Newlyweds Andy and Katya Wedlake had their honeymoon off to a terrible start when easyJet overbooked their flight, leaving the groom stranded at Gatwick Airport.
The couple, from London, arrived at Gatwick on July 26 with time to spare for their 8.25am easyJet flight to Montenegro. They had booked the romantic getaway months in advance, but at check-in they discovered why they couldn't check in online the night before: the flight was overbooked.
Mr Wedlake told the Telegraph: "They could only give us seats once boarding had closed – and if other people didn't turn up to the flight."
Airlines' Common Practice
Overbooking is common in aviation. Airlines often sell more tickets than there are seats to maximize occupancy and reduce fuel and operational costs.
Under air passenger rights rules, airlines must first ask for volunteers willing to travel on a later service in exchange for compensation. easyJet did this, and one volunteer came forward, opening one seat on the plane.
Mr Wedlake said: "There was one volunteer, opening one seat on the plane. They said that either my wife or I had to take that seat otherwise we would count as a 'no show' and would lose all rights for rebooking and any compensation."
A Painful Choice
Facing this ultimatum, the groom chose to stay behind. Mrs Wedlake flew alone to the Adriatic resort, while her husband returned to their London home. Twenty-one hours later, they were finally reunited in Montenegro.
An easyJet spokesperson said: "We are very sorry for Mr and Mrs Wedlake's experience and the difficulty this caused for their honeymoon. Like most airlines, we sometimes overbook a very small proportion of flights and in the significant majority of cases do not result in denying boarding as we use data to select flights with a history of customers not travelling. By filling these seats, it helps to keep fares lower for everyone."
They added: "In the rare event a customer can't travel, we take our responsibilities seriously and seek volunteers to travel on a later flight in exchange for compensation. Where this is not possible, a decision is made based on order of check in."
The spokesperson continued: "Whilst a seat was available for one passenger, we are sorry that an exception was not made on this occasion to book an alternative flight for them together, especially as it was such a special trip. We have since reached out to Mr and Mrs Wedlake to apologise for their experience, provide the compensation due and offer a gesture of goodwill."
Compensation and Impact
Under air passenger rights rules, Mr Wedlake is entitled to £350 in compensation for being denied boarding. But he says that doesn't cover the true cost of the ordeal.
He said: "For me that doesn't cover the stress, the sadness of being apart from my new wife, the loss of one full day in Tivat, or the wasted time."
He added: "I understand easyJet's terms and conditions allow them to do this kind of thing, but I'm shocked they do it to destinations where they only put on one flight per day – and that they would not be able to predict this flight on a Sunday morning in summer would have a high attendance rate."
