A terminally ill Royal Navy veteran has accused easyJet of leaving him to spend the night sleeping on the floor of Gatwick Airport after his flight home to Jersey was cancelled.
Wayne Lawson, 63, who is receiving palliative care after being diagnosed with stage-four cancer last year, said the airline "destroyed" what he believes was his final holiday abroad after failing to provide overnight accommodation following the cancellation.
Final holiday abroad
Mr Lawson had travelled to Tenerife with a friend in June to create "special memories" before his death. Having been told in August 2024 that he had between one and two years to live, he said the trip was likely to be his last overseas holiday.
After flying from Tenerife to London Gatwick without incident, Mr Lawson and his friend stayed overnight at a nearby hotel before they were due to board an easyJet flight to Jersey on June 28. Thunderstorms led to the cancellation of the service on Saturday evening, GB News reported.
Accommodation refused
Mr Lawson said airline staff told him he would need to arrange his own accommodation, despite airlines being required under UK and EU passenger rights rules to provide hotel accommodation and transport when passengers are stranded overnight. He also claimed he was told the next available easyJet flight to Jersey would not depart for another three days.
With hotels reportedly fully booked in the area, Mr Lawson said he had no option but to spend the night on the floor of Gatwick Airport's check-in area. "When we knew we would have to sleep on the floor of the airport that night, my friend begged for a blanket for me, as I'm actually having palliative care and have only a few months to live," he said. "EasyJet were not interested and said we might get a flight on Tuesday. Their service was disgusting."
Morning flight offered
Mr Lawson said he slept with his head resting on a bag before waking during the early hours to challenge airline staff over his treatment. "I woke up at 3am and told a member of easyJet staff that I wasn't happy that the airline would let a dying man sleep on the floor," he said. He was later offered a seat on the 8.30am flight to Jersey the following morning.
When Mr Lawson sought compensation, his initial claim was rejected because the cancellation had been caused by "extraordinary circumstances" linked to severe weather. However, while airlines are not always required to pay compensation in such situations, they are still obliged to provide stranded passengers with care, including overnight accommodation where necessary.
Apology and reimbursement
Following publicity surrounding the incident, easyJet apologised to Mr Lawson, refunded the flights for both him and his travelling companion and said it would reimburse any expenses incurred.
Mr Lawson, who served with the Royal Navy during the Gulf conflict, said: "EasyJet destroyed my final holiday and have treated me without compassion."
An easyJet spokesperson said: "We are very sorry to hear about Mr Lawson's circumstances and for the difficulty he experienced on his journey to Jersey after his flight was cancelled because of thunderstorms suspending operations at London Gatwick. The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our highest priority. We transferred Mr Lawson to a flight departing the following morning and while we always aim to secure hotel accommodation for customers where needed, as availability was limited we advised customers who booked their own that they would be reimbursed. We are in touch with Mr Lawson to apologise for his experience at the airport, which we are looking into with our ground handler at London Gatwick, reimburse any expenses and refund his flight as a gesture of goodwill."
