No full refund Easyjet cheats Nati fan with false promises of payment

For one Swiss national team fan, the European Championship match between Switzerland and Italy was to be an unforgettable experience. However, traveling to and from the match with the airline Easyjet turned into a nightmare for the football fan - financially too.

What luck! An ardent fan of the Swiss national team manages to get two tickets for himself and his partner for the European Championship round of 16 match between Switzerland and Italy in Berlin early on Saturday evening, June 29. The man is planning "a perfect weekend" in a beautiful hotel not far from Berlin's Olympic Stadium. As reported by theTagesanzeigernewspaper, the journey to and from the match venue turned into an odyssey for the couple.

The man booked an outward flight via Easyjet on the evening before the game. The couple then wanted to take the return flight on Sunday evening. The anticipation was great - until Easyjet canceled the flight just a few hours before departure to Berlin.

Detour across half of Europe

The couple were stunned. They immediately tried to find a replacement flight via the Easyjet app. But there is none. The clock is ticking, the time pressure is increasing. They desperately look for an alternative route. And they actually find one - with a detour via Greece.

The flight plan takes them from Basel to Thessaloniki and from there to Berlin. If there are no delays, they would reach the German capital on Saturday afternoon and arrive at the stadium just in time for kick-off. A flight rebooking is not possible, according to an Easyjet employee on the phone, but the airline would cover the additional costs. The employee allows the Nati fan to record his statement on his smartphone.

The couple go to bed early, after all, the alarm clock rings at 2 a.m. the next day. They take a cab to Basel and from there via Thessaloniki to Berlin. But the stress seems to have been worth it. They arrive at the stadium in time for kick-off - and the Swiss beat Italy 2:0 in a thrilling match.

Switzerland wins, the return flight loses

The exuberant joy on Saturday evening is followed only a few hours later by disillusionment. On Sunday afternoon, Easyjet also canceled the return flight. The couple are forced to spend another night in Berlin. They are only able to board their return flight on Monday.

But that's not all: back in Switzerland, the couple learns that the airline will only cover part of the additional costs. Easyjet explained to the Tagesanzeiger newspaper that everything had been done to minimize the inconvenience for the passengers. Easyjet is paying justified compensation and will contact the couple again. The airline did not make any concrete promises to reimburse the couple.

Expert criticizes Easyjet

The man has since been reimbursed for the additional costs of the trip, but his partner has not yet been reimbursed. Simon Sommer, air passenger rights expert at Cancelled.ch, criticized the airline's approach in an interview with Tagesanzeiger: "This is unusual - normally an airline either pays for all replacement flights or none at all."

Sommer also criticizes the fact that the Easyjet customer had to find a replacement flight himself. "With most airlines, you are usually rebooked proactively." Fortunately, according to Sommer, the Nati traveler used his smartphone to record the Easyjet employee's approval of the additional costs for the flight rebooking. Otherwise, this would not have been legally usable - and the man would probably have been stuck with the costs.