Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Manchester Evening News

National

Adam Maidment

Full list of cancelled Flybe flights at Manchester Airport this week as 'frustrated' customers speak about booking 'just hours' before administration

Flybe Charlotte Brown Manchester Manchester Airport Aer Lingus Belfast easyJet

The announcement that Flybe has gone into administration came as a shock to passengers up and down the country this morning who are due to fly with the operator in the near future. One passenger, who had just booked their luggage last night, described the news as 'frustrating'.

Passengers were told not to go to the airport earlier today after the regional airline ceased trading and cancelled all its scheduled flights with immediate effect.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) urged those affected to seek out information on its website and apologised for the distress caused to all of Flybe’s employees and customers.

Flybe was scheduled to operate almost 300 flights next week, which equates to more than 22,000 passenger seats. At Manchester Airport, Flybe’s flights to and from Belfast and Newquay every day next week have all been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

One passenger posted on social media to say they would now have to pay more than three times the cost of the Flybe trip from Belfast to Manchester with Aer Lingus next week.

“Book a flight from Belfast to Mcr for Tuesday,” @Jamest397 wrote on Twitter. “Just had to book with Aer Lingus 2 tix on Flybe was £177 now 2 tix on Aer Lingus £631. Nightmare how quickly other Airlines take advantage.”

All Flybe flights have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Flybe returned to the skies in April following an earlier collapse and intended to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, one Flybe customer said she had booked luggage for their flight to Amsterdam only hours before the announcement of Flybe’s collapse was made public.

“It’s quite annoying because it was literally the last thing we needed to do to organise the holiday,” Charlotte Brown, 27, from Colchester in Essex, said. “We were up late last night celebrating and then a few hours later we got the notification that they had gone into administration.

“They literally took our money two hours before going into administration for our luggage. It’s not something they’ve just decided overnight or within seconds. They willingly took money from us knowing fully well that this was going to happen. It’s really frustrating.”

Charlotte and her friend are planning on travelling to Rotterdam and Belgium to see band Panic! At The Disco on their last European tour next month.

One Flybe customer said they were 'frustrated' the airline had taken money from them just hours before the administration announcement (PA)

The band, who announced their split earlier this week, will then tour the UK before their last ever scheduled show in Manchester on March 10, which Charlotte also has tickets to.

“They’ve literally just announced they’re breaking up this week so it’s been a bad week for us,” Charlotte said. “We’re going to see them in Rotterdam but we’re flying to Amsterdam first from London via EasyJet.

“We were then meant to fly back on March 1 with Flybe to London but we’ve now had to book the Eurostar back as it was the cheapest option for us at the time we had. It’s an extra four hours of travelling and it’s going to cost us both an extra £70 more.”

Charlotte said she and her friend hope they might be able to get their money back for the £40 flights and the additional £20 luggage costs.

“My friend booked the flights and I believe he might have some travel insurance,” Charlotte said. “We’re going to look into it and see what we can do. But it is what it is, nothing is going to stop us from seeing our favourite band.”

Charlotte, however, said the experience with Flybe will now make her more cautious when booking flights in the future - even with trusted operators.

The departure boards at Manchester Airport showing two cancelled Flybe flights today (PA)

“I looked Flybe up before we booked the flights and everything seemed fine,” she explains. “I wasn’t even aware they had gone into administration before.

“But I would definitely be wary of any airline in the future because now even if they look fine, they might not be.”

Speaking about Flybe going into administration, CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: “It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybe’s decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers.

“We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority’s website or our Twitter feed for more information.”

A number of airlines have offered discounts to those affected by the Flybe collapse, including a dedicated discount rate of £49 for UK routes for £49 from EasyJet and a low fare rate on Ryanair routes from Belfast to East Midlands, Manchester and London Stansted until March 26.

In a statement, Manchester Airport said: “We are sad to hear the news today that Flybe has entered administration. Any passengers booked with Flybe who have not yet started their journey should not travel to the airport unless they have made alternative arrangements.”