'Extremely annoyed' at 122 mile Christmas flight diversion

PASSENGERS flying to City of Derry airport this Christmas have expressed anger over diversions and delays suffered over the festive period.

Extreme weather conditions played havoc as freezing conditions descended on Londonderry in the days leading up to Christmas.

One passenger flying from Liverpool to City of Derry on December 23 said he could hardly believe his ears when he and his fellow passengers were informed they could not land in Londonderry and would be diverted to Dublin 122 miles away.

"I was extremely annoyed as we were first told that if the weather didn't clear up we would have to divert to Belfast," said Maurice McColgan who works as a building surveyor in the North West of England.

"Fifteen minutes later we were told we had missed our slot in Belfast and had to be diverted to Dublin. We then had to bus it back to Derry arriving hours later than expected," he added.

And Mr McColgan's travel travails did not end there. His outbound flight to Liverpool with budget airline Ryanair on December 28 was also delayed.

"We were also delayed by about six-and-a-half hours on the way back. We spent eight hours in City of Derry's departure lounge. They gave us a 3.50 food and drink voucher which only buys a sandwich in the airport," he complained.

But whilst freezing weather conditions certainly contributed to the delays it appears flight cancellations and diversions are not solely brought about by the ice, snow and freezing fog.

The latest statistics for City of Derry airport show that four scheduled flights were diverted and two cancelled throughout the month of November. This was an increase from three diversions and one cancellation in November 2008.

On November 11 fifty-four passengers on a Ryanair flight from Glasgow Prestwick to Londonderry were diverted to Belfast City due to adverse weather conditions at City of Derry. Sixty passengers booked on the return flight had to travel by bus to Belfast to make the plane.

On November 28 eighty-nine passengers on a plane from London Luton to Londonderry also landed short of their intended destination whilst eighty-seven passengers waiting on the same Ryanair plane to take them to England also had to travel to Belfast by bus.

On the same day two Aer Arann flights were cancelled. Nineteen passengers flying from Londonderry to Dublin were disappointed whilst two of three passengers intending to fly from Londonderry to Dublin opted to take surface transport.

There was also a decrease in the total passengers carried by 15.89 per cent from 30475 in Nov 2008 to 25630 in Nov 2009. Scheduled flights dropped from 385 in Nov 2008 to 339 in Nov 2009, down 12 per cent, and overall movements were down 12 per cent.

In relation to flight diversions generally Ryanair state: "We will do everything possible to get passengers to their destination as quickly as possible.

"During delay and disruption, flight schedules cannot be guaranteed. Our airport representatives are expected to tell passengers what is happening when a flight does not operate as planned, although they cannot always accurately foretell the length of a delay.

"Predictions are given in good faith, based on current information on hand at the time. Forecasts can change subject to ongoing conditions or as further information is received."

A spokesperson for City of Derry Airport explained that extreme weather conditions were impacting on flights throughout the Christmas period. She stated: "On Wednesday 23rd December 2009, the inbound flight from Liverpool was diverted to Dublin due to freezing fog being experienced at City of Derry Airport.

"Passengers were subsequently transferred to City of Derry Airport by coach. The choice of diversion airport is made by the airline."