Frustrated Ryanair passengers say they were stranded at Edinburgh Airport for 17 hours - with only a £3 voucher for a closed restaurant.
Edinburgh Live reports that people, including young families with kids, claim they were told no-one from the airline was in the building to help them, with travellers forced to sleep on windowsills. Ryanair flight FR3732 was due to take off at around 9.40am on Saturday but passengers expecting to take off claimed they were faced with constant delays up until the latest departure time of 11.55pm.
Some desperate families took to Twitter and other social media sites to share their experience. One affected person Leila Okasha, who shared pictures from inside the airport on Saturday evening, said she was travelling with her husband and son and was trying to visit elderly parents.
The 50-year-old said: "We feel stressed. Been at Edinburgh Airport for 12 hours waiting for a Ryanair flight. So many angry Edinburgh residents. No information, £3 food voucher offered for restaurant which isn't open today.
"No Ryanair staff in the whole building we have been told. Treatment here is shocking with no info and no staff to ask.
"Food and drink still available at our own expense as their vouchers didn't work. We feel stressed by the uncertainty of not knowing when or if we can get to our unwell parents feel let down by lack of information and by Ryanair. Feel so angry too.
"Lots of people so upset here. Kids who have been here all day too.. Feel this is worse than the Queen's queue. Some people have given up and gone home."
Later she added: "Now at 17 hours. Not a single update. No staff left in airport."
Another passenger, who was travelling to Cork for a one day trip, fears that she has lost out on airport parking and a hotel with their partner. Antonia Martinez, 38, from Comely Bank, said her flight to Cork was delayed from 9.40am until 11.55pm - with no communication from the airline.
She said: "We arrived at the airport at 7.30am this morning and this was meant to be our first break in three years as I am a solo parent. We were only going for a day and were due to come back tomorrow on the 4:00pm flight so we won't see any of Cork and have had to fork out on a hotel and airport parking.
"I am really disappointed as I could barely afford it and will not have had the much needed break that I hoped. Ryanair has been terrible, there has been no communication or support forthcoming.
"We have had no communications from Ryanair except to explain that we could reschedule or obtain a refund. However we had hotel accommodation booked and had paid for airport parking which we would lose out on.
"It's very sad as there are so many families stranded here, some under very difficult circumstances. We haven't seen one person from Ryanair today, however it is claimed that the plane had technical issues yesterday so they have been stringing us along all day."
Terry Power, who has also been at the airport for over 12 hours, said: "We have been stuck in Edinburgh airport since 8am waiting for the Ryanair flight to Cork. The updates are poor, we have now been told the flight is scheduled for 11.55pm.
"There are families with young children here too. It is pretty grim. The treatment is not good and the information has been poor with hourly alterations to rescheduled flight times.
"People feel frustrated that the flight has not been cancelled. We have been waiting all day for a flight that may yet not leave."
On Twitter, another passenger wrote: "It's a joke! Been waiting to go home for 12 hours now in Edinburgh Airport and no words from you! The disrespect with your customers is appalling.
"No words, news, updates, nothing.. just a random person occasionally shouting on the speaker that now our flight will perhaps departure at 12am! A 40min flight to Cork has taken over 12 hours to be figured out!
"No respect for their passengers We've been left stranding in Edinburgh Airport for over 14 hours now! Nothing has been done about it! We've arrived here at 7.30am So I guess we've been here for 17 hours."
Another added: "My daughter and her two babies have been 14 hours delayed in Edinburgh Airport, their flight was to Cork. Why was this flight not cancelled earlier when it was obvious it was never departing? Now they can't get their bag back, appallingly bad service."
Ryanair has apologised for the delays. However, the airline is understood not to have received any complaints about the restaurant vouchers despite the claims made by passengers.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “This flight from Edinburgh to Cork (17 Sept) was regrettably delayed due to a minor technical issue with the aircraft. Affected customers were notified and provided with refreshment vouchers while an alternative aircraft was arranged, which departed safely for Cork later that night.
"Ryanair sincerely apologises to customers for any inconvenience caused by this delay.”
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