Bristol Airport: EasyJet apologises after flight to Porto leaves six disabled passengers behind

EasyJet has apologised after a flight from Bristol Airport left six disabled behind. The plane was going to Porto and was meant to leave Bristol on Sunday (18 February) at 6.25pm but it was delayed due to fog. 

When it was time to get on the plane, the people who needed help to board were still waiting near gate one. These six people had to wait almost eight hours at the airport before they got a hotel and a flight for the next day. 

Bristol Live reported that Liz Igoe, who lives in St Andrews in Bristol, was one of the passengers who was left behind. She said: "I was shocked because the crew clearly did not do a head count before they left us stranded at gate one." She also said it was "dangerous" the plane flew with their suitcases but without them because bags without owners can be a big security risk.

She added: "There seems little point in all the palaver we go through at security if things like this can happen." Dave, another passenger from Taunton, also told Bristol Live: "I have a heart condition, and we had no clothes or luggage, not even toothpaste." While Jennie, another passenger, said: "The ground staff at Bristol were really helpful and kind but the problem lies with the easyJet crew, who did not check they had all the checked-in passengers on board."

The next day all six passengers finally got to Porto. According to Liz, two of them flew from Heathrow on their own after what happened and the other four caught a flight with a different airline.

Liz said another problem then arose as not all their bags made it to Porto. She told Bristol Live: "Dave and Jennie's luggage ended up in Germany."

An easyJet spokesperson explained: "We are aware that flight EZY2875 from Bristol to Porto on Sunday departed without some customers who were being accompanied by the airport's special assistance provider, which we have urgently raised with the provider to understand why this happened. 

“We did everything possible to support the group and arranged overnight hotel accommodation and meals as well as alternative flights to Porto on Monday. The wellbeing of our customers is our highest priority and we are very sorry for the inconvenience this will have caused."

The airline confirmed that they have contacted the six passengers and those affected can get compensation. EasyJet added that it is looking into what went wrong.