easyJet customers preyed on by scammers – airline issues warning

The budget airline has issued a warning after a number of fake Twitter accounts began preying on travellers.

Con artists have been seen swooping on customers who tweet they have been affected by cancelled flights. It is not known if the scammers are also targeting customers announcing other easyJet issues on the social media platform.

easyJet cancelled hundreds of flights from Gatwick Airport earlier this month due to thunderstorms. About 15,000 passengers were affected after 109 flights were cancelled over two days due to the weather.

It's feared that due to poor weather being blamed, customers won't be entitled to flight delay compensation.

Fake accounts using easyJet imagery and similar usernames reply to customers complaining to the official account.

One account named @easyJets claims to be "the onlly official twitter account”. Scam awareness advice says scammers often message with poor spelling and grammar.

The account replied to a customer who complained of having to spend more than £500 sorting his cancelled flights, in an exchange seen by The Independent's travel expert Simon Calder.

@easyJets said: “Apologies For the delayed Response Kindly share your Reachable mobile number for further Assistance^OG.”

Another account called @easyJet_t, using the same profile picture as easyJet, has been closed down since the Independent reported it. It has also reported the other account.

The official easyJet Twitter account has a gold verification tick.

An easyJet spokesperson said: “We are aware of a fake Twitter account purporting to be an official easyJet account. We have reported the account to Twitter so they can take any necessary action.

“We advise customers to only follow and engage with our sole official Twitter channel @easyJet – which is identifiable by the gold verification badge for official businesses – for the latest updates or to seek support.

“We also advise customers to be vigilant and not engage with or click on any links from other accounts.”

easyJet flight cancellation policy

easyJet gives three options to passengers if their flight is cancelled. Travellers can switch to another flight for free, claim a voucher for the value of their booking to be used at a later date, or request a refund.

However there is a loophole that says easyJet must be responsible for the cancellation or delay. So if your flight is delayed or cancelled due to "extraordinary circumstances" you may not be eligible for flight compensation.

Extraordinary circumstances include bad weather, a strike - by anyone other than the airline's crew, natural disasters, an ill or unruly passenger, delays caused by airport staff such as a shortage of baggage handlers, political circumstances or collision.

If you want to cancel a flight yourself you can do this and get a partial refund within 24 hours of your booking. You will need to pay a cancellation fee which is £49 online and £55 over the phone. These fees are waived if the Foreign Office deems the destination unsafe. easyJet won't offer any refund after 24 hours has passed, but you can change your flight.

Sometimes easyJet will give a full refund if there has been a serious or terminal diagnosis or family bereavement. This is at their discretion but you can apply by contacting their customer services team. You may need to submit a medical declaration document.

A refund of Government tax is available for any cancelled flights, with the amount differing depending on which country you are flying from but is usually around £13.

For more information on easyJet's cancellation policy, click here.

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