Transport / Loganair apologises after complaint from passenger
LOGANAIR has apologised to passengers left stranded at Edinburgh airport on Friday evening after a flight was unable to land at either Kirkwall or Sumburgh due to high winds.
The airline said on Monday it acknowledged that the service passengers had received from ground handling staff from Menzies Aviation “wasn’t good enough”.
It follows a complaint made by Danielle Mae Robertson after no guidance and no support were provided either by Loganair or Menzies once the Sumburgh flight returned to Edinburgh.
She also described some of the behaviour by and responses received from Menzies staff as “unprofessional and rude”.
A spokesperson for Loganair said they were working with Menzies to understand what went wrong on the evening in question, and to ensure that it will not happen again.
Shortly after Friday’s evening flight to Orkney and Shetland had taken off the captain warned passengers there was a high probability the plane would be unable to land, due to the high winds that were battering Orkney and Shetland at the time.
After circling Orkney for about an hour, the plane diverted back to Edinburgh. There is no disagreement that this was the correct decision.
“What was unacceptable was what came after landing,” Robertson wrote on the Flight delays and cancellations Facebook page.
“Once back on the ground, we were told no buses were available to take us to the terminal. When we eventually arrived, no updates, no guidance, and no support were provided for hours.
“By 8:30 pm, we were told the only option was to travel to Aberdeen and take the overnight ferry the following evening – a ferry that we already knew was cancelled due to weather. Yet no one at the airport seemed aware or willing to check.
“At around 10 pm, we were told there might be flights the next day from another city – but when I asked about accommodation or transport, we were told (incredibly dismissively) that it would ‘be a long time waiting’.
“My party were travelling with four children (3, 4, 7 and 10 years) late at night, stranded in an airport with no clear information, no food, and no support.
“Eventually, we took the decision to pay for our own overnight accommodation and travel to Aberdeen in order to get the children a few hours’ sleep before they had to be up for the next day’s travel pantomime.”
The Loganair spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the experience our passengers faced after flight LM0357 returned to Edinburgh on Friday evening. Our crew made the right call to turn back due to severe weather; safety will always come first.
“However, we acknowledge what happened after landing wasn’t good enough. Of course, we take full responsibility for ensuring our passengers have a positive experience on the ground as well as in the air.
“Ground services at Edinburgh are handled by our partners at Menzies Aviation, and we’re already working closely with them to understand what went wrong and how we can work together to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
“Loganair is dedicated to its customers, and safety will always be our top priority. We’ll continue to work closely with our airport partners to ensure future passenger experiences meet the high standards our customers expect and deserve.
“We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding and remain committed to learning from this to deliver the best possible service going forward.”
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