In September we arrived at Stansted Airport to find that fire on departure sit back closed the terminal.
We had to wait outside in the cold pre-dawn hours for almost two hours. It was another hour before security opened in the terminal, by which time our flight had departed empty to accommodate the airline's schedule. We were rebooked for the next day.
We had to take the train home and pay for a taxi to take us to the airport for a second time early the next morning.
We so over £100 out of pocket. At the airport they tell us that this is not so. it's guilt. The airline says the (empty) flight departed on time, so that's not true. your responsibility.
Our insurers Let's say that we will be insured in the event of an unexpected delay in arriving at the airport, such as disruption to our travel yes, but the small font doesn't allow it the circumstances in which we actually find ourselves.
J.F., London
Previous month FN and her husband found themselves in a similar predicament at Heathrow. They missed their flight to Istanbul after a botched traffic light software update closed the road tunnel leading to Terminals 2 and 3, causing severe congestion.
“We were not allowed to use the escalators from the metro, and then were kept in a crowded station area for more than an hour,” she writes.
“During this time, the platform lifts continued to carry more passengers, increasing overcrowding. The public address system did not work, no explanation was given, and the staff did not appear to have received any appropriate training. It was an extremely unpleasant, stressful and somewhat frightening experience.”
The couple could not find a suitable alternative flight, so they cut short their mini-vacation in Turkey. “Heathrow rejected our claim for compensation. CEDR referred us to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who told us there was no provision for such cases,” she says. “We cannot understand how Heathrow can get away with this.”
Airlines are subject to strict compensation rules when they are responsible for canceled or delayed flights, but airports do not appear to be liable when technical or service failures ground passengers.
Regulation UK261, which entitles travelers to fixed amounts based on the distance of their flight and the length of the delay, only applies if the airline is directly or indirectly responsible for the failure.
Airlines also suffer if problems arise at the airport, as the same rules require them to feed and accommodate stranded passengers and rebook them on a new flight free of charge. The CAA confirmed to me that passengers cannot claim reimbursement or compensation from the airport if they are prevented from reaching their gate on time. There's a gap in the law, according to Koby Benson, a consumer attorney at Bott and Co. “Unfortunately, these passengers have no recourse to either the airline or the airport,” he says. “Travel insurance can sometimes help, but the terms of these policies are often very restrictive.”
A Stansted spokesman said affected passengers should contact their airline or insurer: “Whilst we understand the frustration that affected passengers are feeling, the incident was beyond our control. Airlines were informed immediately but decisions about whether to operate flights rest solely with them.”
Heathrow was dismissive of the FN trials, despite widespread media reports chaos and airline complaints control errors. “The tunnel was temporarily closed but our teams quickly resolved the situation,” the spokesman said. “We have had contingency arrangements in place to ensure passenger traffic continues to be maintained so that passengers are not in the area for an hour.”
We welcome emails, but cannot respond individually. Write to us at [email protected] or write to Consumer Champions, Money, The Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please provide a daytime telephone number. Submission and publication of all letters are subject to our conditions.
