EasyJet passengers in Facebook compensation bid

Passengers who were left stranded at Corfu Airport after their easyJet plane suffered a technical fault are launching a lawsuit with the help of Facebook.

The disgruntled holidaymakers set up a group on the social networking site and have been coordinating efforts to secure compensation from the low-cost carrier.

More than 100 of them were stuck in Corfu on June 21 when a technical fault stopped their flight, bound for London Gatwick, from taking off at the scheduled time of 11.45am.

They were held at the airport until 5am the following day, before eventually being put up in a hotel and told to return to the airport for a flight that evening.

Unfortunately for easyJet one of the passengers, Elena MacLeod, is a barrister, and after rallying fellow travellers on Facebook she is now spearheading plans to sue the airline.

"The way the whole thing has been dealt with by easyJet has been beyond belief," Ms MacLeod complained to The Daily Mail. "Because we have been secretly cooperating through Facebook we have been able to expose the airline's inconsistencies.

"Some passengers have now been offered £50 as a goodwill gesture, but we consider this ludicrous."

The Facebook troupe argue that they are entitled to £340 compensation each under EU law, which guarantees passengers recompense when a carrier cancels a flight.

They reject easyJet's claim that "extraordinary circumstances" absolve it of financial liability. Specifically, Ms MacLeod cited a ruling by the European Court of Justice last year which said exemptions are restricted to genuinely exceptional events such as sabotage.

The barrister has now raised the matter with the Civil Aviation Authority in Greece, and she plans to sue easyJet in Britain on behalf of the Facebook group.

© Cheapflights Ltd

Comments

[Ana Amour]

Good luck obtaining compensation! This should make us all think twice next time we book a flight, or next time we buy travel insurance...

[Remsa]

It's true that most of the time low-cost carriers are still not aware of providing customer service. I think that social media could helps them to improve that and keep their low-cost model at the same time. But anyway, I think Ryanair proves every day that you can survive without customer service!