Last Updated on 6 April 2023 by Colette
Whilst our recent experience of Manchester Airport itself wasn’t as stressful as I’d expected it might be, flying with easyJet was a different matter entirely. We had booked our holiday pretty late in the day and for one reason or another didn’t attempt to check in online until we got up on the day of travel – you’ll notice I said attempt to check in . . . The website wouldn’t allow Dave to check us in, saying there was only one seat available on the flight. As you can imagine, we both had a bit of a panic! Dave spoke to customer services online who told him that there were seats on the plane and that we should attend the airport as usual.
On arrival at Manchester Airport we took our bag to check in and were told that actually, there was only one seat available on the plane – Dave was able to fly and I was to be on standby. The flight had been over sold and I was first on the list to get a seat if one became available. Whilst I know this is fairly standard practice, it isn’t something we have experienced ourselves before – we’d booked our flights and made plans in good faith and now they were telling us that maybe we wouldn’t be able to go on holiday after all. As Dave said at the time, this is effectively fraud – they sold us something they didn’t have.
We were advised to carry on with check-in, and that by the time we got to the gate we’d know if there was a space on the plane for me. The lady at check-in was convinced I’d be able to fly but this did little to settle my nerves and, what should have been a lovely relaxed start to our trip as we pottered around Duty Free and had some lunch, just ended up feeling really stressful – we didn’t know what would happen if I couldn’t fly, we worried we were spending a fortune in the airport on snacks and sun-cream only to be sent home again.
We made sure we were at the front of the queue to board the flight – I just wanted to know what was happening at this stage after several hours of uncertainty. The member of staff on the gate explained that no, there were no seats available and as yet I wouldn’t be flying – she sent me to sit down and wait to see what happened. At this point I was close to tears and didn’t really know what to do with myself!
Part way through boarding she motioned me over and said that a seat had become available and I would be able to fly after all. A woman stood nearby explained that her daughter hadn’t come with them as she was unwell. Things became a bit uncomfortable when her partner started to complain to the member of staff on the gate that the spare seat was being used – as far as they were concerned they had paid for that seat and unless they were being refunded, the seat should remain empty for their use. And frankly you can see their point can’t you! No they weren’t going to be refunded for the seat they weren’t using – but I was going to be using it instead – it all felt like a bit of a con on the part of the airline that in taking a risk on my holiday, they got paid twice for the seat!
I should say that at no point did any member of easyJet staff do anything to apologise for the situation or the stress I was being caused. They were just so matter of fact about it – the flight was oversold, unlucky.
We finally got on the plane – sat at opposite ends to one another – only to then sit on the runway for almost an hour before take off. Dave checked in for our flight home whilst we were waiting to leave so that we at least knew we weren’t going to experience a repeat performance coming home.
So what have we learned from this? Check in online as soon as you can – being forced onto standby with easyJet is no fun!
Read about our short break in Cyprus next or check out Dave’s new bag: Large leather weekend bag – Review
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Oh my gosh, that is my worst nightmare.
I’m glad you managed to Fly after all but not on at all that flights are regularly oversold as practice
It’s so bad isn’t it – I just don’t know how they are allowed to get away with it! Imagine I’d had a wedding or a concert or something to go to!
Urgh, I know it’s common practice for airlines.. but this should be made illegal. I know people don’t turn up and they can then replace them. But this entire story is why they shouldn’t mess people around, a time that should be spent enjoying some time off, instead you’re set for hours of stress hoping to be able to get away. I always check in online or if that isn’t an option, turn up VERY early to the airport!
It was such a nightmare – I think there needs to be a shake up of the system so that you can choose whether to be on standby and be rewarded for that, not just forced onto it like we were.
That sounds like a great compromise! 🙂
They’re allowed to do it because legally, your contract with the airline is only that they’re obliged to get you from A to B, rather than giving you this specific seat on this specific plane. That said, it’s unusual and pretty bad form not to ask for volunteers though, usually that’s the first step, they’ll only force-bump someone if they can’t find volunteers. I think in the US they are legally obliged to ask for volunteers before bumping someone.
Best way to never get bumped (or do the opposite if you WANT to volunteer to be bumped, it can be quite lucrative, I once got $1000 and flew home in first class on the next flight) – check in online early and arrive and check your bags early (because it’s a pain to retrieve bags that are already loaded into the system).