Couple from Mansfield instruct Bott and Co to help them recover flight delay compensation from British Airways after being refused for 5 hour flight delay.
Mark Truman and his wife Lisa were travelling from London Heathrow to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York where they were due to catch a cruise.
The couple arrived at the airport on 27th October 2013, checked in, went through security, got called to the gate and boarded their plane that was due to depart at 8.25am.
“Everything was going as it should and on time meaning we would be arriving in New York with ample time to catch the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship that was coming in from Southampton.
“All passengers were sat on the plane. We were sat two rows from the back of the aircraft. Half an hour before departure we noticed two guys near the engine and I knew it meant the plane wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“The captain came on over the PA system and said that unfortunately there was a technical issue with the plane and to just bear with them.
“We were sat on the aircraft for a further two hours to then be told that the technical issue couldn’t be fixed and that they had another aircraft available and waiting. We went back into the terminal and made our way to the boarding gate of the other plane. There, we were delayed for a further number of hours.”
British Airways did provide passengers with a £5 food voucher each and did not provide passengers with any other information.
“BA were not honest with us!”
“We were told that the delay was caused by a bird strike but personally I think they should have known that before we even boarded the plane. Everything should have been checked before passengers boarded.
It wasn’t a pleasant experience and I have never witnessed anything like it before.
“We were so close to missing our cruise ship out of New York; we had just half an hour to spare.
“It was absolutely disgusting how we were treated. 45 passengers on the flight were booked onto the ship, at one point they even said that if someone made the decision to not wait and catch the flight, it would delay us even further.
“It wasn’t a pleasant experience and I have never witnessed anything like it before and I don’t want to witness it again.”
Claiming compensation for a delay caused by a bird strike
“When we got home I sent an email to British Airways and they fobbed me off. I wasn’t aware I could take my case any further until last year when Lisa’s nephew told me about receiving flight delay compensation under EU Regulation 216/2004.
“I thought I would give it a go and looked at the reviews for Bott and Co and to see if they could help.
“We were sat on the aircraft for two hours and then delayed for a further three hours. Yes bird strikes do happen, we all know that but BA would of known it had happened before we got on the plane.
“We will now sit tight whilst Bott and Co work on our claim to recover our flight compensation.”
*Based on 10,211 court proceedings issued between May 2013 and February 2016.