Darren Rainey, from Hertfordshire, has slammed easyJet after making an emergency landing in another country and then leaving his family to sleep on the airport floor
A furious dad claims easyJet “abandoned” his family after flying them to the “wrong country” and leaving them to sleep on the “rock hard, cold floor.”
Darren Rainey, 41, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, had left Luton Airport for Crete on August 13. But when their flight had to make an emergency landing in Crotia, he was informed there would be an overnight delay.
The groundworker says his family were left stranded in Split Airport after easyJet later told them they were unable to sort them overnight accomodation. With passengers not being told an exact time their replacement flight would be, Darren said they stayed at the airport, and took watch whilst his family slept.
The dad-of-three says he complained to Easyjet but they refused to pay out any compensation due to the plane having to make an emergency landing. It wasn’t until the airline was contacted by the media, that they offered a refund for the night spent in Croatia.
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Speaking about the ordeal, Darren said: “No one knew why we were making the emergency stop until one of the cabin crew said it was because they were ill. If he was unwell then he never should have flown in the first place.
“We landed in Split and we were they were going to try and get someone else to take over and then we could fly again. It must have been 90 minutes and they turned around and said they were going to remove us all off the plane because they couldn’t get anyone else.
“We were told that Easyjet was going to find us all accommodation.“It was another 90-minute wait and no one from Easyjet was there to announce the situation or what was going on. Then this lady that works in Split airport turned around and said that Easyjet are not accommodating us and we would have to find our own accommodation.
“At this point, we’ve come off the plane and the shops in Split airport are all shut so I couldn’t feed my family – there was no food and no restaurants around.” Darren says that himself and his wife decided to stay in the airport with their three teenage children.
Darren said: “I stayed awake and watched the kids and a very nice lady who worked there came round and asked if we wanted some blankets.“My kids were sleeping on a rock hard, cold floor. I stayed up through the night while my family closed their eyes, checking updates on the Easyjet app.”
The family’s replacement flight didn’t leave Croatia until 1.45pm on August 14. By the time they landed in Crete shortly before 6pm that evening, the family-of-five had lost out on almost a full day of their holiday. Darren said: “I’m pretty disgusted at how they [Easyjet] went about it and then decided that we would fly in the afternoon.” Darren says that he was left ‘upset’ by the events at the airport and it ‘ruined’ the start of his holiday.
He added: “It ruined my holiday from the time that happened until two or three days into my holiday. I was so overtired and stressed. I was just unhappy in every means. Eventually I sort of perked up but it’s hard when that never should have happened.”
The dad-of-three says that his wife has since complained to Easyjet about the delay but the airline have refused to give them a refund or provide them with any compensation. Darren said: “Easyjet replied to my wife saying that they’re not paying out nothing because the plane had to make an emergency landing.
“We should still be getting something back in return because it’s a member of their staff. I’m really annoyed. We work hard and we deserve a holiday. We don’t deserve to be treated this way and [be left] abandoned in an airport with kids.”
An Easyjet holidays spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry for Mr Rainey and his family’s experience after their flight from Luton to Crete was diverted to Split, due to a crew member requiring urgent medical assistance. Our airline sourced a replacement crew member who could operate the following day but unfortunately this meant the flight was delayed overnight.
“Our team did everything possible to provide overnight accommodation for our customers in Split, but due to the busy holiday season, there was limited availability. We advised our customers that if they were able to make their own arrangements, we would refund the cost of the room, meals and travel.
“We understand this was a disappointing start to the family’s holiday, and not the experience we want for our customers. We’re in touch with Mr Rainey to apologise, offer a refund for the lost night, and provide a gesture of goodwill.”