British passengers have been left stranded at Linate airport in Milan due to huge delays at border control have meant they missed their flight back to Manchester
More than 100 easyJet passengers are allegedly stranded in Milan after their flight left without them.
Many people have taken to social media to complain that they faced long queues of up to three hours at border control as they sought to fly out from the Italian city’s Linate airport.
And there are reports that some passengers had become ill after waiting in the heat for their easyJet flight on Sunday night back to Manchester Airport.
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Speaking with the Echo, Vicky Chapman, 26, from Pensby in Wirral, had been due to fly back to Manchester on Monday morning with her five-year-old son Fredrik and family after a holiday. She said she was among 105 passengers left stranded at Milan Linate Airport when their 11am flight departed without them.
The flight was reportedly held for 59 minutes as passengers were delayed at passport control, but eventually took off as the crew approached the end of their permitted working hours.
Vicky, her partner Adam Hoijord, son Fredrik, mother Lynne Chapman and brother Dan Chapman are now unable to leave Milan until Tuesday.
She said: “We got to the airport with more than enough time and reached our gate at 9.30am, but we were refused entry through passport control. We were then told we were a ‘no show’ for the flight because we didn’t reach the gate on time, even though there were issues at passport control and they wouldn’t let us through.
“We were passed from pillar to post for three hours and no-one helped us. It was so hot in the airport, people were vomiting and close to passing out. We’re now being told Tuesday is the earliest we can get back, and that we’ll have to fly to Gatwick. We’ve also had to pay for an Airbnb out of our own pocket.”
Easyjet reportedly said it was supporting passengers but that the situation was not in their control.
Kiera, 17, from Oldham, says she and her boyfriend now face a 20-hour wait at the airport until they could get another flight tomorrow. “We got here at 7.30pm for our flight at 11pm so were super early. We got to Border Control and it was a massive queue of people. I wasn’t feeling great anyway because I think I’d got food poisoning,” Kiera told the BBC.
“At about 10.50pm they brought some water over for people, and when we got to the front of the queue someone asked us if we were going to Manchester, and told us our flight had just gone. There were only about 30 people got on the plane, and about 100 people didn’t.” Kiera said that it will now cost £520 for new flights and they will have to travel to Gatwick rather than Manchester.
Easyjet has blamed delays at passport control over the new new European Entry/Exit System brought in last October. A spokeswoman said: “We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate today experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control and we advised customers due to fly to allow additional time to make their way through the airport.
“We have been doing all possible to minimise the impact of the airport queues, holding flights to allow customers extra time and providing free flight transfers for any customers who may have missed their flight including EJU5420 to Manchester.
“We continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while European Entry / Exit System is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays for our customers. While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
