An Essex family's eagerly anticipated holiday descended into chaos and exhaustion after a catastrophic booking error by EasyJet saw them flown to the wrong country entirely. The Crouch family, from Billericay, were left stranded and forced to sleep on a cold airport floor with their two young children, in what they describe as a 'complete travel nightmare'.
From Dream Holiday to Airport Floor
Paul and Vicky Crouch, along with their children aged six and eight, had meticulously planned a relaxing break in the scenic mountains of Slovenia. Instead of arriving at their picturesque destination, they found themselves over 100 miles away in Zagreb, Croatia, after an apparent system failure by the budget airline.
'We were utterly bewildered,' Mr. Crouch explained. 'We landed and everything felt wrong. The signs were in a different language, the landscape was unfamiliar. It slowly dawned on us that we were not in Slovenia.'
A Night of Absolute Misery
With no EasyJet staff available to assist them and no onward travel arrangements, the family faced a desperate situation. Their attempts to resolve the issue were met with what they call a 'total lack of care or responsibility' from the airline.
'We had two tired, frightened children and nowhere to go,' Mrs. Crouch recounted. 'The airport staff were sympathetic but powerless. EasyJet had effectively abandoned us. We had no choice but to bed down on the hard, cold floor using our jackets as pillows.'
The Long Road to Resolution
The following morning, after a sleepless night, the family managed to secure their own transport—a gruelling five-hour taxi ride—to finally reach their intended resort in Slovenia. The ordeal, however, had already cast a long shadow over their holiday.
'The first two days were a write-off. The children were traumatised, and we were just exhausted and angry,' said Mr. Crouch. 'All we received from EasyJet was a standard, automated apology email. There was no immediate help, no offer of compensation for the taxi, nothing.'
EasyJet's Response Falls Short
When confronted about the incident, an EasyJet spokesperson offered a generic statement: 'We are sorry to hear about the Crouch family's experience. We are looking into this as a matter of priority with our ground handling team and will be in contact with them directly.'
For the Crouch family, this corporate response is too little, too late. They are now pursuing a formal complaint and full compensation, warning other travellers to double-check all their booking details meticulously.
This shocking case raises serious questions about passenger welfare protocols and the duty of care airlines have towards families travelling with young children.
