AIRLINE CEASED TRADING : 2005

EUJet  - by Dee Ellis
28 July 2005

Its with no surprise that EUJet has folded. I was a regular flyer with them, as I live in spain and regularly return to the UK. I have experienced cancellations without notification and compensation, flying back for xmas, I was left in the airport with no accommodation and no transport and was told I had to return at 4.45am the next morning. I have been delayed many times, and have been diverted to Gatwick on many occasions after a long delay in the airport. On two occasions having been diverted to Gatwick, we then did a double drop via Barcelona and Girona, turning my journeys into 10 to 12 hours before I eventually arrived at Murcia. The final straw was in March, when after a long delay at Manson, I was diverted again to Gatwick, had a long delay whilst we were put aboard a Thomas Cook airline, went via Girona where we picked up more stranded irrate passengers, and then eventually onto Alicante. All EUJet could give us was a cup of tea and a biscuit. Not bad after a 9 hour delay. What should have been a quick two hour flight often turned out to be 10 to 12 hours before I arrived at Murcia. Infact, towards the end of my commuting my friends and family made it a joking matter to ask where I had travelled to this time. Definitely not the hassle free airline. It was more of a lottery to wonder where you would be diverted to, via and at what time you would land.

EUJet  - by Peter Worden
13 July 2005

Flew into Gatwick from Malaga last Saturday on Monarch Scheduled. Had we flown EUjet we would have been home at about the same time we pulled out of the off airport car park. Reason we didn't fly with EUjet is that when I booked the flight late last year, they were charging £658 for four while Monarch charged us £400. I have flown EUjet twice and found the level of service excellent. It is a shame that passenger growth at Manston has not been sufficient to ensure a future for the airline. With heavy press, radio, and TV advertising I think the problem lies in that there are simply not enough people living in the airport's catchment area.

EUJet  - by June Solley

11 July 2005

We've just come back from Palma and it was brilliant, no more travelling to Gatwick a good nights sleep as no travelling involved just 5 minutes down the road from our house, really relaxed and refreshed when we arrived at our destination, so all you moany minnies enjoy what you have on your doorstep you could not fault the staff, not long to wait for our luggage, in fact we have just booked another holiday with flights from Manston and do you know what we cannot wait.

EUJet  - by Andrew Hannington

7 June 2005

I have no problem with EUjet planes and staff on the whole. What I do object to is the recent introduction of replacement ATR planes instead of the regular Fokker 100. For the past 3 weeks my flight to Amsterdam has been on ATR aircraft. These are slow, noisy, turbo-prop planes with a seating capacity of around 40. This means that you don't get the seat number you pre-booked. Also at Amsterdam airport the plane is too small to arrive at a jetty so you have to take a bus (another 20 mins added to your journey). I have had 2 Air France operated flights and 1 Danish Air Transport. The latter was the worst landing I have ever experienced, we all thought the plane was going to flip over. I know one of the passengers who returned to Manston on the same plane and apparently it was just as bad. EUjet is going to further ruin their reputation by sub-contracting out flights in this way.

EUJet  - by Jonathan Milne

25 May 2005

I had booked an eujet flight from Kent to Belfast for the 1st of August. It was the same price as flying from Gatwick, but without the hassle in getting to London. A week later they e-mailed me telling me that my flight has been cancelled due to poor demand. What a shame. They transferred me to the 31st of July. This did not suit me. I therefore called the call centre, and cancelled the flight. The employee didn't even ask why. Obviously they are not that bothered with their customers.

EUJet  - by Alan Tilbury

25 May 2005

EUjet have ceased their flights to Budapest citing huge increases in airport charges as the main reason. They have also halved the number of flights to Newcastle and Belfast and withdrawn the Saturday flight to Edinburgh. With high bookings to the Spanish holiday resorts their future is looking more secure.

EUJet  - by Chris Ewins

17 May 2005

Flown at least 10 times with this airline, service has been excellent. Only once was the flight delayed but was informed 6 hours previously so could enjoy the day more.

EUJet  - by Robin MacDonald

30 April 2005

Recently flew with EU jet to Prague and was most impressed with the staff attitude, the flight and the way things were handled in general. Must say even though there was a delay outbound due to adverse weather the whole experience I would rate as excellent.

EUJet  - by Jacque Kaye

21 April 2005

Have just come back from an excellent time in Amsterdam. Flight out was on time, staff were very friendly. Flight back also on time and arrived back early ( Manston) not enough time to even drink the coffee.

EUJet  - by Phil Stocks

20 April 2005

Absolutely delighted with the whole EUJet experience. Outward & return flights on-time; return flight actually 20 minutes quicker than scheduled. Kent international airport is fantastic; only have to arrive 30 mins prior to departure & car park directly outside terminal. Baggage was extremely quick to come out in Palma - left all the Easyjet people waiting at their carousel! All staff very polite & good.

EUJet  - by Stephen Houlihan

11 April 2005

Recently did have a problem with Eujet returning from Shannon. Our flight was heavily delayed (six hours) but we were kept fully informed at Shannon about the situation which was caused by fog at Manston. Unfortunately we were then diverted to Gatwick as the fog had returned. Taxis were laid on for all of us at Gatwick and in very trying circumstances I thought Eujet did a very good job. I am not sure what more the airline could do in this situation yet I was amazed at the viciousness and nastiness of many fellow passengers on our journey. Some people were claiming the fog was made up by Eujet yet when we arrived back in Manston in our cab you could hardly see 50 metres ahead of you. I may be mistaken but I can't imagine any airport could run on such limited visibility. They certainly cannot run in such conditions at Manson. There have been a lot of delays and cancellations in March due to fog but that’s a fact of life for a coastal airport at this time of year. I sometimes think some people would like to "take the risk" but to me safety must come first. I have personally flown 24 times on Eujet and I think they do a tremendous job. I have had 2 cancellations but both were weather related, the snow at the beginning of March brought the whole area to a standstill and not surprisingly flights were cancelled. A refund was paid immediately. Apart from the Shannon flight all other flights have taken off and returned with no problems.

EUJet  - by John Avery

6 April 2005

I have not complained about EUJet for a while. Maybe that is because I have not used them for a while. Last weekend I travelled from Dublin to Manston and back again. And EU Jet certainly did not let me down! I arrived at Dublin with my photo ID etc and tried to check in - No reservation in my name! Very polite check in staff (obviously not EUJet staff), and 45 minutes of unanswered phone calls results in me finally being allowed to check in! Apparently this company cannot accept payment by Irish Laser Cards (Switch cards) although I did have a reservation number. The check in girl asked to see my Laser Card, turned it over and told EU Jet that there was in fact no security number on Irish Laser Cards - this was pointed out during the booking process. I have never had problems using my Laser card with any Irish company - apart from EUJet! The flight was on time in each direction - a first for my diary. Another down point though - the times have changed yet again, making travel with them tedious. I do hope that things get better for them.

EUJet  - by Irene Mitchell

5 April 2005

Never again. We flew from Manston to Edinburgh on 25th March 2005. That was fine. The return journey on 27th March scheduled for 20.35 was truly awful. We were told at Edinburgh check-in of problems at Manston because of fog. After many hours of waiting, speculation and misinformation, we finally left Edinburgh at 02.05 and landed at Gatwick 03.20. We knew we were going to Gatwick but were expecting to at least be met and guided to coaches to take us back to Manston. No official from either EU Jet or ServisAir met us but eventually we were guided to a rank of taxis. After being packed in like sardines we then travelled to Manston and arrived there as the airport opened. Haven't even bothered to complain to EU Jet - will just never use them again and will caution others who may consider this airline. Incidentally, it was not low cost. Two returns were £197.

EUJet  - by Peter Medwell

4 April 2005

My wife and I were due to fly out on EUJet from Manston in the late afternoon of 4th March. As it happens, we live locally and always leave our cat in a cattery at Manston when we go away. I had to drive out to Manston with the cat at about ten in the morning. The conditions were appalling. We had had a good deal of snow on the previous Wednesday and now, on Friday, it was blizzard conditions again. It took me about one and a quarter hours to complete the journey -- four miles out and four miles back. When I returned I told my wife that I thought it most unlikely that we would be able to fly anywhere that day. When we returned to the terminal at Manston at around two thirty I was astonished to find that the apron and the taxiway had been cleared of snow and they were just finishing the runway clearance. The snow had by now almost ceased. The earlier conditions had caused considerable disruption and two of EUjet's small fleet had been diverted to Gatwick. After some delay we departed for a lovely weekend in snowy and chilly Amsterdam. I don't know how on earth the Manston authorities cleared so much snow but it must have been a superhuman effort. Well done to them! When we returned we found that EUjet had emailed a 50% discount voucher for our delay. Who says customer service is dead?

EUJet  - by Mick Gallagher

4 April 2005

Booked a weekend flight Manston - Manchester and return. Arriving at Manchester Sunday evening to find the flight cancelled. To date never received any communication from EU Jet. I suspect the flight was under booked and it was too expensive to operate the aircraft so they off loaded us to the next day. I was told by Manchester it was fog, but on EUJets own web site they showed arrivals and departures before and after our flight. So it turned out to be an expensive extra stay for us in Manchester. Their staff are very friendly but beware - if you book low cost don’t expect good service if it all goes wrong! I was stranded and there wasnt even a company representative at the airport.

EUJet  - by Andrew Orak

3 April 2005

Another EUJET disaster story - I am a regular flier with them as I'm local. I arrived at Budapest Airport yesterday for my flight back to Manston. The flight was cancelled as the crew were out of hours when they arrived, we took off at 09.45 this morning instead of 14.10 yesterday, yes that's a 20 hour delay. No information at all at Budapest Airport from MALEV the EUJET handling agents who were nowhere to be found. There was nothing and no one to help the 65 passengers until 10.30 last night when a Hungarian passenger managed to phone MALEV and get a bus to take us to a hotel for the night. And at Manston on arrival today EUJET would not provide a Flight Delay Certificate to enable us to claim on our travel insurance. Apparently the delay was due to fog at Manston yesterday - doesn't happen at other airports in my experience. I put it down to incompetence at EUJET

EUJet  - by Michael Birch

1 April 2005

Further to my 19 March entry - see below - EU Jet did finally e-mail me about the cancellation of my flight. They told me that my 28 March afternoon Manston to Manchester flight was cancelled and that I was booked on the morning flight that same day. The date on which they sent me this helpful e- mail? 29 March!!

EUJet  - by Mike Sinfield

1 April 2005

Flew back from Girona to Kent. At Girona we were informed (by Iberia staff) that flight was an hour late - it arrived on time and took off on time. Being a Holiday Monday flight back to UK not many passengers - 13 ! We were told the flight out was full. Arrived Kent 35 minutes early - how do they do that? Staff were in good form especially with the announcement about 'unprecedented demand for alcohol - buy now before stocks run ou' - must have been me!

EUJet  - by Michael E Stockham

29 March 2005

Beware EUjet customer service. As a family with relatives in the Dover area we were all delighted to learn that Eujet were going to operate a service from Kent International to Newcastle with effect from 27th March 2005. My daughter booked flights via their website for herself and her 2 year old daughter on the midday flight from Newcastle on Tuesday 29th March returning late morning on Thursday 31st so that she could visit her cousin and her little daughter during the Easter break. On Monday 28th she checked and found that EUjet had withdrawn these extremely attractively timed and 'sensible' services (for people with very small children) for late evening (10/11pm) alternatives. Had they informed anyone - had they heck as like! No e-mail, no press announcement - zippo! However they have agreed to refund the costs but having read other subscribers' comments my daughter will not 'hold her breath'.

EUJet  - by Robert Bushby

26 March 2005

The 5 EUjet return trips my wife and I have made from Manston since Sep 04 (we have three more booked) have been fine. One out of ten flights, one was late and that was by 30 minutes on an cold morning caused by the need to de-ice the plane. True though our booked Glasgow flights were discontinued but we were e-mailed in good time ang given alternative flights to Edinburgh. I phoned Eujet about this as one timing did not suit and they re-booked us onto an earlier flight than the one they were offering with no problem. I have found the best time to call them is in the evening or on a Sunday so as to check in advance that flights are operating to the booked schedule and I also cross-check the Eujet Manston website departure/arrival board the day before and again before setting out from home so as to get a feel for any delays building up . Manston staff, flight crews and aircraft are fine but I (and this is supported by fellow passengers I have spoken to) agree with comments that customer support needs to be sharpened up especially when it come to selling seats on services that are then retimed or discontinued.

EUJet  - by Ray Rogers

26 March 2005

Shannon to Faro. Flights left and arrived on time - cabin very clean on way over, one toilet unusable on way back. Overall great flights and staff excellent.

EUJet  - by Zillah Grist

23 March 2005

It took my husband and i 17 hours to get to Spain with EUjet from the time we left home at 4 am, arrived at Manston at 5 am, waited all day in a freezing cold airport with no hot food available. We have been offer free flight vouchers - that we can't use as we can not travel within the period specified. We have tried to contact EUjet by email and phone to no avail. This is the second time we have flown with EUjet, both times we had problems. Shame really, because the staff are nice and friendly, and the airport is ideally situated so we don't have to contend with motorways.

EUJet  - by Stephen Green

22 March 2005

I booked online at the beginning of January for my family and I to fly to Seville in mid-August for two weeks. Our friends also made their own booking on the same flight. Quite by chance I noticed on Friday (18 March) that Seville was no longer listed as a destination on the EUJet site. I phoned the company and when I finally got through they confirmed that they were no longer flying to Seville and that all bookings had been cancelled! I asked when this decision had been taken to be told "about two weeks ago". I then asked whether they'd had any plans to actually inform people with bookings that their flights were cancelled and he said "they are going to send out emails - but I don't know when"! I have to say that despite this lack of customer service I've taken a chance and taken up their offer of tickets on the Malaga flights instead for no extra charge - but now I've read the other postings on this site I'm starting to doubt whether I've done the right thing.

EUJet  - by Nicky Huitson

21 March 2005

We have travelled a number of times with EUjet and are full of praise for their service. We have been delayed once (Dublin about 2 hours-but they had phoned us that morning in Dublin and told us not to check in til 2 hours later so that was fine), and had one flight cancelled-Barcelona, which we were informed of a month in advance, and given a complete refund plus 2 free return tickets on any other route-no complaints there either. Plane is comfy, staff pleasant and service has a quirky homeliness to it. We hope it survives.

EUJet  - by Michael Birch

19 March 2005

Had booked to return from Manston to Manchester on the late afternoon flight on Monday 28 March. Went to book my car park space at Manchester, couldn't remember my flight time, so checked the EU Jet website. My flight had disappeared! I eventually got through to EU Jet on the phone (they always seem to be experiencing "heavy demand") to be told the flight was cancelled so that the summer schedule could begin operation the next day. They knew about the summer schedule when I booked the ticket in early Feb, so why offer tickets for a flight they were not going to operate? As a result, I'm now on the crack-of-dawn flight the next day and will be late for work. At no stage have EU Jet attempted to warn me of this change - I was left to find out by chance. If they're happy to muck me about like this, I will not use them again.

EUJet  - by Henry Irving

15 March 2005

Arrived at Manston this morning for the early flight to Dublin - to find that it had been cancelled. No notification to myself, my wife and my 2 friends. Three others in similar situation at the airport - also not notified of cancellation to flight. Total fiasco. Not at all satisfied. Dogs in kennels for an extra night! EU Jet need to try much harder to succeed.

EUJet  - by Andrew Orak

11 March 2005

Flew to Manston from Barcelona today, flight was over 3 hours late departing, they gave us a two euro voucher which was enough for a cup of coffee . They emailed us yesterday about the delay which helped, flight was pleasant but was already a replacement flight for one which they cancelled for 2 days ago. No bad weather, no one knew why it was cancelled/delayed, how long can this go on ?

EUJet  - by Brian Witham

5 March 2005

Manchester to Manston to Manchester, fare was good, cabin comfortable. Everything was on time. Couldn't really complain. I just hope it keeps going so I don't have to take a more expensive, nightmare, train journey across London to visit home.

EUJet  - by Jim Moire

1 March 2005

Sad to say, it seems EUjet may not survive much longer. The scale of rumours about this company's ability to survive even a few months more should serve as a potential warning to punters about the risk of booking for summer '05. Being quite local, I wanted EUjet and Manston to be successful, but it seems they did not have enough cash to market the airline and attract punters.

EUJet  - by Aaron Wells

1 March 2005

My girlfriend and I booked for Manston to Murcia for 4 days 20.02.05 -24.02.05 Flight delayed by 10.5 hours going out - they had to charter an aircraft from Spain. In the end we arrived at Murcia at 10pm instead of 10am therefore lost 1 day of holiday. Return from Murcia to Manston 7 hours delay at the airport - no communication from anyone whatsoever until fellow passenger contacted his son who works for EU Jet who informed his father that the flights had been cancelled. My family tried in vain to contact the Customer Services - on hold for over 45 mins eventually got through and was told the flight would leave Murcia at 9pm to GATWICK we were still in Murcia at 11.30pm flight left at 11.45. Thet had to bring in another aircraft not EUJet. To top it all the coach broke down 3 times from Gatwick. Eventually reached Manston at 3.30am on Friday morning - a total of 11hrs late - then had no one then to pick us up as family have to get up to go to work and had to pay a further £9.00 taxi fare - We are local people who wanted this to work - sorry about the pun ! but cannot see it ever getting off the ground !

EUJet  - by Jim Campbell

1 March 2005

I had flights booked from Kent International Airport to Prague departing Sunday 20th Feb returning on Thursday 24th Feb, about a week before travelling I received a mail informing me that the return flight would no longer operate on the Thursday, but instead I had to travel back on the Friday. I was a little annoyed but accepted this as one of the issues with lowfare travel. Upon arriving at Manston, we were informed that there was a half hour delay to our flight. Then this moved to an hour and then two hours, at no point we were informed by a member of staff, only through the departure screens. The screens then told us that the gate was opened, the final call declared and then the gate closed, and all of this without even an plane or member of staff present. Finally someone told us that our plane would arrive in 15 minutes, then half an hour later that the plane which was coming from Gatwick had turned back and they would update us in half an hour, one and a half hours later we were told that the flight was cancelled and that we would all be on the next flight on the Monday morning. So we had sat for about six hours only to be told that it would be the next day. After this I had already resolved that i'd never risk them again, but the service did improve, the staff organised a hotel and transfers and the flight the next day left with about an hour's delay, the flight itself was fine and the staff onboard friendly. Our return flight was again delayed, this time by two and a half hours, with again the same lack of information. In short i'd like eujet to succeed as i feel that if all goes smoothly they would be great value for money, however when things go wrong they clearly don't have the contingency to cover possible issues and so problems that might cause a small delay when travelling with EasyJet or Ryanair end up as big delays and cancellations with EUJet. They sent me out free flights as compensation without any complaint from me, but unfortunately I wouldn't risk travelling with them again even for free.