Violent Weather Grounds Flights and Disrupts Travel Plans
Dozens of travelers have found themselves stranded for more than 24 hours at Madeira Airport, caught in a series of delays and cancellations caused by strong winds that made landing conditions unsafe. One of the most affected flights, EasyJet EJU4486, was scheduled to depart from Funchal to Lyon on Saturday, July 5. Instead, passengers were left to spend the night in the terminal after the plane was unable to land.
This came after an already difficult arrival. Just days earlier, many of the same passengers were diverted to Faro because their incoming flight, EJU4485, could not land in Funchal. The return was no easier. As wind conditions worsened again, the aircraft meant to collect them turned around mid-air and returned to Lyon.
After an already very difficult journey, during which passengers on EasyJet flight EJU4485 spent a night on the floor of Faro Airport because it was impossible to land in Funchal (Madeira), the return flight to Lyon Saint-Exupéry was no easier for those scheduled to depart on Saturday, July 5."
“One Mattress for Two”: Conditions Inside the Airport
EasyJet informed travelers it was “doing everything possible” to support them and proposed a replacement flight for Tuesday afternoon, July 8, not to Lyon, but to Geneva.
In the meantime, passengers were asked to arrange their own hotel accommodation and submit receipts for later reimbursement. However, that proved difficult. Many reported that affordable hotel rooms were no longer available. According to Stéphanie, a passenger from Anse in the Rhône region, there were no rooms under 250 euros.
With no realistic alternatives, she and her husband slept again on the airport floor — the second such night after a previous delay in Faro. The airport handed out basic comfort kits, including a cereal bar, a bottle of water, and two packets of biscuits. “They gave us one mattress for two,” Stéphanie said. “There weren’t enough for everyone.”
The majority of us can’t wait until Tuesday because of our jobs, and especially our children who are waiting for us at home
Stranded Passenger, Leprogrès.fr
Travelers Take Matters Into Their Own Hands
In response, they booked yet another route - a Transavia flight to Paris scheduled for Monday morning. From there, they planned to take a TGV to Lyon later in the day. Exhausted and frustrated, Stéphanie concluded, “Madère… plus jamais” (“Madeira… never again”).
Marie-Claire and Gilles, a couple from Pont-de-Chéruy in southeastern France, faced a similarly complex return. They arrived in Madeira on June 24 and were scheduled to leave on July 1.
But after 12 hours waiting in the airport due to weather conditions, they received an email from EasyJet. “Then EasyJet emailed us to rebook our flight for July 5 at 20:30, which was also canceled.
They offered July 10 instead, but that was too far off,” said Marie-Claire. “So we found a flight for July 8, departing from Madeira via Paris, and now we have to find a train to Lyon.”
Their total hotel bill has already reached nearly four figures. “We’ve already spent 960 euros just on hotels, not counting meals or taxis between the hotel and airport each time,” she said.
Source: Leprogrès.fr
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