Easyjet, which operates flights from Birmingham, has faced backlash after refusing to refund a group of 14 passengers following the devastating diagnosis of a brain tumour in a two-year-old child. The airline, competing with Ryanair, TUI, Jet2, and others, declined a refund or credit for the £4,000 booking, prompting a letter to The Guardian's consumer affairs team.
Family's Heartbreaking Story
The letter detailed the family's ordeal: "Our two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with an aggressive grade 4 brain tumour requiring immediate life-saving surgeries. The prognosis is devastating." The family expressed gratitude to other companies that showed compassion, including the accommodation provider for the stag trip, which offered a full refund despite their terms and conditions. However, Easyjet refused the best man's request for a credit note to postpone the flights.
Airline's Response
Easyjet's "compassionate resolution" was to offer a voucher for the fare of the passenger who contacted them and a refund of the tax for the others, arguing that the remaining passengers could still travel. The letter highlighted the irony of Easyjet's partnership with Unicef to improve children's health, stating, "It makes the lack of compassion shown in our situation feel even more difficult to understand."
Intervention Required
Easyjet's website states: "In the unfortunate event that you're cancelling or have missed your flight because of bereavement, we'll do our best to help you with cancelling or making any necessary changes to your flight." However, it took the newspaper's intervention for the airline to act. After three weeks, Easyjet's customer support team contacted the family to issue a full refund for all passengers on the booking.
