Readers will be happy to note that it isn't just U.S. airlines making the headlines these days. This story out of the U.K. began when an easyjet flight was initially delayed over technical problems. It was supposed to fly from Zante in Greece to London Gatwick airport on Sunday last week. Things got worse for the passengers, however, when a nighttime curfew on flights, relating to the island’s loggerhead turtle population, delayed a relief flight sent for the passengers.

Technical problems delay easyJet flight

As reported by the Guardian, it took almost three days for British visitors to the island of Zante to finally get home, after they were stranded on the island in what was termed “total chaos” over flight delays.

The original easyJet plane that was supposed to take them home suffered technical problems, causing a delay. This was followed by easyJet doing their best to rescue their customers by organizing a relief flight to get them home.

Relief flight canceled due to turtle curfew

However, Zakynthos airport is the only airport on the island and is located close to the beaches where the endangered loggerhead Turtles lay their eggs during the night. Due to a curfew set by island authorities to protect the turtles, easyJet’s relief flight was then canceled, as it was to travel during nighttime hours.

It was on Tuesday afternoon that the remaining 40 passengers were flown home to the U.K., and even then the flight was reportedly also delayed and arrived late.

Many of the passengers who had been stranded on the island due to the various delays complained about the problems they experienced, especially as hotel rooms were hard to find, due to it being the height of Greece’s tourist season, and there seemed to be a lack of food and support from the easyJet ground crew.

The Telegraph reports that many of the passengers were families with small children and no offers of refreshment were made during the delays nor was any help from representatives of the airline forthcoming.

George Trefgarne, one of the passengers affected, said he was booked on the delayed flight with his wife and their two young children, aged eight and seven. Trefgarne was the one to call the situation “total chaos” as the only food available in the airport was cheese sandwiches. He also said easyJet’s ground crew was completely "overwhelmed."

Trefgarne continued by saying they were lucky, as they managed to catch an alternative Thomson flight after spending "only" nine hours in Zante airport.

However, he said there were many other families with small children without offers of food, drink or assistance.

easyJet passengers hit Twitter to complain

Naturally, passengers headed to Twitter to air their grievances. PeterLePain tweeted the airline begging for help and saying families had been stuck on the island for two days with no accommodation saying they are “tired and hungry.” He mentioned the Greek name for the island, Zakynthos.

User Rebecca Clark tweeted easyJet to ask them what was happening, saying it was their second day stuck at the airport on Zante and the relief flight was canceled.

Russ Wordie, whose son had been stuck in the airport at that stage for 24 hours with no support, tweeted easyJet to tell them their customer service is “appalling.”

easyJet apologized in a statement, explaining that flight EZY8746 had been delayed in Zante on Sunday over a technical fault and that engineers had been dispatched and they hoped to have it fixed by Monday.

However, before passengers could board, another technical issue occurred. They went on to explain that a replacement aircraft had been dispatched to Zante, but that it then experienced a problem due to the turtle curfew, saying the flight would then leave on Tuesday.
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