easyJet flight warning as 15,000 holidaymakers hit by cancellations - what happened?

Thousands of easyJet passengers have been hit by flight cancellations due to severe weather.

The airline axed 54 flights due to take off or depart from Gatwick airport on Sunday (11 June), and a further 55 have been grounded on Monday (12 June).

The budget airline said its operations at the West Sussex airport were impacted by “thunderstorm activity” on Sunday night, causing disruption to more than 15,000 holidaymakers.

The delays on Sunday evening have caused a knock-on effect to flights due to depart on Monday as aircraft and crew were out of position, resulting in further delays for passengers.

An update posted on easyJet’s website states that flights were cancelled due to “poor weather conditions across the UK and Europe”, which caused “extended air traffic control restrictions to all departures and arrivals”.

The message added that the disruption was outside of easyJet’s control and is considered to be “an extraordinary circumstance”.

As such, it means that the airline will not pay flight compensation to passengers that were affected by cancellations. Gatwick airport said in a statement: “Air traffic control suspended flights while a storm passed over the South East.”

Meanwhile, Gatwick Express, which runs non-stop trains between the airport and central London, has also been suspended on Monday. The operator said this was due to “urgent repairs to the track” after a set of points – which allow trains to move from one line to another – were damaged in the East Croydon area.

Passengers travelling to or from the airport are advised to use Southern and Thameslink services, which are slower as they stop at intermediate stations.

It comes as the Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and rain for much of the UK on Monday, as warm temperatures are set to linger throughout the week.

Four yellow thunderstorm warnings are in place from 12pm to 9pm on Monday and cover parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, much of southern England and the Midlands and most of Wales. People in these areas are being warned to brace for potential for sudden flooding and transport difficulties.

A yellow warning for rain has also been issued covering southern parts of England and Wales until 9am on Monday, as forecasters warn almost a month’s rain could fall over parts of the UK in the next 12 hours.

What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?

According to Citizen’s Advice, If your flight is delayed for long enough an airline has to give you:

• food and drink
• access to phone calls and emails
• accommodation if you are delayed overnight - and journeys between the airport and the hotel

The amount of compensation depends on how long your original flight was meant to be and how much of a delay you endure as a result of the cancellation, as well as how far in advance the flight was cancelled.

Airlines might issue vouchers for these things at the airport, but if they don’t you should keep receipts for expenses and try to claim from the airline later. Airlines only pay for ‘reasonable’ expenses, meaning you are unlikely to get any money back for things like alcohol, expensive meals or luxury hotels.

You are entitled to get compensation if your flight arrives more than three hours late and this delay is the fault of the airline, for example, if it didn’t get enough bookings or there was a technical fault. But you are unlikely to get compensation if the delay was due to something outside the airline’s control, such as bad weather or a security risk.