EasyJet Flight Delayed Until 2099, Airline Tells Passengers They May Be Entitled To Food
Easyjet jolted Geneva to London Gatwick passengers on Sunday by telling them that their flight would be delayed until 2099. The 130 passengers on delayed flight 8485 got the bad news in an email telling them that lousy weather meant the plane wouldn’t be taking off for 86 years.
According to The Independent, the email read, “We are writing to inform you that your flight will depart as 9485 at 11:00 local time on 29/07/2099.”
Uh oh. Clearly, the passengers weren’t really expected to hang around and hope for 86 years. The Herald Sun reported that an airline spokesperson later apologized for the computer systems error.
The flight was really only delayed for a day.
Budget airline EasyJet may not be as universally despised as its competitor Ryanair, which has floated rumors that it will start charging people for using the bathroom inflight.
But it still isn’t considered a particularly enjoyable experience, and plenty of folks in multiple languages took the opportunity to make jokes on the order of, “You think your flight was bad? EasyJet passengers are being asked to wait for 86 years.”
Because it was a weather delay, EasyJet doesn’t have to provide compensation. However, they do have to provide food and a hotel room.
The wits at The Independent calculated that if any delayed passenger actually survived for the entire 86 years, the cost of the three meals a day, airport hotel, and two phone calls a day back home would end up running around £6 million — over $9 million. Ouch.
Fortunately for EasyJet most people would just catch a different flight back while indulging in a few grumbles about the delay-plagued airline.
Easyjet flight delay “We are writing to inform you that your flight will depart as 9485 at 11:00 local time on 29/07/2099” #late #86years
— James Mortimer (@rugbycountry) July 31, 2013
Easyjet trolls passengers with 86 year delay! “@TheSundayIndo: EasyJet tells passengers flight grounded for 86 years http://t.co/28as2kWDtG”
— Citizen:bushmanPM (@bushmanpm) July 30, 2013
Well done @easyJet another flight another three and a half hour delay…… Will some other carrier fly schedule to Geneva from the NW?
— Andrew Beale (@FSIskiproperty) July 25, 2013
Flight delay keeps going up 15 mins… From 13.00 to 13.30. Easyjet have been piss poor today. No info given apart from delay getting longer
— Matt (@CFCMatt_) July 28, 2013
5 hour flight delay and @easyJet only offer £3 per passenger for food and drink. I could have probably bought breakfast with that in 1983
— NickFielden (@NickFielden) July 28, 2013
A flight delay until 2099 would be an unbreakable record for EasyJet but it isn’t happening. What’s your longest delay?
[EasyJet photo by Adrian Pingstone via Wikimedia]
