MPs slam Gatwick for Christmas Eve chaos
The chaos at Gatwick on Christmas Eve when 72 flights were cancelled and delayed due to a widespread power failure should be "a wake up call" for airports across the UK, says an MPs report.
More than 11,000 passengers were stranded for up to 12 hours when flooding in the basement of the North Terminal knocked out power, and there was confusion and a lack of information at the airport, said the House of Commons Transport Committee.
The report also highlighted a lack of toilets and drinking water.
The committee’s report said: "The problems at Gatwick at Christmas Eve should be a wake-up call for airports across the UK to get on top of operational resilience issues."
The committee said airport operators should have "well drilled plans… which put passenger interests first".
Giving evidence to the Commons Transport Select Committee in January, easyJet blamed Gatwick for failing to alert airlines early enough of the potential problem in the North Terminal, which would have enabled them to cancel more flights in advance. It also accused the airport of not providing enough drivers to shuttle people from the North to the South Terminal, which was unaffected.
Gatwick said it only had 30 minutes notice that the River Mole was going to flood. It subsequently gave affected passengers £100 shopping vouchers.
However, the Committee has recommended the Civil Aviation Authority brings forward plans to improve the provision of information to passengers about their rights at times of disruption.
Committee chairman Louise Ellman said: "Passengers need accurate and consistent information, must be able to identify who is in charge during periods of disruption, and should have ready access to toilets and drinking water.
"Passengers must also be promptly reimbursed for the extra costs they face as a consequence of disruption.
"If our largest airports cannot demonstrate they can look after passengers’ interests in this way then the CAA must act."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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