Up to 23 passengers were barred from boarding a Wizz Air flight from Kefalonia to Budapest on Saturday after one of the crew members’ permitted duty hours ran out. Ground staff read out a list of names of those who would have to stay behind on the Greek island, and some of the stranded travellers reportedly did not make it home until three days later, on Tuesday. Wizz Air says it has launched an investigation into whether its local ground-handling partner followed company procedure, particularly the rule that passengers travelling with children or infants, or those with reduced mobility, should not be among those left off a flight.

Maintenance delay triggered a chain reaction

The aircraft was unable to depart on time because of unplanned maintenance work, Telex wrote. The flight, originally scheduled to leave Kefalonia at 9:55 AM local time on 27 June, was eventually delayed by around 20 minutes, but the knock-on effects proved far more disruptive for dozens of travellers.

During the hours-long wait, one member of the cabin crew reached the end of their permitted working hours. Because safety rules require a full crew complement to carry a full passenger load, the airline says a reduced crew of six could carry a maximum of 200 passengers – well short of the 223 who had booked seats on the flight.

No clear explanation for who was picked

Passengers only learned they wouldn’t be flying home when ground handlers began calling out names at around 2:40 PM local time, roughly five hours after the original departure time. Nobody was told in advance why the list existed or how it had been drawn up.

One traveller, who was among those allowed to board, described scenes of confusion and distress on the ground. Couples were reportedly split up, with one partner permitted to fly and the other told to remain on the island, while in at least one case a single member of a group of friends was pulled from the flight.

“We don’t know how these people were chosen, but couples were split up – one of them couldn’t come home – and we also heard that one person was taken out of a group of friends who had to stay behind,” the passenger said.

Some rerouted the same day, others waited three days

Some of the affected passengers were rebooked the same day via a connection through Bucharest, while others had no choice but to wait for the next scheduled direct flight, which did not depart until the following Tuesday, 30 June.

The airline confirmed it covers the cost of accommodation, meals and airport transfers for passengers awaiting a rebooked flight in such situations, and that those affected are entitled to compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004, which covers denied boarding, cancellations and long delays.

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No volunteers were asked for, airline confirms scrutiny of process

Under normal procedure, Wizz Air says its ground-handling partners are supposed to first ask for volunteers willing to give up their seats, and only select passengers involuntarily if nobody comes forward. According to social media reports and the airline’s own passengers, no call for volunteers was made in this case – staff instead worked from a pre-prepared list of who would be left behind.

Wizz Air says it is now investigating whether the ground-handling staff in Kefalonia followed its own rules, which explicitly state that people travelling with children or infants, and passengers with reduced mobility, should not be selected to be left behind in this kind of situation.

Not the airline’s first headache this week

The Kefalonia incident comes shortly after another Wizz Air controversy involving passengers travelling from Spain, who said their carry-on bags fit within the airline’s official sizing frame yet were still fined by airport staff. Wizz Air said it would look into that case too and, if a breach of procedure were confirmed, would follow up with the ground-handling partner responsible for checking baggage sizes.

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