'Find your own way home': Wizz Air slammed for 'dumping' passengers 200 MILES from destination
Wizz Air passengers say they were "dumped" 200 miles from their destination and were asked to figure out their own to get back home. After being stranded "in the middle of the night," passengers flying back from Tel Aviv had to pay hundreds of pounds to hire cabs home.
The aircraft from Tel Aviv, Israel to London Gatwick, which was scheduled to depart at 9:25 p.m. was delayed and did not depart until after midnight, according to passengers who spoke to the Mirror. As a result, the airline missed its landing window in London Gatwick, and passengers were advised that they would be redirected to Luton halfway through the flight. They ended up landing in Doncaster with no alternative transportation, 'no Wizz Air staff to be seen,' and being nothing 'but a bottle of water' because there were no slots available at Luton, according to one of the passengers named Aysa.
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Asya told The Mirror, who was traveling with her toddler, "It's been awful. I've never had an experience like this. I don't understand how an airline can leave people in the middle of the night and not provide them with anything other than a bottle of water. We landed at about 3:15 a.m. at Doncaster but were supposed to land at 1 a.m. at Gatwick. They originally told us we were going to be diverted to Luton because there were no spaces at Gatwick — but Luton was full and there was no ground handling staff available so they said we would go to Doncaster but organize coaches to take us to Gatwick."
However, Asya, who only wanted to be identified by her first name, claimed that when they arrived at the airport and collected their luggage, it became clear that there were no coaches. They were encouraged to use taxis or trains and then file a claim for compensation with the airline, she claimed. Asya, who was traveling with her one-year-old, said she couldn't get a train at that hour of the night on her own with her infant, so she had to pay $585 for a taxi back to her southeast London home. She is concerned about the ease with which she will be able to recover the funds.
Unsurprisingly, even though we were told there will be coaches to take us to Gatwick, as soon as we touched down there was no one from @wizzair to be seen. Abandoned by the airline as usual.
— Shachaf (@KarvatShachaf) April 18, 2022
Shachaf Karvat, a Surrey resident, spoke to the Mirror about her "chaotic" experience. Karvat said, "As soon as we landed in Doncaster they closed the doors and disappeared basically. We never saw the crew again, there was no one from Wizz Air."
Karvat added, "Airport security tried to help us and they managed to get us some water and biscuits. All the shops were closed and there was just one taxi waiting. No one expected 200 passengers in the middle of the night would land in Doncaster. There were families with babies and young children and people with connecting flights who mixed their connection." He reported that he ended up sharing a taxi home for $338 after it dropped him off.
"Hi there, please reach us via our live chat or the Call Center," a Wizz Air spokesperson told Karvat after he tweeted about the problem. "After having a small conversation with our virtual assistant, an agent will join the conversation. We kindly ask for your patience in the meantime."
