British holidaymakers were left stranded at airports last night (Sunday) because easyJet cancelled dozens of flights due to thunderstorms at Gatwick Airport. In total, they grounded 54 flights scheduled to depart from Gatwick yesterday, with a further 55 cancelled today causing disruptions for almost 15,000 passengers.
People caught up in the chaos were outraged, claiming there were just two members of staff at the airport who were 'swamped' by thousands of stranded easyJet customers.
The airline has stated that the disruption is “outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance”. Due to the weather, this means that passengers will not be eligible for flight delay compensation, which has angered some passengers even more who claim it is not down to the weather but down to crews exceeding their allocated hours.
A spokesperson for easyJet said: “Thunderstorms in the Gatwick area which restricted the number of arrivals and departures on Sunday unfortunately resulted in disruption at London Gatwick Airport, including some diversions and cancellations which is having a knock-on impact this morning as a number of aircraft are out of position.”
“We are doing all possible to minimise the impact on our customers, providing those on cancelled flights with options to rebook or receive a refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required.”
Gatwick Airport said: “Air traffic control suspended flights while a storm passed over the South East.”
Yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and rain are in place for much of the UK today, with warm temperatures set to linger throughout the week. Four yellow thunderstorm warnings are in place from midday to 9pm tonight (Monday) in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, much of southern England and the Midlands, and most of Wales.
The Met Office says people in these areas should be conscious of the potential for sudden flooding and transport difficulties. The forecast follows a weekend of scorching temperatures and heavy rainfall.
