Fury of couple ordered off ‘overbooked’ EasyJet f light

Four-day wait for another plane... and they got NO compensation

A COuPLE were ordered off an overbooked EasyJet flight – 24 hours after images of a doctor being dragged off a plane sparked outcry.

The pair, who paid £628 to fly from Luton to Catania in Sicily, say staff told them they had to get off because there were more passengers than seats.

They claim the budget carrier broke the rules by failing to offer them compensation or to inform them they were entitled to a flight on another airline.

The couple – identified only as Manoj, 38, and Viddha, 35 – were told there was not another flight for four days, which meant they reportedly lost out on £1,270 for accommodation and transfers.

The incident followed shocking footage of David Dao being violently removed from a united flight by heavy-handed Chicago Aviation Security officers.

The 69-year-old doctor lost two teeth, suffered a broken nose and was hospitalised with concussion after he was hauled down the aisle on April 9. He is preparing a lawsuit against the airline, which experts estimate could net him a multi-million dollar settlement.

In the latest case, the couple, from London, had boarded Flight EZY2383 on April 10 at the start of a planned six-day Easter break.

But as it became clear there were insufficient seats, they were ordered to go back to the terminal and collect their baggage.

‘This was an incredibly humiliating situation,’ Manoj, an IT consultant, told the Independent.

‘The airline had overbooked and we were involuntarily off-boarded from the aircraft by two airport staff in front of a packed plane.

‘The only difference between us and the chap involved with united Airlines is that we weren’t physi- cally dragged off.’ Overbooking can occur because airlines often estimate a number of ‘no-shows’ and sell additional seats to cut wastage.

When more passengers arrive than available seats, they are able to legally offload passengers.

European regulations stipulate that volunteers should be sought and offered financial incentives in return for travel on a later flight. If insufficient volunteers can be found, those chosen by the airline should be given compensation and written confirmation of their rights.

A spokesman for EasyJet apologised, adding: ‘This should have been handled better at the airport on the day so this has been picked up with the individuals concerned.’ The spokesman said the company had never denied the couple alternative travel.