A Scots man is worried he may lose his job after his flight from Albania to Edinburgh was delayed ‘seven times’.
Rahul Majji, from Edinburgh, travelled on a well-deserved break to Tirana, but his holiday turned into a disaster when his return flight was delayed.
According to the 27-year-old, the flight delays have cost him nearly £350 in wages, reports EdinburghLive.
A Ryanair spokesperson has said the flight was delayed overnight ‘due to technical issues’ and since Rahul spoke to Edinburgh Live, a replacement aircraft was arranged. The flight departed at around 9.55pm bound for Edinburgh Airport.
Despite both of his employers being understanding, Raul is worried if he does not return to Scotland soon he may lose his jobs in the hospitality sector.
To make the situation even worse, Rahul claims to have been placed in an Albanian hotel with ‘holes in the floor’ and ‘no hot water’.
The original flight was due to return home at around 1.55pm on Friday October 4 but Ryanair have since informed the tourist his flight will now depart at 9.50pm on Saturday October 5.
“Our flight was supposed to take off yesterday at around 1.55pm but after arriving at the gate we all realised the flight was delayed,” Rahul said. “It was rescheduled to take off just after 2pm, then 3pm, then 5pm, 7pm and so on.
“It was not until around 10pm at night before we were told we would be placed in a hotel overnight. To be honest the hotel I was in was s***e.
“There was no hot water, holes in the floor and the washrooms were very unclean. The staff were lovely but we could not get in contact with anyone from Ryanair.
“I’m honestly horrified. I was supposed to work yesterday evening as well as Saturday morning and night.
“I’m scared I will lose my job as the weekends are the hardest time to get cover in hospitality. I am a shift manager so they need me there, it will be a nightmare for my colleagues.
“I tried to fly to London to get back to the UK so it would be easier to then travel to Edinburgh. But Ryanair would not support me with this.
“I had a great time travelling around Albania but this has turned into a nightmare. There has been no real communication outside of delay alerts.
“Ryanair has been hopeless. They even had the cheek to send me a message containing deals and offers.
“We were all having a bad time but it just keeps getting worse and worse. I just hope I will be able to get home so I can work.”
The loss of work for Rahul has so far left him £350 out of pocket.
He has called on Ryanair to refund him not only his flight but also his lost wages as a means of compensation.
“We had a bad day yesterday but everything has been made worse with the lack of communication,” he continued. “I want refunded in full for the flight and my lost wages as well as an apology.
“I simply cannot miss any more time away from work. I just want to get home.”
In a text message seen by Edinburgh Live, Ryanair told Rahul: “Please be advised that flight RK8295 to Edinburgh is scheduled to depart today at 9.50pm. We are now sending over a new aircraft from Edinburgh due to a technical issue with the aircraft in Tirana.
“We have also issued an additional set of refreshment vouchers.”
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from Tirana to Edinburgh (4 Oct) was delayed overnight due to a technical issue with the aircraft. Passengers were notified and provided with overnight accommodation, while engineers serviced the aircraft, which took longer than initially expected resulting in passengers receiving a number of estimated departure time updates as we endeavoured to keep them informed.
“To minimise disruption to passengers, we arranged for a replacement aircraft from Edinburgh to operate this flight, which departed the following day (5 Oct) with 144 passengers onboard.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this unavoidable tech delay.”
Regarding delays, Ryanair states on its website: “If your flight is expected to be delayed for two hours or more (for flights up to 1,500km) or three hours or more (for intra-EU flights over 1,500km and other flights between 1,500km and 3,500km) you will receive assistance at the airport, including meal coupons.
“Flights can be cancelled for reasons beyond our control, for example, ATC strike, adverse weather condition, medical emergencies, etc. If your delay extends to the next day, we will oftentimes provide hotel accommodation and transportation between the airport and the accommodation.”
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