[Travel] OT Gatwick drones

LockStock · Feb 13, 2019

I was caught up in the drone delays at Gatwick and as a result had to book new flights out of Heathrow. My orginal easyJet flight got cancelled so I got a coach to Heathrow and a BA flight from there.
I have since been trying to get the easyJet flight refunded but have been told it is not covered by travel provider, my travel insurance or easyJet as the government deemed it an act of terror.
Any else who got caught up in it had the same or had any luck getting a refund?

pauli cee · Feb 13, 2019

LockStock said:
I was caught up in the drone delays at Gatwick and as a result had to book new flights out of Heathrow. My orginal easyJet flight got cancelled so I got a coach to Heathrow and a BA flight from there.
I have since been trying to get the easyJet flight refunded but have been told it is not covered by travel provider, my travel insurance or easyJet as the government deemed it an act of terror.
Any else who got caught up in it had the same or had any luck getting a refund?

Did they ever get to the bottom of what happened, or is it just another of those stories that seems to mysteriously go away without an answer

Daddies_Sauce · Feb 13, 2019

pauli cee said:
Did they ever get to the bottom of what happened, or is it just another of those stories that seems to mysteriously go away without an answer

Its Chris Grayling, the man with no ferries and a take-away menu, what do you think the outcome will be? lift corner of carpet and brush underneath.

Blue3 · Feb 13, 2019

I was told by somone who works aircraft side fairly senior that there was a drone and the airport used its sighting to test the emergency planning and response but that it got out of hand and took on a life of its own

Bry Nylon · Feb 13, 2019

pauli cee said:
Did they ever get to the bottom of what happened, or is it just another of those stories that seems to mysteriously go away without an answer

Who knows what the answer to this mystery could be? After all, every time Sussex Police launched one of their surveillance drones, a drone was spotted and the airport was shut. But once Sussex Police stopped launching surveillance drones, the drone sightings miraculously ceased?

Who knows what the answer could be?

Weststander · Feb 13, 2019

I thought pictures of the offending drone were publicised at the time.

Gatwick, a private company, wouldn’t throw away £10m’s and have a massive PR disaster for testing or a lie.

Surf's Up · Feb 13, 2019

Bry Nylon said:
Who knows what the answer to this mystery could be? After all, every time Sussex Police launched one of their surveillance drones, a drone was spotted and the airport was shut. But once Sussex Police stopped launching surveillance drones, the drone sightings miraculously ceased?

Who knows what the answer could be?

Nothing that Sussex plod do would surprise me! Surely front runners for the "Nacker of the Yard" award for the most incompetent force in the country??!!

juliant · Feb 13, 2019

LockStock said:
I was caught up in the drone delays at Gatwick and as a result had to book new flights out of Heathrow. My orginal easyJet flight got cancelled so I got a coach to Heathrow and a BA flight from there.
I have since been trying to get the easyJet flight refunded but have been told it is not covered by travel provider, my travel insurance or easyJet as the government deemed it an act of terror.
Any else who got caught up in it had the same or had any luck getting a refund?

If your insurance and airline wont cough up then your only option is to try the CAA

http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1126 Your rights when there is a problem with your flight.PDF

Some airlines do have a habit to not pay out in times like this , it all depends on what they offered you at the time. Ie did they offer to move you for free to another flight with them.

Good luck with it

goldstone · Feb 13, 2019

pauli cee said:
Did they ever get to the bottom of what happened, or is it just another of those stories that seems to mysteriously go away without an answer

I was wondering the other day what had happened to this story. Surely we are due some answers?

Herr Tubthumper · Feb 14, 2019

pauli cee said:
Did they ever get to the bottom of what happened, or is it just another of those stories that seems to mysteriously go away without an answer

Theyre still looking into the chemical mist mystery. One thing at a time my friend.

Weststander · Feb 14, 2019

Herr Tubthumper said:
Theyre still looking into the chemical mist mystery. One thing at a time my friend.

The ISIS Birling Gap cell.

Herr Tubthumper · Feb 14, 2019

LockStock said:
I was caught up in the drone delays at Gatwick and as a result had to book new flights out of Heathrow. My orginal easyJet flight got cancelled so I got a coach to Heathrow and a BA flight from there.
I have since been trying to get the easyJet flight refunded but have been told it is not covered by travel provider, my travel insurance or easyJet as the government deemed it an act of terror.
Any else who got caught up in it had the same or had any luck getting a refund?

I had two flights cancelled and got full refunds for both. I got the money back for the cost of the two cancelled flights and nothing more; it’s not covered by the EU compensation thing and whilst I incurred extra costs of booking two new flights at short notice and transport from Heathrow to Brighton I was not expecting these to be compensated*.

At the time of the cancellation I was offered, via the cancellation email, the choice of a full refund or alternative flights. I accepted the former. *This also forfeited my rights to their duty of care ie hotels and alternative flights etc. I was refunded automatically but had to chase one as it didn’t get paid.....all it took was a quick phone call; there was some glitch in their system. I had booked direct with EasyJet....maybe this played a part in my swift assistance?

To be fair to EasyJet, and bearing in mind the ridiculous situation at Gatwick with the Key Stone cops, I found them quite helpful.

Good luck as I know this sort of stuff can be a pain and very frustrating.

Herr Tubthumper · Feb 14, 2019

Surf's Up said:
Nothing that Sussex plod do would surprise me! Surely front runners for the "Nacker of the Yard" award for the most incompetent force in the country??!!

My favourite Sussex Plod moment was seeing about 20 of them kettle about 5 spotty student protesters outside the pier on Sunday morning about 10 years ago. They had obvs seen the met doing the same during the London riots the previous week and clearly wanted to play at being bigger boys for the day.

whitelion · Apr 15, 2019

Featured on Panorama tonight at 8.30pm. Although the airport spokesperson maintains over a 100 "sightings" by trusted employees and police not one photograph and only one uncooberated video footage exists.

Why did Sussex Police at one point say that they may not have existed. But later overriden by the Chief Constable?

banjo · Apr 28, 2019

Three flights diverted to Stansted as drone spotted inside 5km zone.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-48086013

LamieRobertson · Jun 14, 2020

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-53041256

Knocky's Nose · Jun 14, 2020

"A couple arrested over the Gatwick Airport drone chaos that halted flights have received £200,000 in compensation."

Oh no they haven't....

They received £55,000 (which they'll probably spend on the very best drones money can buy for a giggle..) - and the real winners were... "..and law firm Howard Kennedy said it has billed the force an additional £145,000 in legal costs."

vegster · Jun 14, 2020

Knocky's Nose said:
"A couple arrested over the Gatwick Airport drone chaos that halted flights have received £200,000 in compensation."

Oh no they haven't....

They received £55,000 (which they'll probably spend on the very best drones money can buy for a giggle..) - and the real winners were... "..and law firm Howard Kennedy said it has billed the force an additional £145,000 in legal costs."

Well, It's cost Sussex police a hefty wad for that.

Eeyore · Jun 14, 2020

'No-one has ever been charged, and police have said that some reported drone sightings may have been Sussex Police's own craft'

Herr Tubthumper · Jun 15, 2020

Brighton Lines said:
'No-one has ever been charged, and police have said that some reported drone sightings may have been Sussex Police's own craft'

“Twelve armed officers swooped on Mr and Mrs Gait's home, even though they did not possess any drones and had been at work during the reported sightings.”

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