EasyJet apologises after telling passengers August flight delay was due to ‘snow on runway’

Email was sent to customers due to ‘human error’, said the airline

An easyJet A320-214 lands in Prague (Getty Images)

Budget airline easyJet has apologised after telling passengers their flight had been delayed due to snow being cleared on Jersey’s runway – in mid-August.

Passengers had tried to claim compensation after flight EZY5104 was delayed by more than three hours travelling from Jersey to Gatwick on Monday 15 August. They were told that “extraordinary circumstances” meant they were not due any.

The flight, which should have left at 8.45am, was delayed until 12.12pm.

In an email, the airline told passengers that Jersey Airport had closed its runway “for snow clearance” on the date, causing knock-on delays to several flights and airlines.

Customers took to social media to share their confusion over the excuse, which was emailed to several passengers.

The temperature in Jersey had reached 23C that day, with the island reaching its second “absolute drought” (involving 14 days without rain) of the year in early August.

The easyJet email declining passengers compensation read: “To further explain what happened on the day, Jersey had to close its runway for snow clearance, resulting in flights holding overhead for extended periods or having to divert to alternative airports.

“Long delays built up during the day. Some flights had to be cancelled, others experienced delays.”

The airline blamed the email explanation on “human error”, saying that EZY5104 was actually delayed because of “poor weather conditions and fog”.

“We are sorry passengers received incorrect information regarding the precise weather conditions which caused the delay,” a spokesperson told The Independent.

“Our operations control centre manually logs the reason for the delay in our system and so this was as a result of human error.”

They added that the delay was still due to circumstances outside of easyJet’s control, meaning passengers still may not claim compensation.

“We always pay compensation when it is due,” said a spokesperson.

Last week saw dozens of easyJet flights to and from Portugal cancelled due to ground staff strikes in Lisbon.

More than 25 flights were affected, with the airline advising: “This is due to an industrial action affecting ground handling staff in Portugal”.