My flight was diverted due to drunk passenger… but easyJet won’t pay for five-hour delay: SALLY SORTS IT

I flew with easyJet from Bristol to Hurghada, Egypt, last November, on a flight that should have taken four and a half hours.

We were three-quarters of the way there when we had to divert to Heraklion in Crete due to a drunken passenger on board. In the end, the journey took well over nine hours, and I didn’t get to my hotel until midnight.

I lost a full evening of my holiday, not to mention the stress of wondering if my pick-up would still be at Hurghada airport. Fortunately, it was.

My argument is that for this passenger to be in such a state that it caused the plane to divert, she must have been inebriated before boarding. Therefore, the ground crew wrongly allowed her to board. 

Then on the plane, she was sold more alcohol up to the point she became a liability. I am not happy, as easyJet would not offer compensation.

D.P., Brixham, Devon.

Sally Hamilton replies: Your email landed in my inbox at about the same time Michael O’Leary, the outspoken boss of easyJet rival Ryanair, made pronouncements that early-morning airport drinking should be banned and pre-flight drinks generally limited to two to clamp down on disruptive passengers.

He wants to call time on the early-morning pint because almost one Ryanair flight a day is diverted due to drunken or disruptive behaviour.

His views on drink restrictions have divided opinion. While many want to see an end to behaviour that goes beyond boisterousness, others maintain a beer or glass of bubbly at the airport is an essential pre-flight ritual.

I can imagine how frustrating it was for you and other passengers severely inconvenienced by the behaviour of one nuisance customer. Diverting planes also costs airlines a lot of money – as much as £50,000 each time.

If a diversion happens for reasons within an airline’s control, such as a technical fault with the plane or a crew shortage, passengers are entitled to compensation.

For flights under 1,500km (932 miles) delayed by over three hours, customers receive £220, and for flights over 1,500km, £350. 

You would have been owed £350 for your 4,000km (2,485 miles) flight had the delay been easyJet’s fault.

Compensation is not due when delays are for ‘exceptional circumstances’ that are out of an airline’s control, such as bad weather, strikes (other than among its own employees), bird strikes, security threats, and a sick passenger – or an unruly one.

Whatever the reason for delay, passengers are entitled to food and refreshments paid for by the airline, as well as overnight accommodation and transfers, if the situation requires it.

Boarding a plane drunk, or being drunk on a plane, is a criminal offence, as spelled out in the Air Navigation Order 2016. This can lead to hefty fines and a possible prison sentence.

I asked easyJet what action it took against the disorderly customer and how staff deal with inebriated passengers generally.

The airline said it does not comment on individual cases, but said the passenger’s behaviour meant the diversion was outside its control, so no compensation was due. It added it ‘fully understands the inconvenience caused’. 

A spokesman said: ‘We have strict rules around the consumption of alcohol on board and refuse service to anyone who appears to be under the influence, and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour on board.’

I asked Rhys Jones, travel insurance expert at comparison site GoCompare, if travellers affected by such diversions can get help from their holiday policies.

He said: ‘Most policies provide a fixed benefit for delays once they exceed a set period, rather than compensating for the full inconvenience. 

If the disruption leads to knock-on impacts, like missed connections, lost accommodation, or abandoning a trip, you might be covered under sections like travel disruption or trip abandonment, depending on the policy. 

The more comprehensive the policy, the better.’  

Insurer won’t cover repairmen’s electricity bill 

My daughter was flooded out of her park home in January 2025. It was uninhabitable and all her belongings were either moved to storage or thrown away. 

I reported the claim to her insurer, Canopius, and it appointed an assessor.

She finally moved back in August, once the repairs and renovations were completed. The contents claim was settled to her satisfaction, as were the repair costs. 

However, the electricity bill for the time she was away came to £1,000 because of the equipment the repairers were using. Canopius only offered my daughter £220.

This is unacceptable since she didn’t even stay there during that time. Please help.

D.W., Ilminster, Somerset.

Sally Hamilton replies: You told me your daughter did not live at her flooded property from January to August last year, so didn’t use any appliances.

The electricity consumed over the period came from the work being carried out by the repairers approved by the insurer. 

When a home is flooded, contractors often use industrial heaters and dehumidifiers in the drying-out process, which use large amounts of electricity, and there are all sorts of other devices required, such as drills and sanders.

Typically, if you must move out of your home, such utility bills will be met by the insurer.

You said there was no mention in the insurance documents of caps on the amount that would be covered, so you felt aggrieved that your daughter was left out of pocket.

I asked Canopius to reconsider her case – and it responded saying it would recommend the assessor reimburse the electricity bill in full. A couple of days later you confirmed your daughter had received the full sum.

You told me you were grateful for my help and that this extra money will be put towards the cost of raising the property a few inches so that it can escape any future flooding.

Household policies vary, so homeowners should check what will be covered if a disaster requires moving out.

Most insurers will allow a sum for this, either a fixed amount or a percentage figure, which is usually 20 to 30 per cent of the total insured value of the home.

Take a record (ideally with photos) of all utility meters before moving out and the same once in the alternative accommodation. 

The idea is that policyholders do not pay duplicate bills or higher costs due to the repair works.

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given. 

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