I’m an NHS worker stranded in Turkey – I’ve run out of money to feed my 3 kids and I can’t speak to easyJet
AN NHS worker stranded in Turkey says she has no money left in her bank account to feed her three children after Easyjet cancelled her flight on Monday.
Ashley Harmston, 29, has been told she cannot get a flight back to the UK from Dalaman with partner Sam Price, 30, and their three children - aged two, eight and ten - until next Thursday.
The stressed mum, from Manchester, says she has cleared out her savings account and has already had to borrow over £1,000 from friends and family to keep the family fed.
Ashley said: “I have no money left, I have not even been able to pay my rent. I have cleared out my savings.
“I understand the situation is out of Easyjet’s control but there is no communication. I got sent to the airport on Monday night and no-one would talk to me. There was no staff from Easyjet and the information desk turned me away.
“We didn’t know what was going on or where we were going. We were eventually loaded up onto buses and we were taken to this bed and breakfast.”
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Ashley and Sam said they have tried ringing Easyjet and the British Embassy but have not been able to get through to anyone.
“We’ve heard we may have to pay for a hotel ourselves after Friday and keep the receipts.
"That’s fine if you have the money for it, but I don’t. Someone needs to get in serious trouble for this. It’s appalling”, she added.
“I had a job interview tomorrow for a higher banded job in the hospital but I won’t be able to make it anymore. My kids are meant to go back to school on the 4th - but they won’t be able to. We have been dumped here with no help or communication.”
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24 HRS TO GET HOME
AN ESTATE agent claims she is £600 out of pocket after Easyjet left her stranded in Geneva on Monday.
Rebecca Holders, 23, was due to fly from Geneva, Switzerland to Birmingham but was caught up in the air traffic control chaos.
After waiting in the airport for seven hours, Rebecca and pal Alice Grieve, also 23, were told their flight had been cancelled and to leave the airport.
She claims Easyjet put her up in a “vile” hotel an hour away over the border in France which the pair decided to leave and pay for their own accommodation.
The airline was also only offering a measly £25-a-day each for food and drinks.
But prices in the expensive city meant they had to fork out £68 for two “small meals” at the airport Burger King and £10 for a single bottle of water.
She said:“I am an estate agent and own my own business so I needed to get home. My friend works in HR and was also needed back at work - so we agreed to fly to Nice and take a connecting flight to Edinburgh.”
After a mammoth 24 hours travelling, including a train from Edinburgh back to England, the pair arrived home in Loughborough at midday yesterday.
Rebecca said: “I appreciate the situation was out of Easyjet’s control and it’s the fault of the air traffic control.
"But there was a lack of correspondence and it felt like they didn’t want to help us.
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“We hope we can claim back all the money we forked out but we really have no idea - it’s impossible to contact Easyjet.”
Asked if NATS boss should step down, Rebecca said: “I think they should take some responsibility or advise why this happened or offer a goodwill to passengers.”