12-hour delay ...but easyJet says we were not on flight

J.S. writes: My partner and I booked a Monday-to-Friday break, flying by easyJet from Manchester to Berlin. When we arrived at Manchester Airport I received a text from easyJet saying the flight was delayed. We eventually took off 12 hours late, arriving at our hotel at 10.30pm, having lost a day of our holiday. On our return, I submitted a claim for the delay. But unbelievably, easyJet has twice insisted that we were never on the flight so are not entitled to be compensated for its delay. IT IS a cardinal rule in the industry that airlines must know exactly who their passengers are, just in case anything goes wrong. Yet despite the tickets and other paperwork you had, easyJet twice told you: ‘After checking the details of your reservation, we notice that you have not travelled on flight EZY1897 and as such compensation is not payable.’

I do wonder how closely easyJet examined your claim. There was no denying that you turned up for the return flight, so did easyJet think you had found some other way of getting from Manchester to Berlin?

I asked easyJet to investigate and the airline now accepts that you and your partner were indeed on flight EZY1897. You were both on the passenger manifest, but I was told there had been ‘a mistaken entry into the booking system’.

By the time you read this £442 will have landed in your bank account as compensation and easyJet is also sending you a £10 voucher you can use against a future flight.