Airline says sorry to passengers delayed for more than nine hours

Budget airline easyJet has apologised to passengers who were delayed more than nine hours without being offered any refreshments.

European law states that passengers who are held up for four hours or more should be given free food and drink to keep them going, but easyJet admits the 120 plus passengers on its delayed flight from Sofia in Bulgaria to London Gatwick were offered neither.

When the flight finally got underway, the passengers were offered complimentary drinks and crisps from the onboard trolley - but they were only allowed to pick items that cost no more than £1.50 each.

The airline said the long delay occurred because there was a technical problem with the original aircraft and a replacement had to be flown from London to pick up the passengers.

A spokesman admitted the passengers should have been offered refreshments at the airport and claimed it was investigating why this did not happen.

He said that as a goodwill gesture easyJet will reimburse passengers for food and drink they bought at the airport, though passengers should also be aware that they could claim compensation from the airline for the delay.

A ruling in Luxembourg last month extended a European Union law to forces airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays of more than three hours. Originally the law only applied to flight cancellations.

The judgement also made it clear that airlines can no longer use technical problems as an excuse for avoiding payouts, so easyJet's disgruntled passengers could be entitled to as much as €250 each for the delay.

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