British family says EasyJet left them sleeping on Split airport floor after emergency landing

A British father of three says his family were forced to sleep on the airport floor after EasyJet diverted their Luton-to-C Crete flight to Split, Croatia, on 13 August because a flight attendant fell ill. Passengers were told to stay on board when the plane landed, but about 90 minutes later they were instructed to disembark because a replacement crew could not be found in time. EasyJet had initially promised to provide accommodation, but after a further hour the airline told passengers they would have to arrange and pay for their own lodging.

Darren Rainey, 41, a groundworker from Hertfordshire, was travelling with his wife and three teenage children. With two hotel rooms unaffordable, the family ended up spending the night in Split airport, sleeping on a rock-hard, cold floor in the terminal while they monitored the status of a replacement flight due the next day.

The replacement flight departed Split at 1:45 p.m. the following day and arrived in Crete shortly before 6 p.m., meaning the family lost almost a full day of their beach holiday. The disruption also affected meals and sleep, according to Mr. Rainey, who said the start of their holiday was effectively ruined.

Mr. Rainey said he felt abandoned by EasyJet, especially after the carrier would not discuss refunds or compensation consistent with an emergency landing. He indicated the family believed they were owed some form of restitution because a member of the crew was unable to fly that day.

EasyJet issued an apology and said it would refund the lost night as a gesture of goodwill. A spokesperson for EasyJet Holidays said the airline had sourced a replacement crew to operate the following day, which caused the overnight delay, and that the company was in touch with Mr. Rainey to apologise, offer a refund for the lost night, and provide a goodwill gesture.