Flybe apologises after six hour delay for passengers
Thursday 3rd January 2013, 8:30AM GMT.
AN 80-MINUTE flight from Jersey to Exeter turned into a six-hour journey for one planeload of passengers, after their aircraft was seconded to another route.
Flybe has apologised for the inconvenience, but said the Exeter-bound craft was needed to help passengers in Southampton.
Passengers who boarded Sunday’s 4.40pm Flybe flight in Jersey, should have have touched down in Exeter at about 6pm.
However, the captain told the passengers that they would be landing in Guernsey instead.
After the 10-minute hop from Jersey to Guernsey, the disgruntled travellers were asked to get off and wait in the Guernsey departure lounge until after 9pm.
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I wonder what criteria Flybe uses to prioritise the needs of different groups of passengers? And didn’t they once have reserve aircraft for this?
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Wow… surely that is the craziest thing for Flybe to do. How many passengers were involved ? If just a few then maybe it was in the airline’s financial interest – but then surely they should have just cancelled the Jersey-Guernsey sector and send the aircraft to Exeter instead, or flown to Southampton and then fly or bus the passengers down to Exeter.
But a plane-load of passengers ? 30, 40, 60 ?
Very daft thing to do. The passengers have to have been advised of their rights, and will almost certainly be due quite considerable compensation. They should have been provided refreshments and certain telecommunications costs or the opportunity to make a call.
Last year my daughter won Euro 250.00 compensation plus other expenses from a leading international airline because a flight was cancelled. The passengers on that Flybe flight should get informed on their rights and lodge a claim against the airline, ( EU regulation Regulation 261/2004 is the relevant law and it is applicable as Exeter is part of the EU ).
I would expect the passengers would be entitled to the same amount, ( I became very aware of the regulation as I was furious with the inconsiderate and dismissive attitude of the airline that my daughter used ).
Added to the additional costs of landing fees in Guernsey, extra fuel costs and other expenses, the airline is going to find the whole matter to be very costly indeed.
If there was bad weather in Exeter preventing the aircraft from landing then that would be different, but that does not seem to have been the case here.
Or was it ??
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Poor people, I bet they didn’t even get a free drink on board!
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This is not a one off. They did it to us at the Southampton end. The last plane out in the evening is plagued with cancellations and delays if they have had any problems on flights elsewhere during the day. They took our plane to use it for an Aberdeen flight that was delayed. They also insist on taking off when there is fog and putting you through the uphevel of being either dumped in Jersey or Bournemouth or anywhere really. Imagine getting on a bus home and being told to get off half way or being told the bus is no longer going to your destination of choice but a different town all together. No-one would let a train or bus company do this so why does Flybe think it’s ok!!
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This is ridiculous! Unless there is some kind of emergency, aircraft should not divert from a planned route. Air travel is supposed to be a pleasurable experience, not some kind of wild goose chase to suit the airline. People using airlines (and for that matter any other type of service) MUST be prepared to complain vigorously each and every time the standard of service is not exceptional. Only that way will service providers realise that it is the customers rules that apply and not the service provider’s.
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Just thinking about this again as the press report above does not actually make it clear, but I believe that flight was scheduled to fly via Guernsey in the first place as usually the afternoon Jersey – Exeter flight does actually make a scheduled stop in Guernsey en route.
So the flight was not diverted from a planned route but somehow the flight arrived late – the press report simply does not make clear what actually happened.
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I don’t know why flybe cannot draft in a spare plane and crew. They have hundreds of aircraft in the fleet they must be some spares. If not they can surely afford to loan one. Aurigny seem to manage ok with a fleet of 3!
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Actually aurigny suffer as much or even more problems with their three aircraft the only difference is that they tend to charter third party aircraft to rescue stranded passengers. They often charter a very expensive 146 jet from Titan Airways and even have been known to charter Flybe from time to time. Be under no illusion , this is all costs huge amounts of money to Aurigny resulting in poor financial performance and is a heavy burden on us the taxpayers! Yes WE PAY FOR THIS AIRLINE OUT OF OUR OWN HARD EARNED SALARIES BEFORE WE EVEN BUY A TICKET!
Aurigny now have market share on the gatwick route and yet they still make a heavy loss… THIS HAS TO STOP!
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