Wizz Air explained why they left passengers in France & UK without help
Wizz Air passengers wrote to Hungarian media outlets that they were left without proper help by the low-cost airline in Paris and London. People argued that Wizz Air did not acknowledge first that their flight was cancelled. Later they admitted that but offered no help for their passengers, who had to find accommodation, food, and drink in the French and British capital and rebook their flight. Some of them did not even speak the language. Here is Wizz Air’s explanation.
What happened?
As we reported yesterday, the Hungary-based low-cost airline, Wizz Air, left several passengers at the Paris-Orly airport without proper assistance. One of the victims wrote her story to Blikk. Orsolya stated that the most unpleasant thing was not the cancellation itself. It was the fact that she could neither rebook nor cancel the flight because she had already checked in, as Wizz Air only sent information messages about delays in the beginning.
Orsolya said that the company did not help them find accommodation for the night after it was clear their flight would not take off. Last weekend, a very similar case occurred. Wizz Air cancelled a flight commuting between London and Budapest but, allegedly, provided no proper help for the passengers.
The Hungarian low-cost airline sent a statement on the issue to Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid. In short, the company said
their delays were caused by the labour shortage the air traffic control struggled.
They added that they would refund their passengers and launch an investigation into yesterday’s Paris-Orly case.
Wizz Air’s explanation – labour shortage
They highlighted that they did everything to provide punctual service for their passengers. However, labour shortage hits hard not only the air traffic control but also the airports, the ground, baggage handling and security services. As a result, there are delays, which, due to the strict air safety rules, result in flight cancellations.
In the case of the Paris-Orly cancellation, that is what happened. Because of the air traffic control labour shortage, their flights suffered delays, and their colleagues could not fly back to Budapest before the airport’s closure. The statement clears that they notified their passengers via SMS and email about the delay.
They added that they have a partner company taking care of the people in case of cancellations. Wizz Air promised they would launch an investigation in the Paris-Orly case. If they found problems, they would act accordingly.
They offered alternative flights, refunding the ticket cost or crediting 120% of it on the passenger’s Wizz account. They added that they would try to process all requests in one week. Furthermore, passengers have the right to demand compensation on the company’s website, wizzair.com.
Systematic problem
Blikk says that the problem is more extended than just cancelling individual flights. EasyJet, for example, cancelled hundreds in May because of an IT problem. Lufthansa announced that they would do so with more than 2,000 flights because of the labour shortage at the Frankfurt and München airports. Thus, the problem is systematic.
Source: Blikk, DNH