Husband and wife in their 80s left abandoned at Gatwick

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, were booked to travel on the GR609 service on 13 August and arrived at Gatwick at about 4.30pm, well in advance of their scheduled 6pm departure time.

Having gone through security, they were waiting in the special assistance area when they were notified of their flight’s cancellation at about 6.35pm via both text and email.

At 7.35pm, having heard nothing from Aurigny for an hour, the man messaged the airline through its WhatsApp channel, asking what they should do, having been informed by airport staff working in the special assistance area that there was nothing they could do with regards to escorting them.

More than an hour later, at 8.41pm, he received a reply from Aurigny customer services telling him and his wife – who has mobility and visual impairments – to remain in the special assistance area, where a member of Aurigny staff would escort them to arrivals.

At 9.20pm, and having still not received any assistance, the man messaged again, explaining that nobody from Aurigny had come to help them and that they had been advised by special assistance staff that they had been abandoned as all Aurigny staff had gone home.

By this time the Aurigny WhatsApp channel had closed.

The couple then had to wait for one of the special assistance staff to get special authorisation from security and border control in order for them to be escorted back through the airport to collect their bag from the domestic arrivals baggage area.

Having then discovered that their bag was not there, the couple were directed back into arrivals while special assistance staff went into the international baggage area and located their bag.

In order to claim the bag, the man said he had to re-enter security and pass through many corridors, then exit through a red corridor within customs.

The couple were then left to their own accord, and the man said it was only through his experience as a seasoned traveller with Aurigny that he knew their best bet for finding a hotel was to go to an airport help desk.

‘Luckily, despite the late hour, it was still staffed and they gave us a voucher for the Hilton Hotel,’ he said.

They arrived at the hotel at 10.30pm.

The man subsequently wrote directly to Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout detailing the couple’s experiences and requested a direct reply from him.

In response, he received an email from Aurigny customer services, which stated that some improvements would be made ‘if we can’.

‘I will leave people to draw their own conclusions,’ the man said.

Airline ‘working hard to respond to all claims within four weeks’

AURIGNY has stated it is working hard to respond to all claims within four weeks.

The airline has been coping with a high number of complaints in recent months due to disruption.

‘Our customer services team work incredibly hard to communicate effectively with customers and respond to queries as quickly as possible, with the aim of responding to claims within 28 days,’ an Aurigny spokeswoman said.

She added that in the incidents highlighted by the Guernsey Press, the customers had received refunds for claims made.

‘Flight delays caused by bad weather are beyond the control of Aurigny,’ she said.

‘While we do understand that it can be frustrating when a scheduled flight leaves on time when other flights are delayed, it is important to remember that this is the best way to minimise disruption to the schedule as a whole, and we always try to minimise disruption to customers wherever possible.’

In regards to the couple left with special assistance at Gatwick, Aurigny said this service was provided by the airport.

But a Gatwick spokesman said that the airline would be responsible for escorting passengers, either doing this directly or via their ground handler.