29 June 2024 , 13:54
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An easyJet passenger who needed to get back to the UK for kidney transplant medication had her easyJet flight cancelled, and claimed she was herded to a “disgusting” cockroach-infested hotel in Turkey.
Alison Pickett, from Chatham, Kent, has been to Bodrum with husband Ryan to celebrate her 60th birthday. But the “beautiful” holiday turned into a nightmare after their easyJet flight back to Gatwick was cancelled on Thursday night.
Thousands of people have been complaining of travel chaos this week at airports, with easyJet customers contacting the Mirror in their droves to share their frustration at how they've been affected by delays and cancellations.
For Alison, the situation is even more serious as she needs to return home for medication after having a kidney transplant. She and her husband are now currently due to fly back to Gatwick on Sunday evening - but if there are any more delays, then she risks running out of medication completely.
They were told their flight last Thursday was cancelled due to an air traffic control decision, which would mean they were not eligible for compensation. “It is a worry for me. I’m responsible for myself, I take into account days away and have extra supplies just in case, but the time is ticking away and other people have had other flights cancelled,” Alison told the Mirror.
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A broken toilet seat in the hotel Alison said was provided by easyJet
The shower in the room that Alison said was "disgusting"“We are due to fly tomorrow and if that goes ahead I am okay... but if not, then I’m in trouble. What has been really bad is the lack of communication. They must have known it was cancelled when we checked in with our luggage and we only found out it had been cancelled when we went to the gate. Then there was nobody to speak with.”
Alison claimed that they were taken to a “disgusting” hotel in an industrial area. She said there was no food available for guests and the only option was a petrol station across a busy road, so they ended up leaving and finding another hotel.
The hotel was in an industrial area which was "seedy" said Alison“We eventually were taken to a hotel which was disgusting. The room was disgusting. We didn’t know where we were, and we couldn’t get through to easyJet to get any information,” she said.
“Eventually we received an email message to say that we were on a flight tomorrow, but I’m worried whether that flight will still go ahead due to the other cancellations. The room was dirty, there were cockroaches in some rooms, we were given no food, we’d not eaten since lunchtime on Thursday and we were stuck in some industrial area by a main road. It was seedy like a brothel and the only place we could buy something was a petrol station on the other side of the busy road. So we Googled another hotel and checked out.”
The Milashan Otel that they stayed at following the cancellationAlison said that she and Ryan were enjoying a special holiday where they stayed at a five-star hotel but now she is worried due to her health condition. ”I had a kidney transplant in 2007 and I have had to take anti-rejection medicine ever since. I do take extra in case of emergencies but now I only have supplies until Monday. We’ve checked for a local doctor in case,” she said. “I spoke to an easyJet representative on the phone who was useless, and saying that he was working extra hours to help out and I understand he must have been under pressure but it isn’t about him."
An easyJet spokesperson said on Friday: "Due to the impact of air traffic control restrictions in place across Europe for much of yesterday, like all airlines operating across European airspace, some of our flights were unable to operate with some knock-on impact on today’s operation.
"We have been doing everything possible to minimise the impact for our customers, providing hotel accommodation and meals as well as a refund or a transfer to an alternative flight and are advising customers they will be reimbursed for expenses should they need to make their own arrangements."