Majorca Mayhem: Hundreds of Brits Stranded After Flight Cancellations
It’s a nightmare scenario for any holidaymaker: you’re ready to head home after a fun family holiday, and then…bam! Your flight’s cancelled. That’s exactly what happened to hundreds of Brits in Majorca over the weekend, leaving families stranded at Palma Airport after a wave of cancellations due to what airlines are calling "air traffic control restrictions" linked to severe weather.
The Story of One Family's Ordeal
I spoke to Beth Rafferty, a mum from Hastings, whose family’s half-term break took an unexpected – and expensive – turn. Beth, her partner Lewis, and their two children were all set to board their 7pm easyJet flight back to Gatwick on Sunday when they received the dreaded cancellation email. The initial explanation? "Air traffic control restrictions."
Later, it became clear that the real culprit was widespread thunderstorms across Northern Europe causing major air traffic control issues. Honestly, the whole thing felt incredibly frustrating. While less than ten flights were actually cancelled, over 120 were delayed, creating a massive backlog and leaving hundreds of people, many of them families with young children, in limbo.
The Rafferty family, along with many others, were forced to scramble for emergency hotel accommodation, adding another £300 to their already stressful situation. Finding a quick alternative flight with easyJet proved impossible, so they had to fork out a further £1,500 for Jet2 flights to Bournemouth – just to get their kids back to school on time. They ended up flying to Bournemouth instead of Gatwick because getting a flight closer to home proved quicker. They’re hoping to recoup some of the extra costs, but it’s all been a massive headache.
- The problem: Severe thunderstorms across Northern Europe caused air traffic control restrictions.
- The impact: Hundreds stranded at Palma Airport, many flights cancelled or severely delayed.
- The cost: Many families incurred significant extra expenses on hotels and alternative flights.
EasyJet's Response and Your Rights
EasyJet stated that they “did all they could” to help affected passengers, offering rebooking options, hotel accommodation, and meals. However, given the scale of the disruption, it’s clear that many people feel they were left in the lurch.
It's important to know your rights if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed. If the delay or cancellation is the airline's fault (and not due to extraordinary circumstances like extreme weather), you’re entitled to compensation, potentially between £210 and £520 depending on the length of the delay and your flight distance. However, in this case, easyJet is likely to argue that the weather was beyond their control.
Ryanair's Warning and the Future of Air Travel
This chaos comes on the heels of Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary’s warning about “shoddy ATC services” and predicted record flight delays for summer 2025. His comments highlight a growing concern about the potential for more widespread air travel disruption.
What's Next?
While Palma Airport is now back to normal operations, this incident serves as a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong when severe weather hits. The Rafferty family's experience, and the experiences of hundreds of others, is a potent illustration of the stress and expense unexpected flight cancellations can cause. It’s a good time to brush up on your passenger rights and maybe consider travel insurance with comprehensive delay cover for your next holiday.
