Britons in Pisa scheduled to board a plane to Manchester say they were instead left in a hot airport corridor with no food, water or toilets only to be told it was cancelled eight hours later.
Disgruntled easyJet passengers said they were ushered to the corridor at Pisa Airport on Tuesday when their 11.30am flight to Manchester was delayed.
They claim they were given no communication, or a way out of the corridor, and some were fainting in the sweltering heat with temperatures in the high 20s.
The flight was eventually cancelled.
Many took to Twitter to vent their frustration and call for help.
@easyjet So after arriving at Pisa Airport at 8.30am 3 hours before our flight to Manchester we get told at 4pm that it’s cancelled, no help from anyone, plane load of people just abandoned, worst customer service ever! 😡
— Rob Wilkinson (@oldmanwilky) June 21, 2022
Absolute shit show from @easyJet at Pisa airport yesterday. 8hrs in the airport to be told it’s cancelled, after being held in a tunnel without access to food and drink. Madness!
— Martin Brady (@martbrady) June 22, 2022
One passenger, Martin Brady, claimed he had spent eight hours in the airport to be told the flight was cancelled.
Natalie Yates said: “We’ve been delayed already and now ushered into the boarding tunnel with no food, water or toilets and people are fainting and overheating. No communication, and no way out. Send help.”
In a second Tweet she wrote: “There is nobody at our gates now, people are passing out and we just need a bus to the plane which is sat waiting, food and drinks are selling out and it’s overcrowded here.”
Ms Yates told the Standard she is still waiting for a reply from EasyJet.
Easyjet and Pisa airport showing what they're good at with customer service. We've been delayed already and now ushered into the boarding tunnel with no food, water or toilets and people are fainting and overheating. No communication, and no way out. Send help.@easyJet pic.twitter.com/hdxHJ5y4Jw
— Natalie Yates (@Natalie30640342) June 21, 2022
Neil Rylance said his 83-year-old father was left standing for four hours.
An absolute disgrace @easyjet - you have already left my 83 year old dad standing for 4 hours so far (2 hours delayed), you have now locked us in a corridor with no ventilation and spring heat and all doors locked !!! #pisa #Manchester absolutely disgusting !!! pic.twitter.com/8PUGGRuMme
— Neil Rylance 💙 (@neil_blah) June 21, 2022
Another passenger Andy Sparrow told the Standard he arrived home on Wednesday evening, after his flight was delayed again, and his friend is still in Pisa.
“He is self employed and has lost two days work costing him hundreds of pounds.”
EasyJet said passengers were in the corridor awaiting to board a bus to the aircraft for no more than 30 minutes.
“We do not have any reports of any passengers fainting, but nonetheless we are very sorry for the delay they experienced,” the airline told the Standard.
Passengers were taken back to the airport terminal, and when the flight was eventually cancelled, people were provided with options to rebook onto alternative flights, receive a refund, and passengers who needed it were given hotel accommodation and meals, Easyjet said.
“While no issues were raised to our team, we are sorry for any discomfort any customers experienced while initially waiting to board and our team escorted customers back to the terminal and provided refreshments.
The airline is set to cancel thousands of flights this summer as it struggles with staff shortages, which could set it back £200 million.
@British_Airways there are families here in @PisaAirport who don’t have their luggage (it’s metres away) because you haven’t instigated the release of bags. Children crying, tempers rising, a complete disaster!
— Oliver Brown (@OliBrown81) June 21, 2022
Meanwhile, easyJet cabin crew based in Spain are poised to strike for nine days in July due to a row over pay.