A DURHAM man and his eight friends were left stranded at Manchester Airport after their flight was cancelled and the only alternative journeys cost over £500 – due to software failures for one travel operator.

Devan Lonsdale, 24, from Durham, and his group of friends planned to travel to Prague for a holiday that had already been cancelled due to Covid on Thursday (May 26) – when disaster struck.

Despite setting off from Newcastle at 6am, getting to the airport for 10am in preparation for their flight at 1.20pm, they were left in one of Manchester Airport’s terminal buildings after being informed by travel operator, EasyJet, that their flight wasn’t going to take off.

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He told PA: “We were called to the gate at 12.35pm and the gate was due to close at 12.50pm but at 1pm it hadn’t budged.

“People started walking off one by one to be told that the flight was cancelled and no replacement, so we were stuck in Manchester.”

To add insult to injury, Mr Lonsdale and his friends were forced to pay up for a hotel in Manchester – leaving them frustrated that they were left without a holiday and out of pocket.

The Northern Echo: Mr Lonsdale and eight friends were scheduled to be going to Prague on Thursday (May 26). Picture: GOOGLE.Mr Lonsdale and eight friends were scheduled to be going to Prague on Thursday (May 26). Picture: GOOGLE.

He added: “We’ve had to pay for hotel in Manchester and are now going to go back home tomorrow – (we) have looked for alternate flights to Prague and other locations for a reasonable price so we could make use of our days off work we have used but found nothing but flights £500+ with multiple stops.

“Only time will tell what easyJet will say and how much money we will get but we will no doubt lose money overall and a four-day holiday.”

Mr Lonsdale was just one of many people left disappointed on Thursday (May 26) – after airline easyJet confirmed that a software failure forced it to cancel around 200 flights across the UK.

The company initially announced that the flights affected would be those departing between 1pm and 3pm UK time on Thursday, but later said the disruption could last longer.

The Northern Echo: EasyJet has apologised for the error, but has urged passengers to check before they travel. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.EasyJet has apologised for the error, but has urged passengers to check before they travel. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.

The disruption left holidaymakers stranded abroad and complaining about the lack of notice they were given.

Others were left stuck at some of the UK’s biggest airports, including Gatwick and Stansted.

In a statement, easyJet has apologised for the error, but has urged passengers to check before they travel.  

A spokesperson for the travel operator said: “We advise customers due to travel with us to continue to check Flight Tracker for the status of their flight before making their way to the airport.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused and customers can apply for compensation in line with regulations.”

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