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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Danya Bazaraa & Chloe Burrell

Wizz Air 'dumps' passengers 200 miles from destination and states 'find your own way home'

Irritated Wizz Air passengers were "dumped" 200 miles from their destination and claim that they were told to find their own way home.

Travellers flying back from Tel Aviv were forced to fork out hundreds of pounds to get taxis back home after they were let stranded "in the middle of the night".

The flight bound for London Gatwick, which was set to leave at 9.25pm, was delayed and did not end up leaving until after midnight, travellers told The Mirror.

As a result, the airline missed their slot to land at Gatwick and passengers were told halfway through the flight that they would be diverted to Luton.

Asya shared a photo of her little toddler on the flight (Asya)

However, with no slots available at Luton either they ended up landing in Doncaster with no alternative transport arranged, "no Wizz Air staff to be seen" and nothing "but a bottle of water".

Asya, who was travelling with her toddler, told The Mirror: "It's been awful. I've never had an experience like this.

"I don't understand how an airline can leave people in the middle of the night and not provide them with anything other than a bottle of water.

"We landed at about 3.15am at Doncaster but were supposed to land at 1am at Gatwick.

"They originally told us we were going to be diverted to Luton because there were no spaces at Gatwick - but Luton was full and there were no ground handling staff available so they said we would go to Doncaster but organise coaches to take us to Gatwick."

Shachaf Karvat has had a long taxi journey back to Epsom this morning (@KarvatShachaf/Twitter)

But Asya, who asked only to be referred to by her first name, claims when they landed and got their baggage, it became evident there were no coaches.

She said they were advised to get taxis or trains and then claim compensation back from the airline.

Asya, who was travelling with her one-year-old, said there was no way she could get a train at that time of night on her own with her child so was forced to get a taxi back to her south east London home - costing her £450.

She is worried about how easy it will be to claim the money back.

"They [Wizz Air] didn't provide us with anything, they were so unprepared."

A Wizz Air spokesperson told Asya on Twitter to "keep your invoices and attach them to the claim" that she should submit online.

They added: "Our colleagues will investigate and inform you accordingly. We apologize for the inconvenience. And still hoping to count you among our passengers."

Shachaf Karvat, from Epsom in Surrey, also spoke to the Mirror about the "chaotic" journey.

He said: "As soon as we landed in Doncaster they closed the doors and disappeared basically. We never saw the crew again, there was no one from Wizz Air.

"Airport security tried to help us and they managed to get us some water and biscuits. All the shops were closed and there was just one taxi waiting.

"No one expected 200 passengers in the middle of the night would land in Doncaster.

"There were families with babies and young children and people with connecting flights who mixed their connection."

Shachaf said he ended up sharing a taxi home which was on £260 when it dropped him off.

Shachaf says they were 'abandoned' by the airline (@KarvatShachaf/Twitter)

A Wizz Air spokesperson told Shachaf, after he wrote about the situation on Twitter: "Hi there, please reach us via our live chat or the Call Center.

"After having a small conversation with our virtual assistant, an agent will join the conversation. We kindly ask for your patience in the meantime."

Another passenger tweeted: "@wizzair literally dumped a full plane from Tel Aviv in Doncaster Sheffield instead of Gatwick and told us to find our own way home. It’s cold and there are no taxis anywhere. Incredibly shameful."

The airline wrote back: "We'd like to apologize for the inconvenience. The primary interest of our airline is to provide our passengers with the smoothest service and safety possible.

"Please submit a claim form the following link and explain the issue. We'll investigate."

The Mirror has contacted Wizz Air for comment.

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