Hundreds of holidaymakers were left stranded at Palma Airport in Majorca after a wave of flight cancellations.
The travel chaos has since been blamed on air traffic control (ATC) restrictions linked to severe weather across Northern Europe.
The disruption hit during the busy half-term holiday period, affecting numerous travellers, many of them families, who were unable to return home as planned.
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Airlines, including easyJet, faced significant operational constraints, with several flights grounded around the same 7pm departure window.
The situation is part of a broader issue that has sparked industry criticism. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary recently condemned what he described as “shoddy ATC services,” warning that the summer of 2025 could bring record delays.
Among those caught in the turmoil was Beth Rafferty.
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Beth had been holidaying with her partner Lewis Chapman and their two children. The family was preparing to board an evening easyJet flight when they received a last-minute cancellation notice.
She said to the Scottish Sun: “We managed to find a flight to Bournemouth, but it wasn’t our original destination.
"Some people were being rerouted to Belfast or Liverpool instead of London—we were lucky.”
She added that passengers were given limited information: “We were just told there was an air traffic control issue, but we saw other flights landing and taking off, so it’s been very confusing.”
To ensure their children didn’t miss school, the couple spent an additional £1500 on alternative Jet2 flights home, plus £300 on emergency accommodation.
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Beth said: “We were told at the front desk we won’t be compensated for the new flights," although she expects to be reimbursed for the hotel costs.
She also confirmed the children’s school understood the situation and wouldn’t issue fines for their absence.
EasyJet confirmed the disruption, stating: "Unfortunately, due to the impact of widespread thunderstorms across Northern Europe yesterday, some flights were unable to operate as planned.
"We did all we could to minimise the impact of the weather disruption on our customers, providing options to rebook or receive a refund for their flights as well as providing hotel accommodation and meals for those who required them.
"The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority, and while this was outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused."
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