When preparing for a holiday there are many things you consider and prepare for. Like whether your suitcase will be within the weight limit, whether your sun cream has a high enough SPF or if your passport and Covid pass are still in date.
My friends and I had booked a holiday to Lisbon last year and so we were more than prepared, with all of these things accounted for when the exciting day came. We had seen the stories about Bristol Airport and it's chaos so we even took the extra steps of purchasing 'speedy boarding' and getting to the airport with hours to spare.
To our delight, our efforts appeared to pay off. And so after waiting around an hour to check in, because we were too early, we ditched our suitcases and made our way to get an airport brunch.
We ate and enjoyed - whilst doing your usual airport faffing, checking the screens and locating your gate as well as a trip to duty free to pick up some last minute bits, like makeup and toiletries, that due to liquid restrictions were easier to not pack from home.
At this point, we were beyond excited for some sun, sea and quality 'girl-time'. We treated ourselves to a Starbucks, before making our way to our gate to get ready for boarding.
The gate was packed with excited holiday-goers, itching to take their seats on the plane we could see through the window. It was only ten minutes before boarding and we were more than ready to go.
Things seemed to take a turn when the cabin crew emerged, with one member gathering everyone's attention to make an announcement we could barely hear. "There has been IT issues, your flight has cancelled", he announced.
My friends and I exchanged glances and honestly, I thought he was having us all on. "We can't hear you" one passenger shouted, which prompted the cabin member to move to the microphone at the other end of the room.
From there, he sheepishly let us know that our flight wasn't going to be going ahead, news delivered only minutes before we were expecting to board. He then instructed us to speak further with easyJet customer service, providing no additional explanation about what was going on.
It was fair to say, everyone was in a state of confusion. We were honestly waiting for someone to tell us it was a joke. I mean surely, it isn't the norm for your flight to be cancelled ten minutes before boarding with no further instruction on what you are to do.
Reality hit when we looked out of the window to see our suitcases being taken off of the plane. The next announcement made was from another staff member - who let us know that a bus was coming to escort us.
"To where?" a confused passenger responded, speaking for pretty much everyone in the room. We, again, received no further instruction.
Adding the icing on the cake, was the next announcement that was delivered - which let us know that Bristol Airport lacks an easyJet customer service desk and that our concerns needed to be taken to the easyJet app. Of course, frantic passengers then all flocked to their phones, only to find an app which wasn't working. Ironic.
And then, to really set the scene - the staff let us know that any of our duty free purchases would have to be returned. As if we weren't inconvenienced enough.
At this point, I decided to call the easyJet customer service line - who I surprisingly got through to in around 15 minutes. I spoke with a woman who let me know that the best she could do for my two friends and I was to book us onto a flight, a week later. Certainly something my annual leave, or Airbnb booking didn't allow.
As well as this, we were also meeting a friend at our destination who was already on her way and would have had quite the lonely holiday without us. Our situation was looking pretty dire, apart from the instruction that we could book alternate means of transport and be expensed by the airline.
So, after being dropped at baggage collection - for a trip we didn't take. We took out our phones and flocked to Sky Scanner. It was insulting to see that easyJet were still chartering flights to our intended destination at almost four times the price.
Regardless, we had no intention to try our luck with them considering the circumstances. We hunted for flights from all airlines and airports that were feasible, having to also consider travelling to another city and had absolutely no luck.
Then, we overheard another group of disgruntled passengers suggest that they fly from Dublin and decided to look into their idea. A couple of clicks later - we discovered a flight to Dublin from Bristol Airport that evening, with another from Dublin to Lisbon the next morning.
We decided it was our best bet to book them and so begrudgingly forked out close to £2,000 for two flights each for the three of us, with the hopes that easyJet would stick to their promise and refund us, sooner rather than later.
Our next flight wasn't for a few hours and we would have to check-in again but couldn't outside of the two hour window. So, we were back to sitting on the uncomfortable airport seats with only M&S snacks to see us through.
After checking in, we couldn't help but feel the fear our earlier flight mishap had engrained. Especially considering our flight was delayed for an hour, news that the airport or airline didn't bother to let us know.
We eventually arrived in Ireland and had calculated that the time between arriving at Dublin airport and checking in would be around five hours and made the decision that a hotel wouldn't be practical - especially considering the hefty spend we had just made. So, we set up a camp on some benches in the airport hoping for a few hours of shut eye.
The uncomfortable seats and freezing temperatures made this impossible and because we couldn't yet check-in, no lounges or anything of the sort were an option.
As 3am hit and we made the journey to the check-in station. At this point, we were hungry and without sleep due to nearly 24 hours of travelling, with all three of us operating in autopilot through the extreme queues and crowds.
Our ability to relax was completely gone, with none of us quite wanting to get our hopes up that we might arrive at our destination until the plane was in the air. We were still attempting to access the easyJet app, with hopes of at least getting a refund on our intended flight put through. We had no such luck.
Eventually we made it to our destination, thanks to Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Our entire holiday had a dampener put on it from the chaos, the lack of sleep we just couldn't seem to make up for and the fear that our flight home would encounter the same issues.
We, luckily, made it back home as planned on our easyJet flight. But it will certainly be the last one I ever take.
You would think that considering the issues and inconvenience they caused, easyJet would be quick to make amends but I can say no such thing. We are in the process of pestering them for refunds and compensation - with nothing but automated responses assigning us 28 day waiting times for a review of our case alone.
Whilst there were so many unforgivable wrongdoings with my flight - easyJet could have at least attempted to make amends with its customer service following. But, they didn't and I'm sure that I'm not the only customer they have now lost for life.
EasyJet has commented on the events, saying: “We are very sorry that flight EZY6253 from Bristol to Lisbon on May 26 was cancelled. This was due to a temporary IT systems issue, which was subsequently rectified later that day.
"We provided customers with options to rebook including with alternative carriers where no easyJet flight were available or receive a full refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required, along with information on how to arrange this quickly and easily via online, via the app or with our customer services team.
"Nonetheless we fully understand the disruption will have caused and we are very sorry for this. Ms Miller’s alternative travel expenses will be reimbursed and our team have reached out to her to apologise for her experience and advise her that the compensation she is due is in the course of being processed."
Bristol Live has also reached out to Bristol Airport for comment however they have not issued a response.
