Holidaymakers were hit with travel chaos at East Midlands Airport this month after IT problems and staff shortages led to passengers missing flights. Almost 100 people were left at the departure gates and told they were "too late to board".
That was despite arriving in plenty of time to catch their flights, with three Ryanair journeys set to depart between 7am and 8am to popular holiday destinations Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Tenerife, reports LeicestershireLive.
On Tuesday, April 4, flights took off without a large number of passengers on board, with some of those left behind said to be "in tears". Holidaymakers reported they arrived as early as 5am to be met with just one staff member at a check-in desk.
Further issues with IT meant that departure gate listings were incorrect on the screens inside the terminal, so some passengers whe believed they had plenty of time to sapre, should have been heading for their gate. Said gates were not kept open, with the airline claiming it closes boarding gates to ensure an on-time departure.
Yet aggrieved customers who had checked in luggage claimed the flights did not leave on time, so that their belongings could be removed, rather than them being allowed to board.
Tracey Leatherby was due to be on the 7.15am flight to Tenerife with her family for her daughter's 18th birthday. She claims she arrived two hours before departure but faced "massive" queues at the check-in desks.
She said: "We found out that there were four flights due to leave around the same time, but there were only two desks open. Even when we got to check in there were still lots of people behind us." Flight information on the screens had told passengers of her flight to relax before an impromptu message from a member of staff told her she would "have to run".
The mother was asked to wait at the gate so her luggage could be removed and was forced to book a new holiday. The expense was not covered by insurance as Ryanair insist she 'missed' her flight.
Jessica Pegg was due to travel on the 7.25am flight to Lanzarote with a friend and each of their two children. When she arrived at the airport at 5.20am, she claims she was told "not to worry" about the delays by staff within security.
She said: "The Swissport staff at check-in kept saying Ryanair was aware of the delays and said not to worry. There were no announcements or anything like that but we later found out that the IT systems were down and the display boards were wrong anyway.
"By the time we checked in we never stood a chance to get through security and there was hardly any staff around. It was absolute carnage."
Some holidaymakers reported there were more staff on hand to escort passengers who required their luggage to be remove than there were at the check-in desks. Ryanair also reportedly offered passengers to change their flights for a fee of £120 but later waived this as a 'gesture of goodwill'.
Nicola Powell, who missed the flight to Tenerife said: "I'm at a dead-end with my insurance company because, to them, it could be that I just missed it. Nobody is taking any responsibility for the issues, they're all passing the buck. There were lots of young families waiting to go on holiday - people were crying."
Ryanair told its complainants, some of whom are threatening legal action: "Please, kindly note Ryanair is not liable for check-in staff shortages and departure board/gates screens failure at the airport. We regret that there are no refund sentiments due in this instance as this was caused due to a third party - Swissport."
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "Due to third-party staff sickness and the flight information display system failing at East Midlands Airport, a small number of passengers missed their flights to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and Tenerife (4 Apr). It is standard procedure that we close our boarding gates on time so that we can ensure an on-time departure and it is each passenger's responsibility to ensure they are present at the gate before it closes. However, as a gesture of goodwill, Ryanair accommodated these passengers on the next available flights to their destinations."
A spokesperson for Swissport said: "We’re sorry to hear about passengers who were not able to board their flights. Due to staff illness, our team encountered some delays during the check-in process but prioritised people by order of departure time as much as possible.
"We also understand that departure boards and screens displaying gate information, which are not under Swissport’s control, were not working across the airport. We therefore had passengers who arrived after the gate had been closed in line with Ryanair’s policies and were unable to board."
An East Midlands Airport spokesperson said: "We apologise to passengers whose travel plans were disrupted on the morning of 4 April. On that day, Ryanair’s handling agent experienced staff shortages, while there was also an IT issue affecting information displayed on in-terminal screens.
"This created a unique set of circumstances that, unfortunately, resulted in some people missing flights. All those who did, re-booked on the next available flight.
"While incidents of this nature are extremely rare, an investigation has been carried out in partnership with Ryanair and Swissport to ensure lessons can be learned. We are firmly committed to working with our airline and ground handling partners to provide the best possible service to all customers, which is reflected by the otherwise positive start we have had to the summer season, with 99.9 per cent of people clearing security in under 15 minutes."
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