Andy and Katya Wedlake, a newlywed couple from London, had their honeymoon start on a sour note after easyJet overbooked their flight from Gatwick to Tivat, Montenegro, on July 26. The airline issued a cruel ultimatum: one of them had to fly alone or both would lose rebooking rights and compensation.
Overbooked flight leads to ultimatum
The couple had booked their honeymoon months in advance and arrived at Gatwick's North Terminal in plenty of time for the 8:25am easyJet flight. However, they were unable to check in online and discovered at the airport that the flight was overbooked.
According to Andy Wedlake, easyJet staff said they could only offer seats once boarding had closed, depending on no-shows. Overbooking is a common airline practice, but under air passenger rights rules, airlines must first seek volunteers willing to take a later flight in exchange for compensation.
One seat, cruel choice
At the gate, easyJet asked for volunteers to take the next morning's flight. Only one person volunteered, freeing up a single seat. The couple expected to be rebooked together on the next day's flight, but instead were told one must travel or they would both be treated as 'no shows'.
"They said that either my wife or I had to take that seat otherwise we would count as a 'no show' and would lose all rights for rebooking and any compensation. So my wife got on the flight and I stayed behind," Mr Wedlake told the Telegraph.
21 hours apart
Katya flew alone to the Adriatic resort, while Andy returned to their London home. They were finally reunited in Montenegro 21 hours later. Mr Wedlake said the experience ruined the start of their honeymoon.
"For me that doesn't cover the stress, the sadness of being apart from my new wife, the loss of one full day in Tivat, or the wasted time," he said, referring to the £350 compensation he is entitled to under air passenger rights rules.
EasyJet's response
An easyJet spokesperson expressed regret: "We are very sorry for Mr and Mrs Wedlake's experience and the difficulty this caused for their honeymoon. Like most airlines, we sometimes overbook a very small proportion of flights and in the significant majority of cases do not result in denying boarding as we use data to select flights with a history of customers not travelling. By filling these seats, it helps to keep fares lower for everyone."
The spokesperson added that in rare cases where customers can't travel, easyJet seeks volunteers and makes decisions based on check-in order. They acknowledged that an exception was not made to book an alternative flight for the couple together, especially given the special occasion, and have since reached out with an apology, compensation, and a goodwill gesture.
Impact on honeymoon
Mr Wedlake expressed shock that easyJet would overbook a route with only one daily flight, especially on a summer Sunday morning when high attendance is predictable. He said the compensation does not make up for the lost day and emotional distress.
The incident highlights the potential pitfalls of airline overbooking, even for special trips, and the importance of knowing passenger rights.
