was until last week. It cancelled my 21:50 flight from Munich to Edinburgh, and then managed to make a disaster out of a problem.
I’ve even blogged about easyJet to sing its praises, so I’m not just making it up. I also have recent experience of being stranded overnight, so I know the routine.
easyJet gave no hint of a problem when I checked in, although it would have know by then that the inbound plane was still in Edinburgh. The departure & boarding gate screens gave no delay information until around departure time – again the plane was still in Edinburgh at that point.
I was able to get information (of a kind) from the airline’s website and Edinburgh Airport’s.
waiting
That was helpful in knowing when it had left Edinburgh and what my new departure time would be – 00:10. A 2.5 hour delay, meaning a 01:35 arrival in Edinburgh. Not nice, but…
easyJet’s website was telling me the delay was due to air traffic delays earlier in the day, and because a crew member had gone sick. The latter information was 8 hours old.
still waiting
Then they announced the cancellation at the gate, about 22:45. No explanation. Go back through passport control, collect the bags, and then head for the reservation desk for re-booking.
150 tired, grumpy people all forming a scrum around the desk. The managers giving the impression of headless chickens, and their underlings having no information (or conflicting information) as a result.
I was grumpy too, but felt for the parents with young children and a group with 2 wheelchair passengers. One thing the airline did right was to get to get them taken care of quickly.
End result for me was getting to the airport Sheraton (5 minutes away by taxi) about 12:30am.
comfortable
5 hours sleep and then up for breakfast, before the 8am shuttle back to the airport.
6am breakfast
A third explanation for the delay from the ground staff as we waited.
Our flight left at 11am. They brought in a stand by plane from Berlin. 13 hours late getting to Edinburgh.
Anyway, I can recommend the Sheraton if you have to spend a night at the airport.
nice place
© iain taylor 2013