A newlywed couple's honeymoon got off to a disastrous start after the groom was left stranded at Gatwick airport due to an overbooked easyJet flight. Andy and Katya Wedlake had planned a trip to Tivat on the coast of Montenegro after tying the knot in the UK. But just hours before their scheduled flight at 8:25am on July 26, the couple were unable to check in online. Once they arrived at Gatwick's North Terminal, they discovered that the airline had sold more tickets than available seats.
Overbooking and denied boarding
“They had overbooked the flight,” 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.” Selling more tickets than there are available is standard practice for many airlines. EasyJet's policy is to deny boarding to the last passengers that check in, but under air-passenger-rights rules, they must also seek volunteers to travel on a later flight in return for financial compensation.
Passengers were asked at the departure gate whether they would be prepared to travel on the next morning's flight, with one passenger raising their hand. The pair were resolute on travelling together, so refused the vacant seat. However, they were told by ground staff that one of them must fly or they would need to buy new tickets, and risk losing their compensation rights.
Forced separation
Mr Wedlake told the Telegraph: “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. So my wife got on the flight and I stayed behind.” The couple were reunited for their honeymoon some 21 hours later.
EasyJet has insisted it followed protocol and in such situations, they must deny boarding to the last passengers to check in, before offering volunteers the chance to board a later flight. A spokesperson for easyJet said: “We are very sorry for Mr and Mrs Wedlake's experience and the difficulty this caused for their honeymoon.
Airline's response
“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. “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.
“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 'not enough'
The airline has offered Mr Wedlake £350 in compensation, but for him, the compensation is not enough. 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.” “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.”
