Family Criticizes Ryanair After Being Stuck on Delayed Flight for Over Five Hours

A family's vacation turned into a nightmare when they were stuck on a Ryanair flight at a UK airport for over five hours due to a power failure in Spain. Chelsea Heatley, 39, her partner Harvey, 44, and their young daughter Dolores were excited about their holiday in Malaga, planning to depart at 8:40 PM on a Monday night. However, once they boarded, they were informed by the captain that departure would be delayed until 10 PM. As the hours passed, with no movement at the airport by midnight, Heatley claimed that there was no provision of food or even water for the passengers.

By 12:40 AM, the family was informed they would need to wait until 3 AM for departure, but shortly before that time, it was announced that the flight was canceled altogether, prompting passengers to disembark. Heatley expressed her frustration, noting that they had been misled about the flight's status and had no idea how long they would remain on the plane without any amenities. With a tired child in tow, they felt the situation was unacceptable, especially since it was known earlier in the day that outages would disrupt flights.

Ultimately, after being told accommodations would be arranged but finding that none had been booked, the family covered an additional expense of £150 for a hotel room. They also received a food voucher from Ryanair only after leaving the plane. Given their unpleasant experience, the family opted to book a Jet2 flight instead of waiting for the rescheduled Ryanair flight at dawn. Ryanair responded to the incident, stating that the delay was beyond their control and apologizing for the inconvenience caused. They explained that efforts were made to assist passengers, including opening the paid bar for refreshments and offering options for refunds or flight changes.