EasyJet passengers receive full £900 refund after flight moved forward by 11 hours

Initially, Mr Leigh had booked the flights for 5:30pm, but was informed the travel had been brought forward to 6:40am - just over 11 hours ahead of the original booking.

Mr Leigh said the change made the journey impossible.

“We are in our 70s and 80s and we never book early morning flights,” he said in a letter to the Times.

“There are no alternatives with easyJet, so I wanted the full refund which was offered as an option in the email informing us of the change.”

However, when Mr Leigh contacted the airline, he was told a refund was not possible, despite the significant alteration to the original booking.

The situation highlights a common frustration for airline passengers, who often assume their departure time is fixed once a booking is confirmed.

Airlines, including easyJet, rely on clauses in their terms and conditions stating that flight schedules are not guaranteed and do not form part of the contract.

There are no strict legal definitions for what constitutes a “significant” schedule change.

However, under easyJet’s own policy, if a flight time is changed by more than three hours, customers are entitled to discuss their options, including free rebooking or a full refund.

After the case was escalated, easyJet reversed its position and refunded the couple in full.

An airline spokesman said: “While we initially advised Mr Leigh of his options to rebook for free or request a refund in line with our policy, we are sorry for the incorrect advice he later received when he contacted us and the inconvenience caused.

“We have been in touch with him to apologise for the experience and refund him.”

The incident comes after another recent customer complaint involving easyJet, in which an NHS doctor claimed she was “thrown” off a flight following a dispute over cabin baggage.

Dr Vana Katsomitrou said she was removed from a Christmas Eve flight to Alicante after being accused of harassment when she tried to demonstrate that her hand luggage fit within the size limits.

Despite offering to pay the £60 excess baggage fee, she was refused boarding and later offered a £13 refund.

easyJet said at the time that Dr Katsomitrou was refused travel due to disruptive behaviour, a claim she strongly disputes.

Both cases have raised concerns among passengers about how consistently easyJet applies its policies and communicates customer rights.

Consumer advocates advise passengers to keep all correspondence, screenshots of original booking details, and written confirmation of any schedule changes.

They also recommend challenging incorrect advice and escalating complaints where necessary, particularly when airline policies clearly support the passenger’s position.

For Mr Leigh, the outcome was ultimately positive, but he said the experience caused unnecessary stress.

He said: “We did everything right.

“We booked carefully, paid extra, and still had to fight for what we were entitled to.”